1950 Illinois Gymnastics
August 9, 2000
The 1950 Illinois Gymnastics squad captured the Big Ten Conference and NCAA Championship under second-year head coach Charlie Pond, beginning an amazing stretch under Coach Pond that would include 11 consecutive Big Ten titles from 1950-1960 and four national titles. Illinois was the nation's dominant gymnastics program in the 1950's beginning with the 1950 squad led by NCAA tumbling champion Irving Bedard and Big Ten side horse and horizontal bar champion Frank Dolan.
Illinois won the Big Ten title in Iowa City with 66 teams points, easily outdistancing runner-up Michigan at 37 1/2. Dolan won two Big Ten events and placed second in the parallel bars and flying rings to capture all-around honors. Bedard won his specialty, the tumbling event, with Joe Fina placing second and Richard Palmer won the flying rings.
The Illini went on to capture the NCAA title at West Point the following week and Bedard and Fina placed 1-2 in the tumbling and Dolan placed third in horizontal bar. William Barnes placed fifth in tumbling and Gaylord Hughes finished fourth in trampoline.
1950 Team Members:
Benjamin Abruzzo
William Barmes
Irvin Bedard
James Cleary
Walter Cryer
Frank Dolan
Joseph Fina
Jack Galus
Charles Hlinka
Gaylord Hughes
Ray Linder
Edwin Lundien
John Meyer
Robert Murray
David Packer
Richard Palmer
Coach:
Charles Pond
Manager:
Jospeh Howell
