Last week Gymnast of the Week featured a female collegiate gymnast from Alabama, this week, gymnast of the week honors Bart Conner, who once competed for the University of Oklahoma, a men’s gymnastics powerhouse.

Growing up in a suburb of Chicago, Conner started his gymnastics career at a young age and trained with the Niles West High School team and competed for a local YMCA. In 1972 Connor won the AAU Junior Olympics and in 1974 he won the USGF Junior National Championship. Conner attended Niles West High School and set record upon record, until he was no longer allowed to compete because of his “unfair” talent. Immediately after high school graduation Conner joined the U.S. teams as its youngest member at the 1976 summer Olympics.

Connor attended the University of Oklahoma to train under Paul Ziert. When Conner first became a Sooner, they were ranked 19^th nationally. Upon Connor’s arrival, the Sooners climbed in the national rankings and tied for first in 1977. In 1976, Oklahoma had their first national all-around champion, Bart Conner. Conner went on to win the national all-around title in 1978 and the Sooners took first again that year as well. Conner sat out the 1980 season due to an injury, but in 1981 Conner became the first gymnast from Oklahoma to win the Nissen Award, the gymnastics equivalent to the Heisman trophy.

Although he was a college gymnast, Conner competed in the 1976 American Cup where he won the all-around title. Conner then competed in the 1979 World Championships and won the gold on parallel bars, where he performed his signature skill, the Conner spin. In the Conner spin the gymnast performs a complete 360-degree turn on one bar in a straddle position, then presses to handstand. The World Championships was not Conner’s only international appearance, Conner made the 1980 Olympic team that boycotted the Moscow Olympics.

After a series of injuries and intense recovery, Conner made the 1984 Olympic team after petitioning in his scores from the two events he competed at Olympic Trials. His perfect 10 on parallel bars helped the U.S. men’s team win their first ever team gold. He then went on to compete in the individual event finals on floor, where he placed 5^th, and parallel bars where he scored another perfect 10 and won the gold medal.

After the 1984 Olympics, Conner retired from gymnastics and became engaged to gymnastics legend Nadia Comaneci and was married two years later. Together they own Bart Connor Gymnastics Academy in Norman, Oklahoma. Together they also own Perfect 10 Production Academy, a gymnastics network, and are editors for International Gymnast magazine. Conner and Comaneci welcomed their son Dylan in June of 2006.

From a record-setting high school gymnast, to one of OU’s top competitors; then breaking onto the international scene and winning gold medals, Bart Conner was a leader for men’s gymnastics on the college, national, and international levels.  

At :24 seconds Conner does his signature skill, the Conner spin!