Brian Babcock

Brian Babcock
Full nameBrian Babcock
Country representedUnited States
Born(1960-07-11)July 11, 1960
Garden City, Kansas, U.S.
DiedOctober 18, 1998(1998-10-18) (aged 38)
Webster, Texas, U.S.
DisciplineMen's artistic gymnastics
College teamSouthern Illinois Salukis
Medal record
Representing  United States
Men's artistic gymnastics
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
Pan American Games 0 2 0
Total 0 2 0
Pan American Games
Silver medal – second place 1983 Caracas All-around
Silver medal – second place 1983 Caracas Pommel horse

Brian Babcock (July 11, 1960 – October 18, 1998) is a former American artistic gymnast and member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team. He was the winner of the 1985 USA Gymnastics National Championships.

Early life and education

[edit]

Babcock was born in Garden City, Kansas. He attended Southern Illinois University Carbondale in Carbondale, Illinois, where he was a member of the Southern Illinois Salukis men's gymnastics team.[1]

Career

[edit]

College gymnastics

[edit]

In 1981, Babcock was the NCAA men's gymnastics championships silver medalist on the horizontal bar.[1][2]

In 1983, he tied for the NCAA silver medal on parallel bars and won the bronze on horizontal bar en route to a bronze medal finish in the all-around.[1][2] He earned a bachelor's degree in 1983 and a master's in 1989 and served as an assistant coach for the gymnastics team once his collegiate eligibility expired.[3]

National and global gymnastics

[edit]

Babcock was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won a silver medal on the pommel horse and all-around at the 1983 Pan American Games. He overcame knee injuries and was champion of the 1985 U.S. National Gymnastics Championships.[4][5] In 1986, Babcock was a member of the United States delegation for gymnastics at the 1986 Goodwill Games, the first time the games were held, where he placed sixth on the pommel horse.

Coaching

[edit]

In 1989, Babcock joined Dan Hayden and Dennis Hayden to coach at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center.[6] He coached at the organization for seven years before co-founding the Texas Sports Ranch in Houston.[7]

Death

[edit]

On October 18, 1998, Babcock died of complications from a bone marrow transplant to fight myelodysplastic syndrome at his home in Webster, Texas.[1][7]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Former National Champion Brian Babcock Loses Battle with Blood Disease". usagym.org. October 19, 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Brian Babcock". siusalukis.com. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  3. ^ Bode, Gus (October 21, 1998). "Hall of Famer fights struggles to the end". The Daily Egyptian. Carbondale, Illinois. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  4. ^ Kay, Linda (November 6, 1985). "Seoul Attracts These Opposites". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  5. ^ "Gymnastics". Orlando Sentinel. June 10, 1985. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  6. ^ "Brian Babcock is Selected as Parkettes' Boys Coach". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. March 8, 1989. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
  7. ^ a b "Bone Marrow Disease Claims Life of Ex-Parkettes' Coach". The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. October 20, 1998. Retrieved September 5, 2023.
[edit]