The Penn State community mourns the loss of a Nittany Lion coaching legend. Gene Wettstone, a member of the men’s gymnastics program for 36 years, has died.
Wettstone, who celebrated his 100th birthday earlier this month, passed away Wednesday morning in State College.
Wettstone led the Nittany Lions to an astonishing nine NCAA team championships and 13 Eastern Intercollegiate Gymnastics League (EIGL) crowns. He compiled over 200 dual meet victories, coached his student-athletes to 35 individual national titles and produced 13 Olympians before retiring. He is the record-holder for most NCAA men’s team championships by a single coach in the sport.
Wettstone was inducted into the United States Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1963.
Penn State Director of Athletics Dave Joyner says Wettstone touched the lives of countless gymnasts at Penn State and across the nation. “He is viewed as the John Wooden of college gymnastics and was very highly respected worldwide in the gymnastics communities.
“Coach Wettstone was a great person and an outstanding tutor that brought Penn State and collegiate gymnastics to the forefront. He will be deeply missed by Penn Staters and many others around the world.”
The Gene Wettstone Award, which is awarded to the top Nittany Lion gymnast each year, began in 1976 following his retirement.
At Penn State, Wettstone oversaw 26 major events at Rec Hall, including three NCAA men’s championships.
Three of Wettstone’s student-athletes went on to win the Nissen-Emery Award, given annually to the nation’s top gymnast. Steve Cohen (1967), Bob Emery (1969) and Gene Whelan (1976) all earned the sport’s top distinction. Emery’s name was added to the award in 1997 for his contributions to the sport.
Wettstone made two tours as the head coach of the U.S. Olympic men’s gymnastics team, in 1948 and 1956. He was the manager of the 1976 U.S. Olympic squad. He was an Olympic judge during the 1952 and 1968 games and served on the U.S. Olympic Committee for 20 years. He also served as the national AAU Vice-Chairperson from 1948-1956 and was a member of the NCAA Gymnastics Committee for 18 years.
Wettstone’s meets inside of the historic Recreation Building were some of the best attended meets in the nation during his tenure at Penn State.
He helped revive the Nittany Lion mascot in 1939 after a 12-year hiatus. Wettstone even wore the outfit for one season before passing the responsibilities along to a student the next year.
Wettstone also experienced success as a student-athlete at the University of Iowa, earning Big Ten titles on the pommel horse, high bar and in the all-around as a senior in 1937. Other awards for Wettstone include the Lifetime Achievement Award from his alma mater.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 10 at the Foxdale Retirement Center located at 300 Marilyn Ave. in State College. A reception will be held prior to the service, starting at 9:30 a.m.
