Alumni gymnastics rock stars gathered during 2023

Around 40 alumni from Lipscomb’s nationally acclaimed gymnastics team of the 1960s to 1980s met on campus this past July for a reunion.

From staff reports | 02/01/2024

Around 40 alumni from Lipscomb’s nationally acclaimed gymnastics team of the 1960s to 1980s met on campus this past July for a reunion to mark 40+ years since the end of the program, coached by Lipscomb Legend the late Tom Hanvey (A ’42).

During its existence, the team won an NAIA national title in 1979, compiled an 80-16 record and developed twelve All-Americans. That’s not to mention what most alumni remember the team for: the exhibitions during half-time at basketball games in McQuiddy Gym, described as “15 minutes of pure adrenaline” by Drew Davis (BA ’81), of Atlanta, the primary organizer of the reunion.

“The half-time show was the most fun for us, because we were showing off for our friends and you weren’t being judged for every little thing. People would see us on campus and say, ‘You are amazing!’ We were rock stars, in our own mind” he chuckled.

They were able to catch up with Hanvey’s wife Vivian (BS ’54) and his children during a luncheon at Longview Mansion. The group enjoyed a tour of campus by today’s Athletics Director Philip Hutcheson (BA ’90) and saw a slideshow of historic photos of the team put together by the Lipscomb Archives staff.

“Many of these guys had never been back to campus since graduating, and they just couldn’t believe the difference,” said Davis. The group had fun finding their old chapel seats in Collins Auditorium and spending the night in High Rise Residence Hall, the team members’ home during their college careers, he said. 

About 95 guys competed on the gymnastics team over the years, said Davis. During his years on campus, ending in 1981, the gymnastics team competed against 10-12 universities each year, many of them much larger than Lipscomb. Even so, the dozen or so guys on the Lipscomb team often went undefeated for the season, he said.

Among the reunion attendees was Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Famer Robert Lyn Baker (LA ’62, BS ’65), well known for leading the team to national prominence in the 1960s. His two outstanding events were floor exercise and trampoline. He won the Southern Intercollegiate Gymnastic League trampoline championship in 1963, ’64 and ’65 and was named an NAIA All-American in 1965.

“Lipscomb got good, very quickly, and Coach Hanvey was a great recruiter,” said Davis, whose children also graduated from Lipscomb. “When I was there we had guys from all over the country on our team. We were there when the legends were there: baseball coach Ken Dugan, basketball coach Don Meyer and golf coach Ralph Samples. It was a really special time to be at Lipscomb.”

Alumni who also helped coordinate the reunion included Tim Richards (’80) and Kit Bunger (’80), owners of Let It Shine Gym in Franklin; Tom Wallace (’78) ; Dan Gutzman (’80); John Dunn (A); Richard Matthews (A) and Lipscomb’s Alumni Relations staff.