Olympedia – Dave Thor

Dave Thor attended Michigan State University where he was Big 10 all-around champion for three straight years, 1966-68. He placed third in all-around at the NCAA Meet in 1966 and 1968, winning the Nissen Award in 1968, given to the nation’s top senior collegiate gymnast. Thor competed for the US at the 1967 Pan American Games, winning five medals, with a team gold, and four individual bronze medals in all-around, high bar, pommeled horse, and floor. He also competed at the 1967 Universiade, winning the all-around gold medal. Thor won two national titles, winning on pommels and floor in 1969, when he placed third in all-around. Thor was the top all-around gymnast for the U.S. in the 1968 Olympic Games, where he tied with four other gymnasts for fourth on pommel horse in the qualifying round, but being the lowest in all-around of those four men, he just missed qualifying for the pommel horse finals of six men.

Thor went into coaching, serving as an assistant coach at Southern Connecticut State University, where he earned a masters’ degree. He then became head coach at Temple University. After leaving that post, Thor taught gymnastics in Sonoma County, California, but later settled in Utah where he taught high school math. He also became involved in hang gliding, and competed nationally in that sport. Thor was inducted into the Michigan State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2014, and the US Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1999.