Biography of Bart Conner

Growing up in the Chicago suburb of Morton Grove, Illinois, Conner discovered his gymnastic ability in an unusual fashion. "When I was nine or ten, I started walking around the house on my hands," he recalls. When his physical education classes at school dabbled in gymnastics, he found he could easily perform all the skills. "That's when people standing around started to say, 'you're pretty good at this,' and I thought about [pursuing gymnastics]."

He enrolled in a local YMCA program when he was just ten years old, and by the age of 14, won the 1972 U.S. Junior National Championships (AAU). Three years later, at age 17, Conner became the youngest gymnast ever to win the United States Gymnastics Federation All-Around championship. In 1976, he was the youngest member of the U.S. Olympic team, his first of three Olympic berths.

After suffering through the boycott of the 1980 Olympics, Conner competed through to the 1984 Olympics, where he battled back from his second torn biceps injury to win two gold medals at the Los Angeles Olympics (team and parallel bars). Instant fame was secured as the U.S. men defeated the World Champion Chinese team. "The entire US team, all six guys, had the best meet of our lives, all on the same night. It was incredible. Even though gymnastics is primarily an individual sport, there is something special about being part of a great team."

Bart Conner is now in business with manager and former college coach, Paul Ziert. He owns The Bart Conner Gymnastics Academy (a flourishing gymnastics school in Norman, Oklahoma), International Gymnast Magazine, and Grips, Etc., a gymnastics supply company.

For twenty years Bart Conner has worked as a TV commentator for ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN and Turner. He recently started Perfect 10 Productions, Inc., a TV production company dedicated to bringing more quality gymnastics meets to television. Their recent projects include the Jr. European Gymnastics Championships from Russia for ESPN, the Arthur Gander Invitational form Switzerland, and Copa Gymnastic from Mexico for Fox Sports Net.

Like many sports celebrities, Conner has dabbled in both films and television. He starred in Rad, a feature film about BMX bike racing, and has appeared on such top-rated TV shows as Highway to Heaven and Touched By An Angel.

Conner's many charity efforts include the Bart Conner Educational Programs, Inc., a non-profit educational program to inspire youths and under-served children. He also serves on the Executive Board of Special Olympics International and is a national vice-president of the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Most recently, he has been instrumental in the relocation of the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame to Oklahoma City.

On April 27, 1996, in a State wedding in Bucharest, Romania, Bart Conner married Olympic gymnastics legend, Nadia Comaneci. Although their home is in Norman, Oklahoma, they also have residences in Venice Beach, California and Bucharest, Romania.