Joey Ray
| Joey Ray | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Joseph Ray | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1962 or 1963 (age 63–64) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Men's artistic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country represented |  United States (1981–1986) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
College team | Minnesota Golden Gophers (1981–1984) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach | Fred Roethlisberger | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | c. 1986 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Awards | Big Ten Medal of Honor (1984) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Joseph Ray[1] (born 1962 or 1963[2]) is a retired American artistic gymnast. He was a member of the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team and won a silver medal at the 1983 Pan American Games.
Early life and education
[edit]Ray was born around 1962 or 1963 and was a native of Morton Grove, Illinois.[2] He started gymnastics at 9 years old after seeing other children performing flips and taking an interest.[2][3] Practicing 3 hours a day, he was a top youth gymnast at Maine East High School and the American Academy Gymnastics Club, and won the Class AA state title on parallel bars and horizontal bar.[2][4] He was a member of the United States junior national team.[2][4] He later enrolled at the University of Minnesota.
Gymnastics career
[edit]While a student at the University of Minnesota, Ray was a member of the Minnesota Golden Gophers men's gymnastics team from 1981 to 1984.[5] He was the Big Ten Conference all-around champion in 1983.[6] He was a four-time conference champion on parallel bars (1981 through 1984) and won the pommel horse title in 1981.[6] He was an All-American on the parallel bars in 1981.[7] He was awarded the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1984.[1][8]
While in college, Ray was first named to the United States men's national artistic gymnastics team in 1981.[9] He represented the United States at the 1983 Pan American Games and won a silver medal in the team all-around and placed fifth in the pommel horse.[10]
He graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1984, but continued training and later joined the Golden Gophers as an assistant coach.[9][3] He remained a member of the US National Team until 1986, but continued coaching and began judging gymnastics.[9]
Ray was inducted into the Minnesota Golden Gophers "M Club Hall of Fame" as a member of the class of 2015.[11]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Ray wins Gopher medal of honor". Minneapolis Star and Tribune. Vol. III, no. 49. May 31, 1984. p. 3D. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ a b c d e "Meet The All-American Junior Gymnastics Team". Beatrice Daily Sun. Vol. 77, no. 242. April 19, 1980. p. 13. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ a b "Ex-Big 10 champ Joey Ray to perform here". The Evening Telegram. Vol. 95, no. 262. Superior, Wisconsin. February 26, 1985. p. 3. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ a b Mitchell, Fred (April 28, 1979). "Preps rip disparity in gymnastics". Chicago Tribune. Vol. 132, no. 118. p. 2 Section 2. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ "Letterwinners". gophersports.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ a b "Big Ten Champions". gophersports.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ "All-Americans". gophersports.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ "Golden Gopher Honors and Awards". gophersports.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2018. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ a b c Davy, John (July 20, 1988). "Next..." The Evening Telegram. Vol. 99, no. 76. Superior, Wisconsin. p. 13. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
- ^ "Pan American Games Results". Anchorage Daily News. Vol. XXXVIII, no. 246. August 21, 1983. p. C12. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
- ^ "Joey Ray to be Inducted into". gophersports.com. October 14, 2015. Retrieved April 8, 2026.
External links
[edit]- Joey Ray at Minnesota Golden Gophers Hall of Fame