Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton was a gymnast who competed from 1983 through 1985, including a successful appearance at the 1984 Olympics. In 1983, at the age of fifteen, she won the American Cup Title and the Chunichi Cup in Japan.¹ An Olympic gold medalist in 1984 for Women's Gymnastics All-Around, she also won silver and bronze medals for Team Competition, the Horse Vault, Floor Exercise and the Uneven bars.²

Fast Facts

1. Full name: Mary Lou Retton Kelley
2. Born: January 24, 1968
3. Birthplace: Fairmont, West Virginia²
4. Height: 4'9"
5. Spouse: Shannon Kelley, former University of Texas quarterback³
6. Member of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports⁴
7. 2002: Hosted Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop on TV⁵

Additional Career Highlights

1. Trained with Bela and Marta Karolyi⁶
2. 1984: Featured on a Wheaties box ⁷
3. 1997: Inducted into the International Gymanstics Hall of Fame¹

Movie Appearances

1. Scrooged with Bill Murray
2. Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult with Leslie Nielsen⁸

Mary Lou Retton Quotes

"You give up your childhood. You miss proms and games and high-school events, and people say it's awful... I say it was a good trade. You miss something but I think I gained more than I lost."⁹

"Be cocky. Walk into the Georgia Dome like you own it."⁹

"For six years, I kept my five Olympic medals wrapped in a plastic bread bag beneath my bed."⁹

"I'm very determined and stubborn. There's a desire in me that makes me want to do more and more, and to do it right. Each one of us has a fire in our heart for something. It's our goal in life to find it and to keep it lit."¹⁰

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