Illini Legends, Lists & Lore: Hartley Price

In this current age of intercollegiate athletics where some doubt the viable financial future of non-revenue sports, former Illini gymnastics coach Hartley Price probably would have come up with a solution for his athletics director and business manager.

The native of Brisbane, Australia initially joined the University of Illinois physical education staff in 1927, shortly after graduating from Springfield College in Massachusetts.

In addition to establishing and coaching Illinois soccer program, another of Prices assignments was to work with UIs Interscholastic Circus.

The circus was an annual event where students trained as clowns and performers to put on a spring show for the university.

Price directed its gymnastics events.

Impressed by his creativity and execution, George Huff added varsity gymnastics to Prices responsibilities.

Unfortunately, at the same time, the Great Depression struck America.

Now lacking funds, UIs Athletic Association was forced to make serious budget cuts, including canceling team trips to the conference championship meets.

Thats when Price came up with the idea of Gymkana, a gymnastics exhibition, open to any UI student.

Activities featured tumbling, acrobatics, springboard leaping and rhythmic dancing.

It proved to be a highly successful spectacle, drawing crowds of more than 3,000.

Prices innovation not only saved the Illini gymnastics program, it also recruited future heretofore unknown varsity participants.

Under Prices direction, Illini gymnastics became a power in the Big Ten as well as at the national level.

From 1939 through 1942, Illinois won four consecutive NCAA championships.

Prices athletes, including All-Americans Joe Giallombardo, Paul Fina, Harry Koehnemann and Marvin Forman, also won five Big Ten titles and two national AAU championships.

When the United States entered World War II, Price enlisted in the Navy and was assigned duties to condition Naval pilots.

He rose to the rank of Lieutenant Commander.

Upon the end of the conflict in 1945, Price returned to the UI but his stay was short-lived.

In 1948, Price was hired by Florida State University to join FSUs physical education faculty.

Almost immediately, Tallahassee became the hot bed of gymnastics.

The Seminoles eventually won NCAA titles in 1951 and 1952 and AAU crowns in 1951, 1953 and 1954.

Price wrote extensively on intramural and recreational sports, contributing to Colliers Encyclopedia, the Encyclopedia Britannica, the Dictionary of Sports and the Encyclopedia of Sports Medicine.

He also taught briefly in Bogata, Columbia at the Universidad Nacional.

Price also served 20 years on the U.S.

Olympic Gymnastics Committee.

He is a member of numerous Halls of Fame, including those of Florida State (1978), Springfield College (1979) and the University of Illinois (2021).

Price retired from Florida State in 1971.

He and his wife, Billie, remained in Tallahassee until his death 47 years ago on Saturday Sept.

14, 1977 at the age of 75.

Saturday: Joe Cullen, track & field (60) Sunday: Brit Miller, football (38) Monday: Peyton Vining, football (26) Tuesday: Jason Jakstys, basketball (19) Wednesday: Coltin Quagliano, baseball Thursday: Rich Brooks, cross country/track & field (70) Friday: Andrea Ridgeway Montgomery, soccer By Mike Pearson, author of Illini Legends, Lists & Lore (Third Edition available online).

Get more Illini birthdays, trivia and historical tidbits daily on X @IlliniLegends.

His websites are www.SportsLLL.com and www.IlliniPosters.com ..

This article has been shared from the original article on newsgazette, here is the link to the original article.