Mary Lou Retton

Mary Lou Retton was born on January 24, 1968, in Fairmont, West Virginia.{{Cite web |date=July 21, 2019 |title=Mary Lou Retton |url=https://usopm.org/mary-lou-retton/ |access-date=January 22, 2021 |website=United States Olympic & Paralympic Museum |language=en-US}} Her father, Ronnie, operated a coal-industry transportation equipment business. She attended Fairmont Senior High School, but did not graduate.{{cite news |first=Robert Mcg. Jr. |last=Thomas |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/03/04/sports/mary-lou-retton-power-and-finesse.html |work=The New York Times |title=Mary Lou Retton: Power And Finesse |date=March 4, 1984 |access-date=May 12, 2010}} She competed in the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, California, during her sophomore year of high school.{{cite news |first=Lisa |last=Ryan |url= https://www2.cbn.com/article/not-selected/mary-lou-retton-all-about-lou |title=Mary Lou Retton: All About Lou |publisher=The Christian Broadcasting Network |access-date=November 13, 2011 |date=December 10, 2022}}

Retton was inspired by watching Nadia Comăneci outshine defending Olympic two-event winner Olga Korbut on television at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, when she herself was eight years of age, and she took up gymnastics in her hometown of Fairmont, West Virginia. She was coached by Gary Rafaloski. She then decided to move to Houston, Texas, to train under Romanians Béla and Márta Károlyi, who had coached Nadia Comăneci before their defection to the United States. Under the Károlyis, Retton soon began to make a name for herself in the U.S., winning the American Cup in 1983 and placing second to Dianne Durham (another Károlyi student) at the US Nationals that same year. Though Retton missed the World Gymnastics Championships in 1983 due to a wrist injury, she won the American Classic in 1983 and 1984, as well as Japan's Chunichi Cup in 1983.{{Cite web |url=https://www.ighof.com/inductees/1997_Mary_Lou_Retton.php |title=International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Mary Lou Retton |website=ighof.com |access-date=February 21, 2025}}

File:Mary Lou Retton doing a beam routine.jpg

After winning her second American Cup, the U.S. Nationals, and the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1984, Retton suffered a knee injury when she was performing a floor routine at a local gymnastics center at this time. She had sat down to sign autographs when she felt her knee lock, forcing her to undergo an operation five weeks prior to the 1984 Summer Olympics, which were going to be held in Los Angeles—the first time the Summer Olympics had been held in the United States in 52 years.{{cite web |date=April 2, 2014 |title=Mary Lou Retton |url=https://www.biography.com/athlete/mary-lou-retton |access-date=January 17, 2023 |website=The Biography Channel |publisher=}} She recovered just in time for this most prestigious of tournaments, and in the competition, which was boycotted by the Soviet bloc nations except for Romania, Retton was engaged in a close battle with Ecaterina Szabo of Romania for the all-around gold medal. Trailing Szabo (after uneven bars and balance beam) by 0.15 with two events to go, Retton scored perfect 10s on floor exercise and vault—the last event in an especially dramatic fashion, as there had been fears that her knee injury and the subsequent surgery might impair her performance.

{{cite web|title=Mary Lou beams after sticking her vault to capture the all...|work=ESPN|url=https://www.espn.com/espn/espn25/story?page=moments/70|access-date=December 15, 2013|date=June 30, 2004}} Retton won the all-around gold medal by 0.05 points, beating Szabo to become the first female gymnast from outside Eastern Europe to win the individual all-around gold. She also became the first American woman to be an Olympic all-around champion, which was an honor she held alone until the ongoing six-peat of American all-around champions — Carly Patterson in Athens 2004, Nastia Liukin in Beijing 2008, Gabby Douglas in London 2012, Simone Biles in Rio de Janeiro 2016 and Paris 2024, and Sunisa Lee in Tokyo 2021.

At the same Olympics, Retton won four additional medals: silver in the team competition and the horse vault, and bronze in the floor exercise and uneven bars. For her performance, she was named Sports Illustrated Magazine's "Sportswoman of the Year." She appeared on a Wheaties box, and became the cereal's first official spokeswoman.{{cite web |url = http://www.wheaties.com/feature/the-wheaties-story/ |title = The Box: The Wheaties Story: From a humble beginning, a cultural icon was born |work = General Mills |access-date = June 5, 2016 |url-status = live |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160605090548/http://www.wheaties.com/feature/the-wheaties-story/ |archive-date = June 5, 2016 |df = mdy-all }}

In 1985, Retton won the American Cup all-around competition for the third and final time.{{cite web|url=http://olympics.nbcsports.com/2016/03/04/mary-lou-retton-gymnastics-olympics-retirement/|title=Mary Lou Retton Reflects On 1985 American Cup Win, Retirement Decision|last=Zaccardi|first=Nick|work=NBC Sports|date=March 4, 2016|access-date=June 4, 2017}} She retired in 1986.{{Cite web |last=Zaccardi |first=Nick |date=March 4, 2016 |title=Mary Lou Retton reflects on 1985 American Cup win, retirement decision |url=https://www.nbcsports.com/olympics/news/mary-lou-retton-gymnastics-olympics-retirement |access-date=March 9, 2024 |website=NBC Sports |language=en-US}}

Image:President Ronald Reagan with Mary Lou Retton and the 1984 United States Olympic team.jpg and Retton with the U.S. Olympic Team in Los Angeles, 1984]]

Retton was an outspoken supporter of the Reagan administration and appeared in a variety of television ads supporting Ronald Reagan as well as appearing at a rally for his reelection campaign just a month after the Olympics in her home state of West Virginia. Retton delivered the Pledge of Allegiance with fellow former gymnast and 1996 Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug on the second night of the 2004 Republican National Convention.

{{cite news |title = Election 2004: Republican Convention Schedule and Viewer's Guide |newspaper = New York Times | date = September 1, 2004 | url = http://www.slate.com/id/2151608 |access-date = August 18, 2008 }}

Retton's hometown, Fairmont, West Virginia, named a road and a park in the town after her. In 1985, she received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager.{{cite web|title= Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement |website= achievement.org|publisher= American Academy of Achievement |url= https://achievement.org/our-history/golden-plate-awards/#sports}}{{cite web |date=1985|title= General Chuck Yeager Biography Photo |url= https://achievement.org/achiever/general-chuck-yeager/ |website= achievement.org |publisher= American Academy of Achievement | quote= Awards Council member General Chuck Yeager presents the American Academy of Achievement's Golden Plate Award to Olympic gold medal gymnast Mary Lou Retton at the 1985 Banquet of the Golden Plate in Denver, CO.| access-date= }}

Retton was elected to the National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.{{cite web| url= http://www.niashf.org/index.cfm?ContentID=58&InducteeID=158| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20090330180541/http://www.niashf.org/index.cfm?ContentID=58&InducteeID=158| title= Mary Lou Retton| publisher= National Italian American Sports Hall of Fame| website= niashf.org| date= | archivedate= March 30, 2009 | access-date= }} In 1993, the Associated Press released results of a sports study in which Retton was statistically tied for first place with fellow Olympian Dorothy Hamill as the most popular athlete in America.{{cite news| last= Wilstein| first= Steve | date= May 17, 1993| page= C6| url= https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1957&dat=19930517&id=XZYxAAAAIBAJ&sjid=RuEFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1249,4781703 |title= Retton, Hammill most popular American athletes| agency= Associated Press| work= The Daily Gazette| via= Google News| access-date= }}{{cite web| url= http://womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/R/Retton-Mary-Lou.aspx| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20100620043315/http://womenssportsfoundation.org/Content/Athletes/R/Retton-Mary-Lou.aspx| title= Athletes| website= womenssportsfoundation.org| publisher= Women's Sports Foundation| archivedate= June 20, 2010| access-date= }} In 1997, Retton was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.{{cite web |title= Mary Lou Retton |work= ighof.com| publisher= International Gymnastics Hall of Fame |url= http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_marylou.html |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110928145112/http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_marylou.html |archive-date= September 28, 2011 }} In January 2020, Retton was the first woman inducted into the Houston Sports Hall of Fame.{{cite web| url= https://www.houstonsports.org/houston-sports-hall-of-fame-class-of-2020/|title=Houston Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2020 | publisher= Harris County Houston Sports Authority |website= houstonsports.org| date=February 14, 2020 |access-date=January 14, 2022}}

During the 1990s, Retton worked as a spokeswoman, appearing in advertisements for the U.S. drugstore chain Revco.{{cite journal|title=Retton joins with Revco in promotional effort |journal=Chain Drug Review | date=September 10, 1990}}

Retton has had many commercial endorsements, including bowling and shampoo.{{cite news | url=http://www.edhighbeam.com/doc/1P2-1156729.html| title=For Retton, the Gold Still Glitters;Pressure, Time and Change Mature '84 Olympic Gymnastics Champion | newspaper=The Washington Post | author = Niewiaroski, Donna | date=November 3, 1990 | access-date=August 4, 2013 }} She was the first female athlete to be pictured on the front of a Wheaties box, and General Mills stated that Wheaties sales improved after her appearance.[https://web.archive.org/web/20080828024559/http://www.wheaties.com/history/wheaties_fun_facts.aspx Wheaties Fun Facts]. wheaties.com{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9455941 |title=Mary Lou Retton Biography |publisher=Biography.com |access-date=November 13, 2011 |archive-date=March 28, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090328072558/http://www.biography.com/search/article.do?id=9455941 |url-status=dead }}{{cite web | url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3862278.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140611030952/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-3862278.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=June 11, 2014| title=Prowess alone won't get an athlete on Wheaties | agency=Associated Press| date=December 26, 1987 | access-date=July 30, 2013 }} In 2019, Retton became a spokesperson for Australian Dream, a pain relief cream; and briefly, in 2023 as a spokesperson for Colonial Penn Life Insurance.{{cite news |title=Mary Lou Retton's Life Insurance Commercial Resurfaces After Her Hospitalization |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/world/mary-lou-retton-life-insurance-commercial-resurfaces-after-her-hospitalization-article-104327673 |access-date=December 4, 2023 |work=Times Now |date=October 11, 2023 |language=en}}

After the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal hit the news in 2016, the Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017{{cite web| url= https://www.congress.gov/bill/115th-congress/senate-bill/534/text|title=Text - S.534 - 115th Congress (2017-2018): Protecting Young Victims from Sexual Abuse and Safe Sport Authorization Act of 2017 |first=Dianne|last=Feinstein| date=February 14, 2018| website= congress.gov| publisher= United States Congress| access-date= }} was introduced to the 115th Congress. Retton and other members of USA Gymnastics met with the bill sponsor, Senator Dianne Feinstein, with the aim of convincing her to drop the bill.{{cite news| url= https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/sports/facing-congress-some-sports-officials-not-all-begin-to-confront-sex-abuse.html |title= Facing Congress, Some Sports Officials (Not All) Begin to Confront Sexual Abuse | date= March 29, 2017| first= Juliet | last= Macur | work= The New York Times |access-date= February 11, 2018}} Despite these efforts, on February 14, 2018, the act was signed into law and became effective immediately.

• 1985: ABC Funfit; hosted a series of five-minute segments on physical fitness which were broadcast between Saturday morning cartoons{{cite magazine| url= https://books.google.com/books?id=DCQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA5 |title= Mary Lou Retton. She's got the gold. Now she's going for platinum.| magazine= Billboard| date= October 5, 1985| via= Google Books| access-date= }}
• 1988: Scrooged (comedy feature film); as herself{{cite web| url= https://m.imdb.com/title/tt0096061/fullcredits/cast?ref_=m_tt_cl_sc/|title=Scrooged (1988) – "Cast" credits |website=IMDb.com |access-date=January 14, 2022}}
• 1992: Knots Landing (TV drama series); as herself in the episode "Letting Go"{{cite web| url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0621073/ | title= Knots Landing: Season 13, Episode 15 'Letting Go' (23 January 1992)| website= IMDb.com| access-date= }}
• 1993: Baywatch (TV series); episode "The Child Inside"{{cite web| url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0394179/| title= Baywatch: Season 4, Episode 11 'The Child Inside' (22 Nov. 1993)| website= IMDb.com| date= | access-date= }}
• 1994: An Evening at the Improv (improv comedy TV series); as herself{{cite web| url= https://www.amazon.com/gp/video/detail/B07CVC7MZ6/ref=atv_dp |title= An Evening at the Improv: Season 14, Episode 11 (3 February 1994)| website= Amazon.com| publisher= | date= | access-date= }}
• 1994: Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (comedy feature film); as herself{{cite web |url= https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0110622/fullcredits?ref_=tt_ov_st_sm|title=Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult (1994) – Full Cast & Crew |website=IMDb.com |access-date=January 14, 2022}}
• 2002: Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop (PBS TV series){{cite web| url= http://www.houstonpbs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=prd_flipflopshop| archiveurl= https://web.archive.org/web/20080715054140/http://www.houstonpbs.org/site/PageServer?pagename=prd_flipflopshop |title= Olympic Champion Mary Lou Retton Stars In New PBS Television Series Mary Lou's Flip Flop Shop| website= houstonpbs.org| date= | archivedate= July 15, 2008| access-date= December 6, 2010}}
• 2014: RadioShack Super Bowl XLVIII commercial "The '80s Called"; cameo appearance{{cite magazine |url=http://people.com/tv/radioshack-super-bowl-commercial-every-80s-reference-in-the-ad-spot/ |title=Celebrating Every '80s Reference in That RadioShack Super Bowl Commercial |last= Jones| first= Nate |magazine=People |date=February 2, 2014 |access-date=May 25, 2017}}
• 2018: 27th season of Dancing with the Stars (competition TV series), partnered with Sasha Farber; eliminated Week 6, 9th place{{cite web| url= https://www.etonline.com/dancing-with-the-stars-season-27-cast-revealed-meet-the-celebs-and-their-pro-partners-109440|title='Dancing With the Stars' Season 27 Cast Revealed – Meet the Celebs and Their Pro Partners!|work=Entertainment Tonight|first=Desiree|last=Murphy|date=September 12, 2018|access-date= September 12, 2018}}

Retton was born with hip dysplasia, a condition that her years as a competitive gymnast aggravated. After experiencing increased pain from the condition, she underwent multiple hip replacement surgeries.{{Cite news |last=Brennan |first=Christine |date=January 8, 2024 |title=Months after hospitalization, Mary Lou Retton won't answer basic questions about health care, donations |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/columnist/brennan/2024/01/08/mary-lou-retton-wont-answer-questions-donations-health-care/72154792007/ |newspaper=USA Today |access-date=February 21, 2025}}

Retton lived in Houston, Texas,{{cite news |url= https://www.chron.com/life/article/mary-lou-retton-teaches-healthy-attitudes-to-her-1608704.php |title= Doing it her way: Mary Lou Retton teaches healthy attitudes to her kids — and, now, the rest of us |newspaper=Houston Chronicle |date=July 20, 2008 |access-date=August 18, 2008}} until 2009, when her family returned to West Virginia. She moved back to Houston in 2012. In 1990, she married Shannon Kelley, a former University of Texas quarterback and Houston real estate developer who worked for the Houston Baptist University athletic department as of 2012.{{cite web |url= https://hcuhuskies.com/news/2012/5/11/FB_0511120511.aspx |title= Football Names Shannon Kelley Offensive Assistant Coach |publisher= Houston Baptist University| website= HBUHuskies.com |date=May 11, 2012 |access-date=July 21, 2012}} Together they have four daughters: Shayla (born 1995), McKenna (born 1997), Skyla (born 2000), and Emma (born 2002).{{cite web |url= http://marylouretton.com/ml_biography.html#bio |title=Biography |publisher= Mary Lou Retton| website= marylouretton.com |access-date=November 13, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100515182825/http://marylouretton.com/ml_biography.html#bio |archive-date= May 15, 2010}} McKenna was an NCAA gymnast at Louisiana State University, and Emma was an NCAA gymnast at the University of Arkansas. Retton and Kelley were divorced in February 2018.{{cite magazine |first=Natalie |last=Stone |url= https://people.com/tv/dwts-mary-lou-retton-divorces-shannon-kelley/ |title=Mary Lou Retton Divorces Husband Shannon Kelley After 27 Years of Marriage: 'I Felt Very Alone' |magazine=People |date=October 29, 2018 |access-date=January 22, 2019}}

On October 10, 2023, Retton's daughter McKenna announced that her mother was critically ill with pneumonia.{{Cite magazine |last=Andres |first=Patrick |date=October 10, 2023 |title=Olympics Legend Mary Lou Retton 'Fighting for Her Life' Due to Pneumonia, per Family |url= https://www.si.com/olympics/2023/10/10/mary-lou-retton-fighting-for-life-pneumonia-daughter |access-date=October 10, 2023 |magazine=Sports Illustrated |language=en-us}} Retton reportedly did not have health insurance and turned to crowdfunding to raise money for medical expenses.{{Cite news |last=Ross |first=Martha |date=October 12, 2023 |orig-date=2023-10-11 |title=Mary Lou Retton's lack of insurance raises questions as crowdfunding passes $330,000 |url= https://www.mercurynews.com/2023/10/11/mary-lou-rettons-lack-of-insurance-raises-questions-as-crowdfunding-passes-250000/ |access-date=October 13, 2023 |newspaper=The Mercury News |language=en-US}}{{Cite news |last=Kliff |first=Sarah |date=October 12, 2023 |title=Mary Lou Retton Crowdfunded Her Medical Debt, Like Many Thousands of Others |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url= https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/12/health/mary-lou-retton-medical-bills-crowdfunding.html |access-date=October 13, 2023 |issn=0362-4331}} Retton returned home to recover later that month and issued a statement on October 30, 2023, saying "I'm with family continuing to slowly recover and staying very positive as I know this recovery is a long and slow process. When the time is right, I will be sharing more information about my health issues."{{cite magazine |first=Stacy |last=Lambe |url= https://people.com/mary-lou-retton-shares-health-update-recovering-with-family-8384482 |title=Mary Lou Retton Shares Health Update: 'Continuing to Slowly Recover and Staying Very Positive' |magazine=People |date= October 30, 2023 |access-date=November 25, 2023}} The total sum collected as of January 22, 2024, was $459,234.{{cite web |url= https://www.pennlive.com/health/2024/01/mary-lou-retton-after-459000-in-donations-faces-questions-about-being-uninsured.html |title=Mary Lou Retton, after $459,000 in donations, faces questions about being uninsured |first=David |last=Wenner |date=January 22, 2024 |website=pennlive.com| publisher= | access-date= }} Upon inquiry from USA Today, Retton would not comment on any details surrounding her medical issue nor how much of the donations were allocated toward her healthcare. Her daughter said any "remaining funds" would go towards a charity, but failed to provide any details or timeline.

On May 17, 2025, she was arrested in Marion County, West Virginia for DUI.{{cite news |url=https://www.foxnews.com/sports/olympic-legend-mary-lou-retton-arrested-dui-charge-records-show |title=Olympic legend Mary Lou Retton arrested on DUI charge, records show |publisher=Fox News |last=Gaydos |first=Ryan |date=May 27, 2025 |access-date=May 27, 2025}}

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for the United States
• List of Olympic medal leaders in women's gymnastics

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• {{FIG}}
• [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/retton.html List of competitive results at Gymn Forum]
• {{IGHOF}}
• {{Team USA Hall of Fame|new_id=mary-lou-retton}}
• {{Olympics.com profile}}
• {{IMDb name}}
• [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7uvxNzOTKNc The "Retton Flip"] at YouTube
• {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160715201533/http://gymnastics.about.com/od/famousgymnasts/ig/Where-Are-They-Now-/Update-On--Mary-Lou-Retton.htm |date=mdy |title=Where Are They Now?: Mary Lou Retton Photos & Info}}
• {{Webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080723211721/http://sidewalkstv.com/webclips/r/marylouretton.html |date=mdy |title=Mary Lou Retton 2007 Interview with Béla Károlyi on Sidewalks Entertainment}}

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Category:1968 births

Category:Living people

Category:American female artistic gymnasts

Category:American people of Italian descent

Category:Gymnasts at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:Olympic gold medalists for the United States in gymnastics

Category:Olympic silver medalists for the United States in gymnastics

Category:Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in gymnastics

Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics

Category:Gymnasts from Texas

Category:Kelley family

Category:Sportspeople from Fairmont, West Virginia

Category:West Virginia Republicans

Category:Texas Republicans

Category:Medalists at the 1984 Summer Olympics

Category:U.S. women's national team gymnasts

Category:Fairmont Senior High School alumni

Category:Gymnasts from West Virginia

Category:20th-century American sportswomen