Wettstone, Eugene

Eugene Wettstone was born in 1913 of Swiss immigrant parents and grew up in Union City, New Jersey. At age ten, he began performing gymnastics at a neighborhood Swiss club and continued at the University of Iowa, where he captured the Big Ten all-around title three times in a row. After earning a master's degree at the University of Iowa, Penn State tapped him to be its first full-time gymnastics coach in 1938. From 1941, his teams were rated among the best in the nation and in 1943 his team, unbeaten in dual competition, walked off with the national AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) team title. His teams were undefeated for four straight years and in 1948 won both the Eastern Intercollegiate and National Collegiate Championships and again were awarded the National AAU championships. He was the coach of the 1948 and 1956 U.S. Olympic Team and coached the U.S. World Games team in 1970. He served as the manager for the 1976 Olympic team. He was instrumental in organizing the United States Gymnastics Federation (USGF) in 1962, which replaced the AAU as the United States's representative body in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) in 1970. He was also active in organizing meets, coordinating with the U.S. Olympics Committee and National Collegiate Athletic Association, and served as an officer of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches. At Penn State, he organized an annual circus where gymnasts and coeds dressed as clowns and did acrobatics, tumbling and high-trapeze acts, and in State College he helped develop athletic programs for local high schools. He received numerous awards and honors, including the Lion's Paw Medal in 1976 and retired after 38 years of service to the university. Wettstone is also credited with restoring Penn State's "Man in the Suit" lion mascot for athletic events.

Wettstone was a Penn State gymnastics coach.