Inducted: 1984 – Olympic Gold Medal Team
Inducted: 1998 – Individual.
Inducted: U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame – 2005
Born: March 10, 1961
Mitch is quoted by BrainyMedia.com as saying “The greatest memory for me of the 1984 Olympics was not the individual honors, but standing on the podium with my teammates to receive our team gold medal”. His comment makes it easy to understand why Mitch was an outstanding competitor and an outstanding inspirational/motivational speaker.
OympicGames: Gold-Team, Silver-V, Bronze-R & PB, (1984); WorldChampionships: Budapest, Hungary, (1983); SportsHonors:Los Angeles City High School Championships, Gold-AA, (1979); Los Angeles High School’s Athlete of the Year, (1979); Pac Ten Championships-UCLA, (Art Shurlock & Makoto Sakamoto, Coaches), Bronze-AA, (1980) Gold-AA, Silver-R (1981); Maccabiah Games: Gold-AA, FX, PH, R, PB, HB & Silver-V Israel, (1981) UnitedStatesGymnasticFederationInternationalChampionships, Bronze-HB, (1980); AllAmericanClassicChampionships: Gold-AA, (1981); SportsFestival: Gold-AA, (1982); TokyoCup, Bronze-V; U.S.NationalChampionships: Gold-HB (Score = 10.00), Silver-AA, FX, PB, Bronze-V, (1982), Gold-AA, FX, R, HB, & Bronze-PB, (1983), Gold-AA, R, Silver-V, Bronze-PH, (1984); USA-ChinaDualMeet: Bronze-AA, (1982), Bronze-AA, (1984); NCAAChampionships: Gold-AA, Silver-R, (1984); USA-USSRDual Meet: Gold-Team & AA, (1982); Gold-FX, R, HB, Bronze-V, (1983); UCLAInvitational: Gold-AA, R, HB, Silver-FX, AmericanCup: Silver-AA; Caesar’sPalaceInvitational: Gold-AA, (1983). Personal: Developed “Gaylord Flip”, a spectacular and dangerous flip over the HB with a re-grasp and exercise continuation. Ronald Reagan appointed Mitch to the President’s Council for Physical Fitness, (1984). In 1986, he acted in American Anthem, eventually hosting his own television series Fan Club. He also appeared in several product promotions. Mitch has continued a versatile lifestyle as a journalist, broadcaster, stuntman, and professional speaker expounding on the virtues of “Courage, Swiftness, Endurance, and Grace”.
Sources: Photo (credit unavailable) and information re-formatted from the www with credit due Program Resources.com, BrainyQuote.com, the , & NewInformation Presentations at GYMN.com. Gratitude is due Abie Grossfeld, 1979 HOF Honoree for his editing services. Introduction, commentary, and formatting by Larry Banner, Web Manager.