Arizona State Men's Gymnastics Timeline
1968 NCAA Championships Judges at University of Arizona (from left to right): Lou Bordo, Larry Banner, Bob Manning, Ted Muczyczko, Rick Field, Dick Aronson, Adam Walter, Fred Orlofsky, Don Robinson, Jim Sullivan and Bill Holmes (picture courtesy of Modern Gymnast magazine
Making history for ASU, Evans won the NCAA still rings championship, becoming the school’s first-ever NCAA gymnastics champion. He earned All-America honors again and was named to the All-United States team. See more photos of Chris Evans from Tempe History Museum
Evans made an immediate impact, finishing fourth in the NCAA Still Rings competition and earning All-America honors. He also won the Western Athletic Conference (WAC) title on still rings, marking the beginning of his dominance in the event. TheSunDevils.com All-American List with Chris Evans
Chris Evans had never seen or competed in gymnastics before arriving at Arizona State University. A friend invited him to give gymnastics a try in the fall of 1960. He started with the rope climb event. Despite this late start, he quickly developed into an elite athlete, setting the stage for a historic collegiate career. More about the Rope Climb Event: The rope climb event was discontinued in NCAA gymnastics competitions in the early 1960s, likely by 1963. Here’s a more detailed explanation: Olympic History: Rope climbing was an Olympic event in 1896, 1904, 1924, and 1932, but was removed from the Olympic program after the 1932 games. AAU and NCAA: In the United States, the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and NCAA (National Collegiate Athletic Association) sanctioned competitive climbing on both 20-foot and 25-foot ropes until the early 1960s. Discontinuation: By 1963, both the 20-foot and 25-foot competitions had been discontinued…Read More
In 1955 Norris Steverson started the club with a rag-tag group of guys. Norris was a football player. His best gymnastics skill, according to 1964 NCAA Rings National Champion Chris Evans, was a cartwheel Coach Steverson was the first ASU athlete to be drafted into a professional league (the Chicago Bears) – 1934
Norris Steverson, a multi-sport athlete at Arizona State, became the first ASU athlete ever drafted by a professional sports team. After leading ASU’s football team to a historic victory over Arizona in 1931, he caught the attention of NFL scouts. In 1934, while playing in an exhibition game against the Chicago Bears, Steverson impressed legendary coach George Halas, earning a contract offer. Though originally signed by the Bears, his contract was sold to the Cincinnati Reds, where he played briefly before leaving professional football to pursue a lifelong career in coaching and education. Read more about Steverson’s journey here.