1989 Hall of Fame Inductee
Gymnastics achievements at BYU will always be measured by the watermark left by Dennis Robert Ramsey. BYU's first All-America gymnast, Dennis finished runner-up in pommel horse competition at the NCAA championships in both 1968 and 1969. The transfer from Santa Monica Junior College also placed second in the pommel horse (also known as the side horse) his first year at BYU, and he won the Western Athletic Conference crown in the event as a senior.
A native of Venice, California, Dennis began by winning the Los Angeles City Gymnastics championships. He also won titles at the UCLA Invitational, the Midwest Open (twice), and the Pasadena Invitational (twice) while competing for the Cougars.
After graduating from BYU in 1970, he remained as an assistant gymnastics coach for one year. The next six years he spent in military service in Southeast Asia, where he flew more than 120 combat missions and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal, with eight oak leaf clusters. From 1979 to 1986 he served as a coach of men's and women's gymnastics at the US Air Force Academy. He also was an instructor in pistol, water survival, scuba diving, and racquetball.