Sport: Gymnastics

Hometown: Miami, FL

Biography: Kurt Thomas ranks as one of Indiana State University's greatest athletes. He is a four-time United States Gymnastics Federation champion as well as an Olympian. In 1975 he won five medals at the Pan-American Games. He competed as a member of the 1976 U. S. team and would have participated in the 1980 games in Moscow were it not for the U. S. boycott of those games. He is a former world champion and was the first American in 46 years to ever win a medal in international competition. He is a five-time NCAA champion, winning the parallel bars and all-around in 1977 and parallel bars, horizontal bar and the all-around in 1979. Thomas helped lead the men's gymnastics to the 1977 National Championship. He earned All-America honors 13 times in his career and was the James E. Sullivan award winner in 1979.