Washington State University Athletics

Dr. Hubert “Hubie” Dunn became Washington State’s first full-time gymnastics coach in 1947 after earning four letters in the sport at Southern Illinois. He was the “Father of Gymnastics” in the state of Washington. Dunn led his Cougar teams to three Pacific Northwest College Championships and three Pacific Northwest AAU titles. He established the Pacific Northwest College Gymnastics Championships and the Washington State High School Gymnastics Championships. During his tenure, four of his Cougar teams were undefeated and his squads won over 70 percent of their meets. Dunn was named Outstanding Coach of the Western Region of the United States in 1962 following his last season in Pullman. He went on to coach 10 seasons at Northern Illinois before retiring from coaching. Dunn was president of the National Association of Collegiate Gymnastics Coaches (1967-68), received the Outstanding Service Award from the NACGC in 1968 and 1981, and the Honor Coach Award, presented by the NACGC and considered the most prestigious gymnastic coaches award, in 1981. He was inducted to the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 1973, the Northern Illinois University Athletics Hall of Fame in 1997 and the USA Gymnastics Washington Hall of Fame in 2004. Dunn served in the Navy from 1943-46 and was on the USS Shubrick during the United States’ Normandy Invasion known as “D-Day.”