“Hello, everybody!”

“Hi , Ed!”

The person the crowd shouts to at basketball games is a legend at this university, and most probably don’t even know it.

When he was 14 years old, Ed Gagnier joined his high school’s gymnastics team in Windsor, Ontario. From that time on, gymnastics became a way of life for Gagnier.

In 1956, Canada sent its first ever men’s gymnastics competitor to the Olympic games. His name was Ed Gagnier.

In 1961, Iowa State formed its first ever men’s gymnastics team. It was started by Ed Gagnier.

In 1971, 1973 and 1974, ISU won national championships in men’s gymnastics. The teams were coached by Ed Gagnier.

In 1983, Gagnier retired as the ISU gymnastics coach of more than 20 years. In 1993, he watched the 30-year-old program he started and grew to love be taken out of the Iowa State athletic program for economic reasons.

But the retired coach and director of promotions still has a place in his heart for ISU. He and his family live in Ames and he continues to feel a connection to the university that supported his vision.

“Lucky is the word that describes my life. I feel fortunate to be in a great place like Ames, and we are going to stay here,” Gagnier said.

A call from ISU

Gagnier, who grew up in Canada and attended the University of Michigan on a gymnastics scholarship, came to ISU after coaching at a high school in Milwaukee. In Milwaukee, he sent letters to several schools that did not have programs.

Fortunately, Gagnier said, ISU gave him a call.

He arrived in Ames in 1961 and began coaching the team, which started out as a club sport. He recruited primarily out of Illinois because Iowa did not have any high school programs, he said.

The team received funds for traveling expenses in 1963, and the ISU men’s gymnastics program took off.

After winning three national championships, Gagnier decided to retire as coach. In 1984, Dave Michelson took over the program, and Gagnier became promotions director for the athletic department.

Shoot Five for Five

That’s when he got the idea to start “Shoot Five for Five.”

“This is the 14th year that we’ve done that,” he said. “I really enjoy doing it.”

Gagnier never imagined that the “Shoot Five” promotion would be so popular. In fact, after he retired two years ago, the athletic department continued to ask him to host the promotion.

Today, Gagnier said, almost 80 businesses are supporting the program.

“We finally gave away the car,” he said. “That was fun to see, and I’d like to give away another.”

Gagnier, who has cruised the court on a unicycle in past years, said a recent shoulder injury has limited the possibility of riding the unicycle this year.

“I suppose I could still probably do it, but I would be awfully embarrassed and probably injured if I fell off,” he said.

Riding a unicycle is not Gagnier’s most famous skill by any means. In fact, his most unique skill is something that ended up giving him a great honor.

One-armed handstand

At this year’s women’s gymnastics meet against Minnesota, former gymnasts presented Gagnier with a tribute to his skill: a sculpture created by area artist Jim Stevenson.

“(Stevenson) asked for photos of me doing a skill I performed called the one-armed handstand on the parallel bars,” Gagnier said. “So, of course I knew he was going to do something, but I had no idea what it would be like.”

Gagnier said the handstand sculpture he received “was awesome.”

“It sits in the middle of my living room, and I look at it when I want some motivation,” he said.

Gagnier described the handstand as one of his most famous skills and said that his gymnasts found it particularly impressive.

“I would often do this to show-off and show that the old man wasn’t done yet,” he said.

The “old man” still isn’t done.

Gagnier has two daughters, one who was a state champion in gymnastics at Ames High School, and has continued to be a primary supporter of the university and athletic department.

Gagnier is not only a winner in the sport of gymnastics, but he is also a winner in the game of life. He recently won a battle with cancer, he said. Four years ago, Gagnier was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

“I feel pretty good about it now. It was caught very early, and I think I’m one of the lucky ones,” he said.

What lies in the future?

As for the sport, Gagnier said he doesn’t think there is much hope for the future of the men’s collegiate gymnastics.

“I’m not very optimistic about that. I think that, under the present circumstances, in the near future it’s very unlikely the sport will come back. Starting a program was a unique opportunity,” he said.

As for “Shoot Five for Five,” Gagnier said he will do it again next year if the university asks him to.

As for his family, Gagnier said he and his wife will continue to live in Ames.

Regardless of what happens in the future, Gagnier will always speak fondly of the past.

“If it hadn’t been for gymnastics, I wouldn’t have been the first person in my family to go on to college,” Gagnier said. He said gymnastics have afforded him opportunities he never thought possible.

Coaching also gave him experiences he will always treasure.

“The best thing was the opportunity of working with young people. That’s a stimulating situation to be in,” he said. “I miss that.”