Muriel Grossfeld

Muriel Grossfeld
Muriel Grossfeld at the 1960 Olympics
Personal information
Born(1940-10-07)October 7, 1940
New York City, United States
DiedJanuary 17, 2021(2021-01-17) (aged 80)[1]
Height160 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight50 kg (110 lb)
Sport
SportArtistic gymnastics
ClubSouthern Connecticut Gym Club
Medal record
Representing  United States
Pan American Games
Gold medal – first place 1963 São Paulo Team all-around

Muriel Evelyn Grossfeld (née Davis; October 7, 1940 – January 17, 2021) was an American gymnast who won a team gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games.[2] She competed in all artistic gymnastics events at the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics and finished ninth with the American team four times: all-around in all three games and in the team portable apparatus in 1956. Her best individual result was 19th place in the floor exercise in 1960.[3]

In 1959 Muriel Davis was signed to star in a TV series, El Coyote, the adventures of an athletic "girl Zorro". Ken Murray produced a half-hour pilot for RKO Television; Murray co-directed the film with former stunt master Richard Talmadge. The series was to co-star screen veterans George Brent and Billy Gilbert. The pilot didn't sell but, as one trade journal reported, ABC-TV "is keeping Miss Davis on the payroll at $25,000, just in case. Miss Davis is spending the year improving her mind at the University of Illinois."[4]

Grossfeld was married to the fellow Olympic gymnast Abie Grossfeld, but they later divorced.[5] After retiring from competitions she had a long career as a national gymnastics coach and international referee. In 1981 she was inducted into the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[6]

She appeared on the TV program "To Tell The Truth" on March 15, 1965, and performed a routine on a balance beam.[7]

  1. ^ "Muriel Evelyn Davis Grossfeld, 3-time US Olympian who also won a team gold medal at the 1963 Pan American Games passed away earlier today". International Gymnast. Norman, Oklahoma, USA: Ziert, Paul. January 17, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  2. ^ "Three-Time Olympian, USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame member Muriel Davis Grossfeld passed away January 17". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved January 18, 2021.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference sr was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Television Digest with Electronics Reports, July 27, 1959, p. 15.
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference sr2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ Cite error: The named reference hall was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference ttt was invoked but never defined (see the help page).