| Year: | 2024 |
| Sport(s): | Men's Gymnastics |
Dick Foxal
Dick Foxal was a gymnast at Everett Junior College in 1965 and 1966 under legendary Hall of Fame Coach George Gyorgyfalvy. Foxal was a key member of the team when Coach Gyorgyfalvy started up the program as a club in 1965 and then had its first full season of competition in 1966 where Foxal was the team captain. In that first 1965 season, Foxal was the lone representative from EJC to compete at the Northwest Championships in Pullman, WA and proceeded to score more total points than the entirety of two other competing schools. Then in his final season at EJC Foxal finished at the Northwest Championships with 124 points, second only to fellow Everett Community College teammate and hall of fame inductee Mace Brady.
Foxal went on to compete at Central Washington where he participated in the NAIA National Championships and then eventually got his master’s degree in physical education. He began coaching in high school and found much success being named the State of Oregon High School Coach of the year in 1975 as well as the National High School Coach of the year in that same year.
Dick then began coaching collegiately at Central Washington before becoming the head coach at the University of Washington in 1977 where he coached for three seasons while also serving as a coach for the men’s junior national elite team for four years. He eventually took the head coaching job at Montana State in 1984 and was subsequently selected as the Mountain West Athletic Conference Coach of the Year in 1985.
Foxal arrived in Corvalis in 1987 where he would spend the next 21 years of his 38 year coaching career. At Oregon State University he helped guide the women’s team to 13 NCAA Championships and 10 top 10 finishes. He primarily worked with athletes on the uneven bars and coached 11 athletes to All-American honors. With this success Foxal was named West Regional Assistant Coach of the Year honors five times including his final season of coaching in 2008 before his retirement.
Dick impacted the lives of many students during his coaching career. At Oregon State alone, there were four individual title winners and 59 that earned All American Honors. Beyond athletic accomplishments, his athletes appreciated the daily life lessons, humor, and genuine compassion for their growth.
