Mary Lou Retton life and biography

Mary Lou Retton (also known as: Mary Lou Kelley) born January 24, 1968 in Fairmont, West Virginia, United States is an American gymnast and television sportscaster and actor.


In 1984, Mary Lou Retton became the first American woman to win an all-around gold medal in Olympic gymnastic competition. She also won two silver and bronze medals at the games, thus picking up more Olympic medals than any other athlete that year. Her wide smile, plucky attitude, and diminutive stature further thrust her into the spotlight and endeared her to millions. Retton went on to parlay that popularity and positive outlook into a new life after her retirement in 1986.

Early Lessons

Retton was born the last of five children to Ron and Lois Retton on January 24, 1968 in Fairmont, West Virginia. Her father, who was only 5'7", played basketball at West Virginia University and minor league baseball before settling down to family life. His children all inherited his athletic talent, but the youngest was especially active. "I swear," Retton's mother recalled to Bob Ottum of Sports Illustrated, "that girl was so hyper you wouldn't believe it. I mean, energetic! First, she walked at an early age, and then she and her older sister, Shari, were running around here like little crazy people, doing tumbling and all, bouncing off the walls and breaking up the furniture. I finally sent them both off to dancing school. You know, tap and ballet and acrobatics. Well, it was the acrobatics that did it."

At seven, Retton was sent to a children's gymnastics class at West Virginia University. Tiny, but with a stockier build than was normally associated with gymnasts, she threw herself into the sport with abandon. "When I was a little girl," Retton told Skip Hollandsworth of Texas Monthly, "I would sleep in my leotard on Friday nights because I was so excited about gymnastics on Saturday morning." Her mother told Ottum that Retton was also undisturbed by her different physique, telling her, "'Well, that's O.K., Mom. I may not be whippy, but I've got all that power.'" By the time she was 12, she had decided gymnastics was her game.

In later years, Retton attributed her much of her drive and determination to the early influence of her family and community. "Fairmont, my hometown, is a small coal-mining town, and I grew up with a very strong work ethic," she told iVillage.com. "My family and most West Virginians are hard-working people. When I got to the elite level of gymnastics, that foundation of hard work, discipline(,) and commitment had already served me well, and I felt very fortunate to have it."

Trained Hard and Overcame Injury

Retton got her big break in 1982, when she was spotted by famed coach Bela Karolyi. Karolyi had defected to the United States from Romania, where he had trained such winning female gymnasts as Nadia Comaneci, who took three gold medals away from the 1976 Olympics. He recognized the makings of another winner in Retton, and offered his services without charge if she would move to Houston and train at his facility there. It was not an easy decision for the girl of only 14, or her parents, but Retton's competitive drive won the day. As she later explained to Curt Schleier of Investor's Business Daily, "I didn't want to spend the rest of my life thinking I could have gone to the Olympics, thinking 'what if?'" So, her schooling was put on hold and she was packed off to Texas to study with the master.

Karolyi's training style was controversial. Some saw him as too demanding, sometimes pushing the girls too far. But Retton saw the grueling regimen of eight hours per day and ongoing pressure to succeed as necessary. She told Hollandsworth that her coach's critics were wrong. "Those who (object to his methods) are the people who don't win," she said. "They're not the ones who make it. Listen, Bela was rough...But he never abused me. He was a great motivator. He gave me a confidence that I never would have had without him."

Retton bloomed under Karolyi's tutelage. Her inherent talent and courage were groomed under his relentless guidance, resulting in a 4'9" powerhouse of strength and skill. And the hard work paid off. In March of 1983, Retton filled in for an injured teammate at the last minute at the American Cup in New York City and walked off with the all-around title (the first of three consecutive years she did so). That same year, she became both an American Classics champion and the first American woman to nab the all-around title at Japan's Chunichi Cup. In May of 1984, she won the U.S. all-around title, and she qualified for the Olympic team in June. But shortly afterward, potential disaster struck.

Retton hurt her knee just six weeks before the 1984 Olympics. The injury required surgery, and she was told she would need at least three months of recovery before competing again. However, the tiny whirlwind had no intention of putting her dreams on hold so readily. "Maybe I was being naïve," she recalled to Schleier, "but I'd sacrificed so much. I said to myself, 'I've made it this far. No one's going to tell me what I can and can't do. No one's going to put a limit on me.'" So Retton had the operation, but she was out of bed the next day. Within two days, she was delicately jogging, and when the American women's gymnastics team arrived in Los Angeles that summer, Retton was on board and ready to go.

Olympic Triumph

The Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Olympics in retaliation for the U.S. boycott of the 1980 games in Moscow, thus eliminating some competition in the 1984 games. At the time, no American woman had ever won an individual medal in gymnastics. Even without the clearer field, however, Retton had been seen as one America's great hopes. Nor did she let her country down.

Retton took the Olympics by storm. Despite her injury and accelerated recovery, the 16-year-old with the pixie haircut cut a wide swath through her competition and set records along the way. She won a gold medal in the all-around gymnastics event, becoming the first American woman to ever do so. She also earned a silver medal for her vault performance, bronze medals in both the floor exercise and uneven bar competitions, and a silver for the team event (the first medal for a U.S. gymnastics team since 1948). Her outstanding total of five medals made her the biggest individual winner of any athlete at that year's games. And the crowd went wild.

Retton's elfin size, effervescent personality, and irresistible grin, not to mention undeniable pluck, won the hearts of people all over the world. While everyone loves a winner, this one was especially appealing. Not incidental to her charm was her instant acknowledgment of Karolyi. Retton recalled her actions to Teen Magazine as, "After it was over(,) I ran up to him and we were saying, 'We did it! We did it!' Because it was true, I couldn't have done it without him." Retton became an overnight celebrity.

America's Sweetheart

Retton was soon dubbed "America's Sweetheart" by the media. She was clamored over, petted, and adored. Companies lined up to sign her on as a spokesperson, and she made several lucrative deals, including as the first woman to ever appear on a Wheaties cereal box. People gave her presents ranging from stuffed lambs to a red Corvette, and she had the opportunity to meet such popular entertainers as John Travolta and Michael Jackson. When one factored in travel obligations and ongoing training with Karolyi, the specter of overload seemed likely. But Retton remained remarkably grounded, if a trifle surprised by all the attention. "People recognize me--and that's really weird," she told Teen. "...I guess maybe my size gives me away. I don't know; I'm just a regular person."

1984 also saw Retton named "Sportswoman of the Year" by Time, and "Amateur Athlete of the Year" by the Associated Press. She continued to compete as well, becoming the American Cup Champion for the third time in 1985. That same year, she was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Retton, however, was beginning to change gears.

Hoping to instill some balance in her life, Retton retired from her sport in 1986. "I deserved to take a break and eat whatever I wanted to eat," she told Bonnie Siegler of American Fitness. "I wanted to be rebellious, so I retired from gymnastics. I was finally on my own." She decided to attend college at the University of Texas at Austin, partly to be near her boyfriend and partly to achieve some kind of normalcy, but even America's Sweetheart can be foiled. Retton encountered jealousy and gossip aplenty in college. She put on weight, sank in spirits, and eventually dropped out of school--a move she regretted for years. But her ebullient nature demanded she not stay down for long.

Always Positive

Fundamentally upbeat of personality, Retton began to carve out an adult life for herself. Her celebrity gave her an opening into the lecture circuit, and she quickly found her niche as a motivational speaker. She also dabbled in acting in such films as Scrooged and Naked Gun 33 1/3: The Final Insult, and worked as a television commentator. In 2000, her first book, Mary Lou Retton's Gateways to Happiness: Seven Ways to a More Peaceful, More Prosperous, More Satisfying Life was published. The inspirational tome was designed to help people achieve some of Retton's trademark optimism. "I smile because I am truly, fundamentally happy," she explained to Hollandsworth. "That big smile on the outside comes from a place deep within me - and I want others to know how to find that place within themselves."

A large source of Retton's happiness was her family. She and husband Shannon Kelley, a former University of Texas quarterback turned investment banker, had four little girls (Shayla, McKenna, Skyla, and Emma) by 2002. While retaining her customary sense of humor in telling Bob Dart of the Austin American-Statesman shortly after Emma's birth, "I am so done," Retton's family had replaced sports as her passion. "My ultimate goal in life is to be the best mother and wife I can be," she told iVillage.com. "Fame really has no bearing on that at all. Winning gold at the Olympics brought much joy to my life--but having a family is the most important thing...I'd happily give up all five of my medals to preserve the joy and love that my family brings me every day. There's no comparison."

Although Retton's priorities had altered and matured, the world of sports continued to honor her long after her retirement. Among those accolades were the creation of the Mary Lou Retton Award for athletic excellence by the U.S. Olympic Committee in 1994, the 1995 Flo Hyman Award from the Women's Sports Foundation, and her 1997 induction into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. At the turn of the century, over 15 years after her stunning Olympic victory, she was named one of the ten most popular athletes to appear on a box of Wheaties. Clearly, the diminutive bundle of energy who delighted the world at 16 still had a hold on its heart.

At 55-year old, on October 11, 2023 her daughter McKenna Kelley announced that Mary Lou Retton is in intensive care fighting a rare form of pneumonia. This illness has made her unable to breathe on her own, and has been in intensive care for over a week. The former Olympic medalist is not insured, and her daughter asked in a statement for donations to help cover of her hospital bills.

AWARDS won by Olympic gymnast Mary Lou Retton:

Chunichi Cup Champion, 1983; American Classics Champion, 1983, 1984; American Cup Champion, 1983, 1984, 1985; Gold Medal and All-Around Champion, U.S. Championships, 1984; Gold medal, Olympic Games, 1984; Silver Medal (2), Olympic Games, 1984; Bronze Medal (2), Olympic Games, 1984; Sportswoman of the Year, Sports Illustrated, 1984; Amateur Athlete of the Year, Associated Press, 1984; U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame, 1985; Most Popular Athlete in America, Associated Press, 1993; Flo Hyman Award, Women Sports Foundation, 1995; International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, 1997.

Read more