Wheaton College Athletics

Dennis Gulliford was a strong gymnast for the Crusaders who specialized in the pommel horse in addition to solid all-around scores. He had 31 first-place finishes on the pommel horse in his career and finished 11th in the NCAA College Division on the pommel horse his senior season. He won the 12-team Warhawk Invitational at UW-Whitewater in 1969 and 1970 and in the all-around compiled a 44.95, the team’s best score in 1970. He recorded 17 first place finishes in 1969-70, and 12 straight first-place finishes on the pommel horse. He set a record for best score on the pommel horse that stood for several years.

“I learned two life lessons from my athletic experiences,” says Gulliford. “I learned the importance of sticking with something even when it is not going well because it is important to the team’s standing, and I learned attention to detail. I became dedicated to gymnastics like nothing before.”