OU Men’s Gym: Jonathan Horton Selected For Inaugural CGA Hall of Fame Class

By OU Media Relations

NORMAN – One of the most accomplished athletes in college gymnastics history and a two-time Olympian, University of Oklahoma alumnus Jonathan Horton was named to the College Gymnastics Association’s inaugural hall of fame class, the CGA announced Wednesday.

Horton, who was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2022, completed his OU career as the most decorated NCAA gymnast in program history. He was a member of three national championship teams (2005, ’06 and ’08) over his four years in Norman. He completed his career with the most individual national titles (six) and total All-America honors (18) in program history. He also won the 2008 Nissen-Emery Award in one of the strongest fields in the award’s history.

Horton earned five All-America accolades in each of his first three seasons on campus, eclipsing Bart Conner’s then-program record 14 All-America honors set from 1977-79 and ’81, then added three more as a senior. Horton tied Conner’s overall program record of three individual national titles in 2006, surpassed the mark in 2007 and claimed his sixth national event championship in 2008.

As a freshman in 2005, Horton clinched the NCAA team championship for the Sooners by sticking a 9.5 on vault in the anchor position, tying his career high set in the previous night’s qualifying competition. The following day, he claimed five All-America honors: all-around, floor exercise, vault, still rings and high bar.

Horton won three individual NCAA titles in 2006, claiming the all-around, floor exercise and still rings crowns. He also earned All-America status on floor exercise, still rings, parallel bars and high bar, as well as the all-around. He turned in career-best scores on parallel bars and high bar to win the all-around title with 56.0 points, leading the Sooners to a second straight national championship and an undefeated season.

In 2007, Horton won the floor exercise and high bar individual national championships, and was named an All-American on floor, vault, rings, high bar and in the all-around.

As a senior co-captain in 2008, Horton once again provided the routine that secured Oklahoma a national title. With the Sooners locked in a close battle with Stanford and needing a score of at least 15.700 on still rings, Horton stuck his dismount and posted a 16.100 to clinch the title. He went on to claim the individual still rings championship and earn All-America status on the all-around, rings and parallel bars.

Horton competed for Team USA at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, winning the silver medal on high bar and the team bronze medal at the 2008 games in Beijing. At the 2012 games in London, he reached the high bar event finals. He was also a member of five World Championships teams (2006, ’07, ’09, ’10 and ’11), impressively earning a place on Team USA’s premier international competition squad in seven consecutive years. He won the bronze medal in the all-around at the 2010 World Championships.

Additionally, Horton won all-around gold at the 2005 Pan American Championships in Rio de Janeiro and won a team gold medal at the 2014 Pan American Championships in Toronto. From 2003-15, he participated in 18 junior or senior international competitions, earning top-10 placement 26 times.

On the national level, Horton claimed the all-around title at 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials and won the still rings titles at both the U.S. Championships and U.S. Olympic Trials in 2012. He also won the floor exercise title at the 2006 U.S. Championships, the all-around and still rings crowns at the 2009 U.S. Championships and the all-around title at the 2010 U.S. Championships. In all, he earned seven individual event titles at the senior national level.

A product of Houston, Texas, Horton attended Cy-Fair High School and trained at Cypress Academy. He married former OU women’s gymnast Haley De Prospero in 2009. Since retiring from gymnastics competition in 2015, he has worked as a motivational speaker and has published two books, “If I Had Known: Life Lessons from an Olympic Pro Athlete” and “Falling Forward: How an Ordinary Kid Failed His Way to His Olympic Dream.” Beginning this year, he also operates The Horton Challenge, a gymnastics competition held in Fort Worth, Texas, in mid-February.

The inaugural CGA Hall of Fame class will be officially inducted in a ceremony on Saturday, April 20, during the NCAA Men’s Gymnastics Championships in Columbus, Ohio.

Statement from Jonathan Horton:

“It’s an absolute honor to be inducted into the CGA Hall of Fame. College gymnastics was one of the greatest experiences of my life and taught me life lessons that laid a foundation for who I am today. I’m forever grateful to the University of Oklahoma and for the incredible moments I had with my team and coaches.”

Statement from OU Head Coach Mark Williams:

“We are thrilled that Jonathan will be a member of the first college gymnastics Hall of Fame class and are thankful to the CGA for including him in this group. He was one of the most accomplished and impactful gymnasts in the history of both our program and college gymnastics. He was extremely competitive and was always the hardest-working athlete in the gym.”