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Soviets Invade Champaign County!
Russian Olympic Gymnasts Perform in Front of 5,000 at Huff Gym
This collection of photographs and ephemera were recently accepted by the Champaign County History Museum from Darrell Blue. Darrell was an early pioneer at WILL and WCIA television stations and produced and directed much of their early programming. Now retired in Yakima, Washington, Darrell offered pieces of his private collection tracing the early history of television in Champaign County to our museum. We thank him for this terrific donation.
In 1958, the United States and the Soviet Union agreed to a series of cultural exchanges. The Lacy-Zaroubin Agreement was signed on January 27, 1958, with both parties agreeing to a series of principles by which exchange programs would freely operate. President Dwight Eisenhower was a strong believer in these exchange programs, and the Soviet Union was anxious to match the United States on the world stage. Perhaps the most notable of these exchanges resulted in the famed "Kitchen Sink Debates" at the American National Exhibition in Moscow on July 24, 1959. Vice President Richard Nixon and Soviet Premier Nikita Khruschev launched a tense debate over American technology while touring the exhibition and standing in a model American kitchen.
As the Cold War blossomed, the two sides took their battle to the Olympic Games. In 1960, the Soviet Union racked up an incredible 103 medals at the Rome Olympics, besting the second-place United States by 32 overall medals and nine gold medals. In addition, the Soviet men took 11 of the 24 medals in gymnastics, and the Soviet women took an amazing 15 of 18 total medals!
Four months after the games of the XXVII Olympiad, the Soviet gymnasts began a seven-city U.S. tour as part of this exchange program. Their itinerary included:
January 12, 1961 - West Chester (P.A.) State Teachers College
January 16, 1961 - Coe College, Ceder Rapids, Iowa (Video)
January 17, 1961 - University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa
January 18, 1961 - University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana, Illinois
January 19, 1961 - Wharton Fieldhouse, Moline, Illinois
January 23-24, 1961 - Madison Square Garden, New York, New York
On the heels of such a dominant Olympic showing, there was great anticipation around the tour. In Champaign, the venue was set for Huff Gymnasium, and Darrell Blue was selected as producer and director of the televised simulcast. The exhibition was to be broadcast on WILL-TV, which first aired television programming on August 1, 1955.
Included in the collection are planning documents such as this floorplan for the event. Accommodations were made for ten stations for men's and women's competitions.
University of Illinois Police Chief Joe Blaze and former Illinois Gymnastics standout Gil Brinckmeyer were selected to announce the broadcast.
Managing a broadcast like this was a technological feat for the small WILL station that had only been broadcasting for six years. Below, camera operator Dick Davis readies camera #3.
The elevated platform included WILL producer Bill Dale (headset with hand over the mic) and WILL production manager David Lange behind him.
Charlie Pond and the University of Illinois Gymnastics Team
The Soviets weren't the only stars taking to the mats that day. The University of Illinois gymnastics team was also on display. Charlie Pond had built a reputation as one of the best gymnastic coaches in the country. Between 1949 and 1960, his teams recorded 88-16 in dual meets. That included four NCAA championships and eleven straight Big Ten Titles. He also served as Associate Coach for the United States Gymnastics team in the 1956 Olympics and was a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee for the 1960 games.
The program for the event, now in the museum collection, features articles about the exchange programs and biographies for the competing athletes. (scroll through the pages below)
