| Jack Miles |
Full Name: John Michael Miles
Born: December 24, 1928, Philadelphia, Pa.
Died: September 22, 2020, Sunrise, Fla.
School: Germantown High School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Awards: 1993 US Gymnastics Hall of Fame
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
1952, 54 Gymnastics AA - Loc 60
1984 Gymnastics HOF - Loc 65
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| Click On Photo To Enlarge |
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| FSU Career |
| Gymnastics | |
Year Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 50-51 5-6 135 Fr * Philadelphia, PA 51-52 5-6 135 So * Philadelphia, PA 52-53 5-6 135 Jr * Philadelphia, PA 53-54 5-6 135 Sr * Philadelphia, PA |
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| All-American Awards |
| Gymnastics |
Year Award
1952 NCAA Championships - All-Around (5th)
NCAA Championships - Flying Rings (5th)
1954 NCAA Championships - All-Around (4th)
NCAA Championships - Flying Rings (8th)
NCAA Championships - Free Exercise (8th)
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| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1984 |
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Jack Miles was an integral part of Florida State gymnastics teams which won five NCAA and AAU championships in the 1950s. A versatile athlete, Miles was AAU national champion in the flying rings in
1951. As a senior in 1955 he was national champion in both long horse vaulting and the still rings. In that year this Seminole gymnast scored 327 points at the AAU national championships and tied as
the best All-Around gymnast - a highly coveted honor. In 1955 Miles represented the United States in the Pan Am games and one year later he was a member of the U.S. Olympic team. Combining strength
and grace, Jack Miles represented Florida State well as Hartley Price's Seminole gymnasts brought national recognition to this young university's growing athletic program. Obituary for John (Jack) Michael Miles Jack graduated from Germantown High School, where he was Captain of the Gymnastics team, lettered in Soccer and Track, and was voted Best Athlete. He then attended Florida State University, where he received a Bachelor of Science Degree. During the years following college, Jack worked as a stunt man for: Frank Sinatra; Tony Randall; Bing Crosby; and, William Shatner. He performed in a traveling Adagio show, worked as an actor in commercials, TV shows, movies and the Off Broadway play "Carnival" with Liza Minelli and Ann Blyth. Jack then worked as a Draftsman, Illustrator for the Florida Road Department, Statistician and Promoter for the Florida State Milk Commission, and Spokesperson for the Florida State Tourist Department. In the mid 60's, Jack settled in Fort Lauderdale, where he was Superintendent of Recreation, for a time. In 1968 he founded and operated Miles Gymnastics Club, where he coached a team of National Champions, including Ron Galimore who made the 1980 U.S. Olympic Team. Jack also worked as Supervisor of Special Events and Department Director with City of Ft. Lauderdale Parks and Recreation. In 1984, Jack was inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame and in 1993, the U.S. Gymnastics Hall of Fame and the Amateur Athletics Foundation of Los Angeles Gymnastics Hall of Fame and the World Acrobatic Society Gallery of Legends-Hall of Fame in 2012. Jack was also an avid scuba diver with his dear friend, Bill Beavers, an incredible Photographer, a published Author of articles in Boys Life Magazine and two Children's books, a Motivational Speaker, an accomplished Artist in Stained Glass, Carving, Drawing and Painting. One of his most treasured accomplishments, was creating the Annual FSU Gymnasts/Gymkana Reunions and newsletter that has been continued by his lifelong friends, Beverley Beaton and hosted by Barbara Withers (2005-2020). He loved the ocean and instilled that love in his children and students. Cherished husband, father and friend, known for his charm, wit and ability to inspire people. He lived a truly amazing life and will live on in our hearts. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the FSU Student Veterans Center at Veterans.fsu.edu/donate. Due to Covid, an online memorial will be available in the near future.
Jack-of-all-Trades Teaches Motivational Skills By Damon Adams, Staff Writer of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel September 6, 1989 Jack Miles of Sunrise inspires greatness -- even while he's just talking over a plain turkey on wheat sandwich in a quiet restaurant. Discussing his days as an Olympic medalist, movie stunt man and gymnastics coach, Jack can fire up anybody whose coals are cooling off. "There's no reason for anybody to say you can't do something," he proclaims. "People want heroes. If you deny them that, they'll be upset." "People are born great. Other people just put up all these barriers for them." Now Jack wants to pump... you up! Beginning today, the 60-year-old will use his motivational skills in a four-week course titled "Olympic Golds and Goals" at Unity Church of Christ in Fort Lauderdale. Jack will give you a recipe for winning the battles of daily life. And he wants to help you make your physical, mental and spiritual abilities as solid as the Rock of Gibraltar. "It's not changing what you are, but knowing who you are and learning how to apply yourself." As a kid, nobody ever told Jack he would make it. But he did. He started working out after his doctor prescribed exercise to build up his vital organs because he suffered from blood deficiency. Because he was smaller than most boys, he focused on gymnastics and became quite skilled. "I was able to do things others couldn't," he says. At his high school in Philadelphia, Jack lettered in track and field, diving, soccer and gymnastics, and was voted most athletic in his graduating class. In his first national competition in 1951, he won the still rings title. He captured four national titles in all and one national collegiate title. He won a gold medal at the Pan-American (Olympic) Games in Mexico in 1955. The following year, he competed in the World Olympics, but didn't get a medal. "I knew I was the best," he says, confidently, of his prime. "I just had a hard time proving it to everybody else." In the 1960s, Jack, a mere 5 feet 6 inches tall, landed work as stunt man for the stars. He did stunts for William Shatner, Tony Randall, Bing Crosby and, the "chairman of the board," Frank Sinatra, who was friendly and simply told Jack to "act naturally." In Lady in Cement, he subbed for Frankie underwater in a pool with 40 sharks. He scaled a wall for Jamie Farr in TV's Car 54. For a Nabisco Shredded Wheat commercial, he jumped from a two-story building and somersaulted off a trampoline to the ground -- a feat that required 40 takes. Through all his stunts, he came away with some bumps and bruises and artificial joints in his big toes. Equally as satisfying were Jack's days of coaching. After arriving in South Florida, he started Broward's first gymnastics program and a gymnastics club in 1968. His pupils have included Ron Galimore, the first black gymnast to become a U.S. Olympian; and Victoria Jackson, now a comic on Saturday Night Live. He has been director of the South Florida Entertainment and Dining Association, director of the Florida Gymnastics Association, Florida State University gymnastic team coach and superintendent of recreation for Fort Lauderdale. For the last 3 1/2 years, the slim and trim, blue-eyed Jack has made gym equipment. His Fort Lauderdale company Exergon Inc., manufactures weight training machines and benches. Even though he's given up coaching, he decided to teach the goals seminar because he feels good when he makes others feel good. All proceeds will go to Unity Church of Christ. To be successful, Jack says do things you really like to do. It's OK, go ahead and float like a butterfly and sting like a bee -- think you're the greatest in everything you do. Says Jack: "The
principles for winning the Olympics are the same for everyday life." Was Gymnastics Miles' Greatest Stunt? By Dave Heeren, Staff Writer of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel November 13, 1986 SUNRISE -- As a child, Jack Miles felt like the wimp who was born to be tossed around by the macho man. Then he grew up and lived out the role. As a stunt man, he got thrown through a car window by Dan Blocker. As William Shatner's replacement, he jumped off a two-story building onto concrete pavement. While filming a Flipper episode for television, he had a half-moon shaped piece torn out of his rubber swimming fin by a shark. "I had a real need for somebody to encourage me, but as long as I was in gymnastics no one ever told me I could succeed. I wanted so much for somebody to tell me I could, but they always told me not to get my hopes up," Miles said. Miles overcame physical deficiencies to become a gymnastics champion, and when he began to coach young gymnasts he decided he didn't want to put them through the doubts he had experienced. "I coach positively," the Sunrise resident said. "I tell kids they can make it because they can. It's up to them." Miles became involved in sports at the advice of a doctor because he had a blood deficiency as a child. "The doctor thought I might be able to build up my natural functions through athletics." He had an older brother, Bob, who was a prominent athlete. "For a long time he was called Big Miles and I was called Little Miles. I was called Bob's brother. But one day somebody called him Jack's brother and I knew things were working out all right." That was at Germantown High School in Philadelphia. Miles was All-City in soccer and also lettered in diving, track and field (pole vault) and gymnastics. He was named the school's outstanding all-around athlete. After graduation he continued active in gymnastics and in 1951, as a freshman at Florida State University, won a national championship on the rings. Altogether he won four national titles, including the all-around in 1955. He competed in the Pan-American Games in 1955 and the Olympics in 1956. But even as a champion there were occasional moments that reminded him of less prosperous days. "Once I was looking at a gold medal I won on the rings while riding on a train with my teammates. A porter came along and saw that I was a rings champion, so he asked me what weight class I fought in." During the late 1950s Miles became a stunt man in New York City. He did the heavy work for Frank Sinatra, Tony Randall, Bing Crosby, Andy Williams and Shatner. "Except for Sinatra, I was physically similar in appearance to all of them, except they were all a little taller than I was." During the 1960s his stunt work brought him to South Florida and he decided to make Fort Lauderdale his home. He got a full-time job with the Fort Lauderdale Recreation Department and launched Broward's first gymnastics program in 1968. It was three nights a week at Holiday Park and it was free. "I wasn't in it to get rich," he said. He also founded the Miles Gymnastics Club in 1968, a club that produced most of the people who are directors of other clubs in the county today. "Jack was a real pioneer," said Adele Albahae, one of his students, who teaches gymnastics programs for the Margate Recreation Department and Taravella Community School. Albahae was one of Miles' favorite students because of her approach to the sport. "I quit coaching (in 1982) because of the viciousness of competition. I didn't want to get involved in the push-push aspects of competition," he said. "I liked to keep my coaching happy and jovial and Adele is that kind of a person. She will develop as many champions as the more intense teachers will." Another of Miles' favorite pupils was Steve Buck, a Piper High School student who went on to become administrator for the United States Gymnastics Federation. Still another was Ron Galimore, son of former professional football player Willie Galimore. Ron was the first black gymnast to become a U.S. Olympian and was the first person to score a 10 in collegiate competition. "Sometimes I feel guilty about having stopped coaching," Miles said. "It seems as if I am always meeting someone who was in one of my gymnastics classes. I
made a lot of friends in this sport and a lot of my former students still come to me for advice." Lord of the Rings: It's Quite a Story Miles Gymnastics Career Honored by Induction to Hall By Jorge Milian, Staff Writer of the South Florida Sun-Sentinel May 7, 1993 As a child, Jack Miles' schoolmates used to call him "Little Miles." The name not only differentiated Miles from his older brother, but accurately portrayed his size. "Big Miles" is the term more likely to be used by the international gymnastics community today when referring to Miles' contributions to the sport. Two weeks ago, the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame inducted Miles for his work over the past five decades as a gymnast and coach. Miles won four national titles as a gymnast, including an all-around NCAA title while attending Florida State University in 1955. Miles was also the innovator who created a complex maneuver known as the "Whippet." "It's still the hardest trick to perform on the rings," said Miles, 64, who lives in Sunrise. "You're lucky if you have one gymnast on an Olympic team that can do it. When I first did it in 1951, it created quite a stir." As a coach, Miles estimates he has worked with 30,000 youngsters. The most prominent was Ron Galimore, who became the first black gymnast to make the U.S. Olympic team (1980) and the first collegian to score a perfect 10 when he did so on the vault. "The thing I remember most from all those years as a gymnast and coach is the fun and the friendship," Miles said. Miles' accomplishments in gymnastics were unlikely. As a child growing up in Germantown, Pa., Miles was chronically ill. For many of his younger years, Miles needed weekly blood transfusions because of a malfunctioning spleen. One day, Miles was introduced to gymnastics at Germantown High School by Dr. Leopold Zwarg, one of the most revered coaches in American gymnastics. The combination of gymnastics and Zwarg proved potent for Miles. Almost overnight, his health maladies disappeared. In his senior season, the once-sickly Miles was voted Most Athletic. At FSU, Miles won four national titles including a championship on the rings as a freshman in 1951. That was the first year Miles executed the "Whippet." "At the time, it was unheard of for a freshman to win a national title, but I was too young and stupid to realize that," Miles said. In 1955, Miles competed on the U.S. team in the Pan American Games held in Mexico City. In 1956, Miles served as an alternate on the U.S. Olympic team that competed in Melbourne. But Miles may leave his legacy as a coach. Miles' greatest coaching success came with Galimore. Galimore, the son of former NFL great Willie Galimore, moved to Fort Lauderdale with his mother as a youngster to be coached by Miles. According to Miles, Galimore's talent was obvious even in its rawest form. "When I first saw him, I told him, 'I might not be able to get you on the Olympic team, but we'll definitely get you a college scholarship,"' said Miles, who founded the Florida Gymnastics Association. With the help of Miles, Galimore got both. He earned a scholarship to FSU, then made the 1980 Olympic team that boycotted the Games in Moscow. "He definitely would have medaled," Miles said. Miles hasn't limited his life's activities to gymnastics. For years he worked as a stunt man performing for Frank Sinatra, Jamie Farr, Tony Randall and others. Miles once did a commercial for Nabisco Shredded Wheat that called for him to jump off a two-story building. To get it right, Miles needed to do 40 takes. For years, Miles worked as superintendent of recreation for the City of Fort Lauderdale. Today, Miles divides his time between his Fort Lauderdale company -- Exergon Inc., which manufactures weight training machines and benches -- and as a motivational speaker. He is also in the midst of writing a motivational book, Life is an Individual Sport. Despite being a jack-of-all-trades, Miles says he most wants to be associated with gymnastics. "To be identified as Jack Miles the gymnast, I like that," Miles said.
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| FSU Statistics |
| Gymnastics |
Date Opponent/Meet Event Place Points
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1951 Season
05/05/1951 National AAU Championship Flying Rings 1 7
05/05/1951 National AAU Championship Long Horse 6 1
1952 Season
03/22/1952 NCAA Championship All-Around 5 6
03/22/1952 NCAA Championship Flying Rings 5 6
04/26/1952 National AAU Championship Long Horse 2 5
1953 Season
05/02/1953 National AAU Championship Indian Clubs 2 5
1954 Season
04/03/1954 NCAA Championship All-Around 4 7
04/03/1954 NCAA Championship Flying Rings 8 3
04/03/1954 NCAA Championship Free Exercise 8 3
05/01/1954 National AAU Championship All-Around 4 3
05/01/1954 National AAU Championship Long Horse 3 4
05/01/1954 National AAU Championship Horizontal Bar 5 2
05/01/1954 National AAU Championship Still Rings 5 2
05/01/1954 National AAU Championship Flying Rings 6 1
1955 Season
04/30/1955 National AAU Championship All-Around 1 7
04/30/1955 National AAU Championship Still Rings 1 7
04/30/1955 National AAU Championship Long Horse 1 7
04/30/1955 National AAU Championship Side Horse 6 1
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John (Jack) Michael Miles died September 22, 2020, at his home in Sunrise, Florida. Jack was born on December 24, 1928
in Philadelphia, PA, to John Robert Miles and Neva (Cornelius) Miles. He is predeceased by his brother Robert Mark Miles. He is survived by his Wife, Nancy Dye, Sister Joan Radle (Harvey), his Sons,
Chad Miles, David Miles (Marianne), Michael Miles (Susan), Daughter Sandy Hennessy (George Mays), 6 Grandchildren and 1 Great Grandchild.
While attending FSU, Jack was National Rings Champion (1951, 1955), National All-Around Champion (1955), National Vaulting Champion (1955& NCAA 1954), All Around
Team Member (1951 & 1955), and member of five winning USA National Championship teams from FSU. Jack won five national titles as a gymnast, including an all-around NCAA title. In 1955 he represented
the United States in the Pan American Games where he won a gold medal for swinging rings. The following year, he served as Olympic Alternate team member, in the World Olympics. Jack stayed on as FSU
Head Gymnastics Coach for a short time, after graduation.