Bruce Jenner

Bruce Jenner
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Bruce Jenner

Bruce Jenner, March 2011
Personal information
Birth name William Bruce Jenner
Nationality American
Born October 28, 1949 (age 64)
Mt. Kisco, New York, U.S.
Weight 194 pounds (88 kg) (1976)
Spouse(s) Chrystie Crownover
(1972-1981)
Linda Thompson
(1982-1984)
Kris Jenner
(1991-present)
Website Official website
Sport
Country United States of America
Sport Track & Field
Event(s) Decathlon
College team Graceland University
Coached by Randy Trentman
Medal record[hide]
Men's athletics
Competitor for the United States
Olympic Games
Gold 1976 Montreal Decathlon
Pan American Games
Gold 1975 Mexico City Decathlon
William Bruce Jenner (born October 28, 1949) is a former U.S. track and field athlete, motivational speaker, television personality and businessman. He won the gold medal in the Decathlon at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.
Following his Olympic victory and the related recognition, his professional career evolved into being a television celebrity. By 1981, he had starred in several made-for-TV movies and was Erik Estrada's replacement on the top rated TV series CHiPs. In 1991, he married Kris Jenner (née Houghton, previously Kardashian). Since the 2007 debut of Keeping Up with the Kardashians he is seen as the stepfather of the Kardashian siblings: Kourtney, Kim, Khloe and Rob Kardashian; and the father of Burt, Casey, Brandon, Brody, Kendall and Kylie Jenner. He is noted for his use of cosmetic surgery.[1]
Contents [hide]
1 Early life
2 Olympic career
3 Celebrity
4 Further TV appearances
5 Business
6 Personal life
7 See also
8 References
9 External links
Early life[edit]

Jenner was born in Mount Kisco, New York, the son of Esther R. (née McGuire) and William Hugh Jenner.[2][3] Jenner has a younger sister named Nicole.[citation needed] His younger brother, Burt was killed in a car accident in Canton, Connecticut shortly after Jenner's success in the Olympics,[4] Jenner was diagnosed with dyslexia as a young child.[citation needed]
He attended Newtown High School in Newtown, Connecticut,[2] after spending a year at Sleepy Hollow High School in Sleepy Hollow, New York. Jenner earned a football scholarship and attended Graceland College (now Graceland University) in Iowa, but a knee injury forced him to stop playing football and he switched to the decathlon. He was mentored by Graceland's track coach L. D. Weldon, who was the first to recognize Jenner's potential and encouraged him to pursue the decathlon. Jenner debuted in the decathlon at the Drake Relays in 1970, placing fifth.
Olympic career[edit]

Jenner placed third in the decathlon at the 1972 U.S. Olympic trials[5] and finished in tenth place at the 1972 Munich games.[6] His success prompted him to devote himself to an intense training regimen,[7] while also selling insurance outside training hours.[2] In the era before professionalism was allowed in athletics this kind of training was unheard of. During that period he spent eight hours a day at the San Jose City College track.[2][8] Centered around Bert Bonanno, the coach at SJCC, San Jose at the time was a hotbed for training aspiring Olympic athletes, including Jenner, along with Millard Hampton, Andre Phillips, John Powell, Mac Wilkins, Al Feuerbach and others.[8][9] In 1974 and 1976, Jenner was the American champion in the event.[10]
At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, he won the gold medal in the Decathlon, setting the world record of 8,616 points. The world record was broken by just 4 points by Daley Thompson in 1980. In 1985, the IAAF Decathlon scoring table was changed, so Jenner's winning score has been reevaluated against that table and reported as 8634 for comparative purposes. As of 2011, Jenner is #25 on the world all-time list and the #9 American.[11]
As a result of winning the Olympic decathlon, Jenner was a national hero. He was the 1976 recipient of the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States. Jenner was also the Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year in 1976. He was inducted into the Olympic Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame, the Connecticut Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 and the United States National Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1980. He was inducted into the San Jose Sports Hall of Fame in 2010.
San Jose City College hosted the "Bruce Jenner Invitational" (frequently shortened to "Jenner") as a televised, annual stop on the United States Track and Field Circuit (a meet equivalent in stature to the Prefontaine Classic) for the better part of two decades. Records were set at the meet, with Jenner frequently hosting the telecasts.[12]
Celebrity[edit]

In the 1970s, Olympic athletes were considered amateur and were absolutely not allowed to seek or accept payment for their positions as sports celebrities. In 1972, three major Olympic titles that had a long history of American success (basketball, 100 meters and decathlon), were won by Soviet athletes during the Cold War. Winning 'back' the decathlon title made Jenner an American hero. After his Olympic success, Jenner set out to cash in on his celebrity status (requiring him to give up any future Olympic appearances). He left his vaulting poles in the stadium, having no intention of ever using them again. Quickly after the Games, Jenner appeared on the front of Wheaties brand breakfast cereal as a "Wheaties champion." Of several hundred athletes who have been so featured, Jenner is one of seven Wheaties "spokesmen." He was invited to the White House to meet with President Gerald R. Ford, who autographed a political cartoon that featured the pair.
On November 22, 1977, Bruce went to San Francisco to refute charges filed by the district attorney that General Mills, the makers of Wheaties, had been engaged in false advertising. Jenner contended that he likes the cereal and consumes this breakfast cereal two to three times per week. Two days later District Attorney Joseph Freitas withdrew the false advertising suit against General Mills for its advertising campaign featuring Mr. Jenner, saying that it was "a case of overzealousness" on the part of his staff.[13]
In 1977, the Kansas City Kings selected Jenner with the 140th pick of the NBA Draft. Jenner had not actually played basketball since high school; the closest he came to a roundball career was when he sank a basket in the "YMCA" sequence of the film Can't Stop the Music in 1980. The movie was a disco-era comedy about the singing group The Village People. It gave Jenner a starring role, but the movie was a flop. Jenner was nominated for the 1980 Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actor for his performance. That was the end of his theatrical movie career until he appeared in 2011's Jack and Jill in a scene with Al Pacino as an actor in a play. Adam Sandler won the Golden Raspberry as both Worst Actor and Worst Actress in that film. Both Can't Stop The Music and Jack and Jill won the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Picture, making Jenner two for two in his movie career.
Jenner decided to try for a television career, and had some success, starring in the TV movies The Golden Moment: An Olympic Love Story (1980) and Grambling's White Tiger (1981). In 1981–82 he became a semi-regular on the police series CHiPs, guest-starring as Officer Steve McLeish (substituting for star Erik Estrada, who was lodged in a contract dispute with NBC and MGM), for a half-dozen episodes. He also appeared on an episode of the sitcom Silver Spoons where he revealed his dyslexia in a storyline that dealt with a teenaged recurring character dealing with the same problem.[episode needed] He also appeared on the series Learn To Read.
His "hero shot," the finish of the final event of 1976 Olympic decathlon, was parodied by John Belushi on Saturday Night Live endorsing "Little Chocolate Donuts" instead of Wheaties.[14]
Jenner also appears in the video games Olympic Decathlon (1981) and Bruce Jenner's World Class Decathlon (1996).
Further TV appearances[edit]

Jenner has appeared as himself on a variety of game shows and reality TV programs. He starred with Grits Gresham in an episode of ABC's The American Sportsman. The program featured Gresham hunting, fishing, or shooting in exotic spots with celebrities. In the early 1990s he was the host of an infomercial for a stair-climbing exercise machine called the Stair Climber Plus.
In January 2002, Jenner participated in an episode of the American series of The Weakest Link featuring Olympic athletes. In February and March 2003, he was part of the cast of the American series of I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!, and made a cameo on a season three episode of The Apprentice that originally aired in May 2005. He was partnered with Tai Babilonia for Skating with Celebrities that aired January–March 2006 (they were eliminated during the fifth of seven episodes). Jenner has additionally served as a guest judge on Pet Star on Animal Planet, and appeared on NBC's game show Identity as well as Celebrity Family Feud with his family.
Additional television and talk show appearances by Jenner include Nickelodeon's made-for-TV film Gym Teacher: The Movie as well as episodes of Murder, She Wrote, Family Guy, Pet Star on Animal Planet, Identity, Lingo Olympic Winners episode[15] and Celebrity Family Feud as well as such talk shows as Hannity and The Bonnie Hunt Show.[16]
Since late 2007,[17] Jenner has starred in the E! reality series Keeping Up with the Kardashians, along with wife Kris Jenner, stepdaughters Kourtney, Kim, Khloé, and stepson Rob (from Kris' marriage to attorney Robert Kardashian), and daughters Kylie and Kendall. Season two had an average of 1.6 million viewers, an increase over the previous cycle.[18] Jenner has also made cameo appearances on the show's spinoff series.
Business[edit]

His company, Bruce Jenner Aviation, sells aircraft supplies to executives and corporations.[19] Jenner was the business development vice president for a staffing industry software application known as JennerNet, which was based on Lotus Domino technology.
Jenner was the marketing name for Bruce Jenner's Westwood Centers for Nautilus & Aerobics in the early 1980s. Jenner had no ownership in the centers. The fitness centers were owned by David Cirotto. The centers were sold to Super Fitness Centers, owned by martial arts expert Paul Snow.
Personal life[edit]

Jenner named his first son after his deceased brother. During his first marriage, to Chrystie Crownover (1972 to 1981), he had two children, Burt and Casey.[20] During his second marriage, to Linda Thompson (1981 to 1985), he had two sons, Brandon and Sam "Brody". Brandon and Brody appeared in their own reality show The Princes of Malibu. Brody was also on the reality show The Hills.
Jenner married Kris Jenner (née Houghton) on April 21, 1991, after five months of dating.[21] Jenner has two daughters with Kris, Kendall and Kylie. He is also the stepfather to Kris' four children from her previous marriage to the late lawyer Robert Kardashian: Kourtney, Kim, Khloé and Rob. The Jenners announced their separation in October 2013,[22] though they had actually separated a year earlier.[23]
Jenner has 5 grandchildren Isabella and Francesca Marino, from daughter Casey, Mason and Penelope Disick from step-daughter Kourtney and North West from step-daughter Kim.[citation needed]
See also[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Bruce Jenner.
List of athletes on Wheaties boxes
References[edit]

Jump up ^ DZurilla, Christie (5 June 2013). "Bruce Jenner manhandles Jimmy Fallon over face jokes". Los Angeles Times.
^ Jump up to: a b c d Bruce Jenner. Novelguide. Retrieved on 2011-11-06.
Jump up ^ Crownover, Ernest Elder (1986). Matt and Daisy Dell Kuykendall Crownover: Their Ancestry and Posterity.
Jump up ^ Nancy Faber (April 11, 1977). Fame Woes: The Money Is There, the Jenners Discover, but So Are Rude Fans and Marital Stress 7 (14). People. Retrieved 2012-12-21
Jump up ^ Richard Hymans (2008) The History of the United States Olympic trials – Track and Field. USA Track and Field
Jump up ^ Athletics at the 1972 München Summer Games: Men's Decathlon | Olympics at. Sports-reference.com. Retrieved on 2011-09-06.
Jump up ^ Pearls of Wisdom: "Just Trust In Yourself and You'll Climb Every Hill". Swansgems.blogspot.com (2008-05-18). Retrieved on 2011-11-06.
^ Jump up to: a b Bud Winter Biography, San Jose State University 1940–1970, Part 1. Speedendurance.com (2011-03-02). Retrieved on 2011-11-06.
Jump up ^ Bruce Jenner wins decathlon — History.com This Day in History — 7/30/1976. History.com. Retrieved on 2011-11-06.
Jump up ^ "USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions: Men's Decathlon". USA Track & Field. c. 2001–2009. Retrieved May 27, 2009.
Jump up ^ Decathlon All Time. iaaf.org. Updated 29 August 2011. Retrieved on 2011-09-06.
Jump up ^ “” (November 14, 2006). "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Report from court archives researched by Laura Perkins". SFGate.com. June 24, 2011. Retrieved December 28, 2011.
Jump up ^ "in this Belushi Youtube compilation". Youtube.com. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ "TV.com, "#141 Olympic Winners Episode" DailyVariety.com,". Retrieved February 28, 2012.
Jump up ^ "Bonnie Hunt show". Bonniehunt.com. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Cristina Kinon, "E! renews 'Keeping Up With the Kardashians'," NYdailynews.com, November 13, 2007". New York: Nydailynews.com. November 13, 2007. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ By (July 17, 2008). "Daniel Frankel, "'Kardashians' gets third season". Variety. July 13, 2008". Variety.com. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Bruce Jenner Aviation website". Bruce Jenner Aviation. Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ Bob Ottum (November 3, 1980). "Hey, Mister Fantasy Man". Sports Illustrated (SI Vault). Retrieved July 1, 2010.
Jump up ^ "Jenner-Kardashian". The Day (New London). April 23, 1991. p. A2. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
Jump up ^ Baker, Ken; Finn, Natalie (October 8, 2013). "Kris Jenner and Bruce Jenner Are Separated, "Much Happier" Living Apart". E Online. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
Jump up ^ Takeda, Allison (October 8, 2013). "Kris Jenner, Bruce Jenner Separate After 22 Years of Marriage: "I Will Always Love Him"". Us Weekly. Retrieved October 8, 2013.
External links[edit]

Official site
Talk with Audrey interview of Bruce Jenner 2011. Bruce talks about his support of the Drive4COPD health initiative.
Bruce Jenner at the Internet Movie Database
Bruce Jenner profile at IAAF
Wheaties spokesperson
Jenner Communications
The short film Ten for Gold (1976) is available for free download at the Internet Archive [more]
Bruce Jenner's U.S. Olympic Team bio[dead link]
USATF Hall of Fame bio
Records
Preceded by
Mykola Avilov Men's decathlon world record holder
August 10, 1975 – May 15, 1980 Succeeded by
Daley Thompson
Awards and achievements
Preceded by
Mykola Avilov World's Greatest Athlete
1976 Succeeded by
Daley Thompson
[show] v t e
Olympic champions in the men's all-around, pentathlon and decathlon
[show] v t e
Pan American champions in men's decathlon
[show] v t e
Associated Press Male Athlete of the Year
[show] v t e
World best year performance in men's decathlon
[show] v t e
I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! US Season 1
[show] v t e
Keeping Up with the Kardashians
[show] v t e
James E. Sullivan Award winners