Clayton Marquette; 5-Time Coach for U.S. Gymnastics Team

Clayton “Bud” Marquette, a five-time member of the U.S. Olympic gymnastics coaching staff, has died of congestive heart failure. He was 81.

A longtime resident of Long Beach, Marquette died Tuesday, according to his daughter, Beverly Rodriguez.

Marquette coached in five Olympics, beginning in 1956 at Melbourne and ending at the 1972 Munich Games.

In 1963, Marquette formed the Huntington Beach-based Southern California Acro Team, which became a powerhouse in women’s gymnastics and produced 13 Olympians, including Cathy Rigby, who started with Marquette as a 10-year-old.

In 1970, Rigby became the first American to win a medal at the world championships, earning a silver on the balance beam.

“He was the visionary behind it all,’ Acro Team Director Don Peters said. “He was a founding father [of gymnastics]. He was way ahead of his time.”