David Jacobs (gymnast)
| David Jacobs | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Jacobs and Judy Wills Cline in 1968 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1941 or 1942 (age 82–83) Sheboygan, Wisconsin, U.S. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gymnastics career | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Trampoline gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented | United States | |||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||
David A. Jacobs is an American trampoline and Artistic gymnast. During the 1960s, he won several top-level trampolining medals. He is a long-time World Acrobatics Society (WAS) member and served as president from 2015 to 2019. In September 2024, Jacobs received the Charlie Pond Service Award from the WAS.[1] There was an increase in his popularity in 2019, due to appearing in a comical segment on Impractical Jokers.
Early life and education
[edit]Jacobs was born in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, to Careta (née Aschenbach). The family moved to Amarillo, Texas, in 1957, and moved back to Sheboygan in 1965. While a sophomore, he joined Nard's trampoline club in Texas.[2] Jacobs was a student at the University of Michigan.
Gymnastics career
[edit]In 1964, he competed at the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) championships and finished third. While there, he began a working relationship with Eddie Cole.[2] At the 1966 Trampoline World Championships (TWC), he won the synchronized trampoline title with fellow Michigan student Wayne Miller.[3]
While Jacobs was at the University of Michigan, he competed for the Michigan Wolverines men's gymnastics team from 1967 to 1969.[4] He was the NCAA champion in the floor exercise and trampoline at the 1967 NCAA gymnastics championships.[5][6] He won a further NCAA title for trampoline in 1969 en route to being a finalist for the Nissen-Emery Award.[4][7]
In popular culture
[edit]He is also known for his unintentional appearance on the hidden camera comedy and reality show Impractical Jokers. In the 2019 episode "Irritable Vowel Syndrome", Jacobs was shopping at a Fairway Market, when he was approached by comedian Brian Quinn, who was performing a challenge for the show. Quinn performed the challenge by posing as a shopper. Quinn started a conversation with Jacobs after the segment, where Jacobs mentioned that he was a "superhuman athlete" and showed Quinn a video of his performance on YouTube. The other members of the group approached Jacobs, pretending to have known of Jacob’s stardom. The other Jokers also posed as other shoppers in the mall; one by one requesting to take a picture with him after claiming they had seen his videos of his athletics while making fun of Quinn for not knowing who Dave Jacobs is.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "World Acrobatics Society Inducts Class of 2024 into Hall of Fame". StageLync press release. September 16, 2024. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
- ^ a b "City-Born Tramp Star Holds All Major Titles". The Sheboygan Press. November 11, 1967. p. 16. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ "U.S. Retains Tumbling Title". The Shreveport Journal. April 30, 1966. p. 5. Retrieved February 24, 2021.
- ^ a b "2025 Michigan Men's Gymnastics Record Book" (PDF). mgoblue.com. 2025. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "Michigan Ace Takes Titles". The Grand Rapids Press. Vol. 75, no. 204. April 3, 1967. p. 40. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "NATIONAL COLLEGIATE MEN'S GYMNASTICS CHAMPIONSHIPS" (PDF). National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "Nissen Emery Finalists". collegegym.org. Retrieved January 16, 2025.
- ^ "Q Meets A Living Legend". TruTV.com. Retrieved August 26, 2021.
