Larry Banner spent his early years recovering from polio and his young adult years winning national and international championships. The UCLA graduate and former multi-sport athlete was the 1960 vault champion and competed in two Olympics during his athletics career. Following his competitive years, Banner coached part-time at the University of California-Irvine and taught for 32 years. Banner was also awarded the FIG Insignia of Merit as a World Class Gymnast in 1960.