Did you know that the inventor of the trampoline was born in Blairstown, IA? That he went to the University of Iowa? That he won 3 NCAA Gymnastics championships as a Hawkeye (all in the mid-1930s)? All of these are true. That man is George Nissen.
Nissen also used the trampoline to help train WWII pilots in how to orient themselves while tumbling through the air. No official word on whether he used this to train the great Nile Kinnick, but in my mind there's no way these two great Iowans did not know eachother.
Tough Iowan that he was, Nissen lived to the ripe old age of 96 and was able to see trampoline included in the Olympics in his lifetime. He was given the honor of testing out the equipment prior to the 2008 Beijing games at 96 years old. A great American, and a great Hawkeye.
