OU to Honor Sooner Gym Great Killen

The OU men's gymnastics team opens its home slate on Saturday at 7 p.m. CT at McCasland Field House. Fans are encouraged to be in their seats by 6:45 for a special tribute to former Sooner national champion Jeremy Killen and his family. The following piece was written in November 2018 following the passing of Killen.

NORMAN - The Oklahoma men's gymnastics program mourns the untimely loss of All-American, national champion, and Sooner great Jeremy Killen.

“It is with a heavy heart that I learn of this devasting loss,” OU head coach Mark Williams said.

“Jeremy was a beloved father, husband, son and Sooner, as well as U.S. National Team member and NCAA champion. But, more importantly, one of the finest men I've ever known. Jeremy's impact on so many lives, including my own, will never be forgotten.”

Killen, who competed for the Sooners from 1994-97, helped usher in a new era of OU gymnastics, winning the school's first individual national championship in 14 years when he took home the floor exercise title his senior year in 1997.

Along with his individual national title, “Roni Rone,” as he was known to friends and teammates, claimed seven All-America honors and two individual conference titles with the Sooners.

“Jeremy was a beloved father, husband, son and Sooner, as well as U.S. National Team member and NCAA champion. But, more importantly, one of the finest men I've ever known.”
OU head coach Mark Williams

A multi-year Academic All-American, Killen was voted a co-recipient of the 1997 Male Scholar Athlete of the Year award at OU. Killen went into the physical therapy field after earning his OU degree, working in his home state of Arizona. An avid mountain biker and outdoor enthusiast, Killen, a lifelong non-smoker, was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2016. He is survived by his wife, Robbi, and their two children, Charlie and Abby, as well as his parents, Charles and Patricia, along with his sisters, Erin, Shannon and Tracey.

Killen's family will hold a celebration of life ceremony for Jeremy on Wednesday, Dec. 5 at 3 p.m. MT at Hansen Desert Hills Mortuary in Scottsdale, Ariz. More information can be found here. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Charlie & Abby Killen's Education Fund c/o Charles Killen Trustee.

Killen

Killen won the 1997 NCAA championship on floor exercise for the Sooners, along with claiming seven All-America honors throughout his OU career.

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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