VERMONT SPORTS HALL OF FAME

South Burlington

Gymnastics

Inducted 2020

The Dunkley family is synonymous with gymnastics in Vermont and beyond and Debbie Dunkley is arguably the top gymnast the state has produced. She is the first gymnast to be inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame. She was unbeaten in high school and was part of two national championship teams at Springfield College.  

Her father was the longtime UVM coach Tom Dunkley, who was regarded as the “Father of Vermont Gymnastics,” and the family to this day operated a summer gymnastics camp in the state.

Debbie Dunkley was the undefeated Vermont high school state champion in the All-Around event — balance beam, uneven bars, floor exercise and vaulting — for all four years before graduating from South Burlington High School in 1971. In her senior year, the Vermont Principals Association conducted its first team championships. Dunkley, the team captain, led the Rebels to the state title. She also excelled in two non-counting events: tumbling and trampoline.

After high school, Dunkley went on to Springfield College and helped the team to two national team titles. At Springfield, Dunkley earned All-American honors in the floor, beam and bars in both 1972 and 1973, and the beam in 1975. Graduating magna cum laude in 1975, she also made the top 10 All-Around in the national meet in three of her four years. She also was an alternate for the Moscow World University Games in 1973. 

In 1978, she returned to Vermont as the coach of the UVM women’s team, a position she held for six years. She became a certified level 2 judge and served as president of the Northern Vermont Gymnastics Association.

Also in high school, she was a member of the Rebelettes drill team and the newly formed track and field team, competing in the 440, 4-by-440 relay, high jump, long jump and hurdles. Dunkley was named the co-female athlete of the year of the 1971 SBHS senior class. She also participated in Burlington International Games.

Dunkley changed careers and entered a physical therapy program at the Mayo Clinic. She has worked with children who have physical challenges, including cerebral palsy, and has been involved in numerous programs for young people with physical disabilities. She lives in San Jose, California.