How Mary Lou Retton’s Daughter Followed In Her Mom’s Footsteps
Mary Lou Retton could tell you a thing or two about a tough battle. After all, the former gymnast was the first U.S. woman to lift the gold medal in the individual all-around competition at the Olympic Games. That fighting spirit served Mary Lou well throughout her career — and was something she even passed along to her daughters. But McKenna Kelley followed her mother in more ways than one.
McKenna's time in the spotlight
In fact, in the spring of 2019, Mary Lou’s second-born daughter, McKenna, was the one in the spotlight. McKenna was 22 years old when she took to the mat at the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships.
And as McKenna’s routine began, the announcer reminded viewers that this would be her final time competing with the Louisiana State University team before she graduated. It was a momentous moment for all involved.
She handled the pressure like a champ
Yet while the stakes were high for McKenna, none of the pressure seemed to show on the gymnast’s face. In fact, she actually displayed a smile as she embarked on her floor exercise.
And what happened during the routine left everyone stunned. One member of the audience, in particular, knew just how hard the routine was. After all, she had been in a very similar position 35 years prior.
Mary Lou was inspired as a young girl
Mary Lou grew up in Fairmont, West Virginia, and it was here that the future gold medalist had an epiphany. When Mary Lou was eight years old, she witnessed the 1976 Summer Olympics on TV.
She watched Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci outperform her competitors to become the first in her discipline to ever receive a flawless mark in the history of the Games. And Comaneci’s momentous win inspired Mary Lou to sign up for gymnastics lessons.
She was a natural
In time, Mary Lou dropped out of her high school in Fairmont and moved to Houston, Texas, where Comaneci’s former trainers, Béla and Márta Károlyi, had set up shop. It was a risk worth taking.
Under the Károlyi coaching duo, Mary Lou quickly proved her worth by earning gold at the American Cup and silver at the U.S. Nationals in 1983. She was 15 years old at the time.
Drama ahead of the Olympic Games
Mary Lou suffered a knee surgery just five weeks before the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles — but, amazingly, that didn’t stop her from competing. Instead, she found herself battling for first place in the women’s all-around contest.
Her main opponent was Ecaterina Szabo — a Romanian gymnast who was participating despite the Soviet Bloc’s snub of the games that year. The competition couldn't have been closer.
A historic win
After two events in the all-around competition, Mary Lou sat in second position, where she trailed Szabo by a mere 0.15 points. But the American gymnast had a few further tricks up her sleeve.
She wowed the judges in both the floor and vault events, earning flawless scores in spite of her knee. As a result, Mary Lou took the gold by a margin of 0.05 points, making her the first person from the U.S. to ever claim the top spot.
She retired on top
In fact, Mary Lou completed the games with five medals: the all-around gold, two silvers from the team competition and the vault, and a pair of bronzes in floor and uneven bars. Her success earned her a new nickname, too.
She was called, perhaps unoriginally, “America’s sweetheart.” But regardless of her achievements, Mary Lou decided to retire from her sport only two years after her Olympic triumph. She was at the top of her game.
Going into the family business
Then, nearly a decade later, Mary Lou started a family with her husband at the time, former University of Texas quarterback Shannon Kelley. Between 1995 and 2002 the couple welcomed four girls into the world.
Shayla came first, followed by McKenna, Skyla, and Emma. Like their talented mom, all of the Kelley daughters found themselves interested in gymnastics in some way, too. But seemingly Mary Lou was not a pushy parent.
There was no pressure
As McKenna told ESPN in 2016, she felt little pressure to follow in her mother’s medal-winning footsteps. “I feel like people have a hard time believing that [Mary Lou was not a pushy parent],” she said.
She continued, “You see Dance Moms, and you see how crazy those moms are, and you just assume that an Olympic champion would want her child to be like that.”
"Gymnastics is a great base"
The decision to get her daughters into gymnastics was a simple one for Mary Lou. “Whether they stuck with it or not, gymnastics is a great base for any athletic activity,” she explained to ESPN.
It should also be noted that the kids did try out other sports, such as softball, tee-ball, and basketball, while they grew up. But it was only natural, given their mom's all-star status, that gymnastics would lure them in.
Mary Lou was proud of them all
All four Kelley girls came back to gymnastics — minus that pressure from mom. Mary Lou revealed during a May 2019 appearance on Today, “I put my four daughters into a sport that I love. It’s woven into every fabric of my being.”
She continued, “We’re a gymnastics family. Three stuck with it, [while] one was a cheerleader. Her path was different than mine, and I’m so proud of everything.” In McKenna’s case, Mary Lou introduced her daughter to the sport in a fun way.
"McKenna was very, very bouncy"
The pair attended mother-and-child lessons together when McKenna was only two years old. And almost from the jump, Mary Lou claimed, the girl had shown promise. “McKenna was very, very bouncy and very strong-willed,” Mary Lou remarked to ESPN.
"She was an adorable little child, always flipping around, following her older sister, who was also in gymnastics. She could do it all: pullups, situps, the rope climb. She had no idea how strong she was," she added.
She continued to show promise
As she got older, McKenna continued to show how much of her mother’s talent she had inherited. Sometimes, McKenna said, Mary Lou even discouraged her gifted offspring from continuing with the sport.
"If anything, when we were growing up she'd be like, 'You should quit. You don't want to get hurt or anything!'" she confided to ESPN. But McKenna didn't give up.
Joining the cream of the crop
Yet McKenna didn’t begin to consider entering the elite level of gymnastics until she had turned 17. Interestingly enough, this was the same age Mary Lou was when she retired from the sport!
Elite gymnasts represent the top tier of American talent, after all. Those who reach that level can compete to join the women’s national team, after which they can compete all over the world.
Staying away from the "new Mary Lou" label
“Being an elite athlete was always something I wanted to do,” McKenna said in 2016. “Growing up with my mom going to all these different events, I’ve always been able to see it firsthand – the national team and what it takes.”
She added, “Just being on that level was always an aspiration of mine.” For McKenna, though, perhaps just being part of the team was enough; she didn't need to be the "new Mary Lou."
Taking her own shot
The gold medalist’s daughter said that she hadn’t spent much time dreaming about her own chance at Olympic glory. “It wasn’t something I was necessarily turned off by,” McKenna admitted.
She added, “But because I was a part of it already, I never really thought about it.” For a while, though, it appeared that she may yet have a shot at the prestigious competition.
She gave it her all
McKenna initially trained at Stars Gymnastics for coaches Dan and Ashly Baker. Mary Lou could obviously relate to the rigorous regimen that her daughter no doubt took on to become the best of the best.
“I trained with the Karolyis for four and a half years, and it was intense every single minute, and McKenna got a taste of it trying to do the elite thing up there,” Mary Lou recalled to ESPN.
McKenna had all the support she needed
Such intensity requires a person to be fully dedicated as a gymnast. “It's hard. You’ve got to live it, you’ve got to sleep it, you’ve got to eat it [and] you’ve got to think it,” Mary Lou said.
“And there’s no break from it. ‘That’s what the elite world is,’ I told [McKenna], ‘but I’ll support whatever you want to do,’” Mary Lou. And she was true to her word.
Mary Lou didn't want McKenna to have regrets
But most of all, Mary Lou didn’t wish for McKenna to have any regrets about her gymnastics career had she decided not to pursue the discipline at the highest level.
“I didn’t want [McKenna] to wake up when she was... my age and say, ‘Gosh, I wonder what it would have been like to try?’” the Olympian added. But in professional sports, it's not all about your mental well-being.
Her body gave out
In 2015 it seemed that McKenna’s body had made the decision for her, as she had stress fractures in her legs that had prevented her from competing in that year’s Pan American Games.
Rather than trying for the Olympics, then, the elite gymnast decided to switch gears and pursue a collegiate career. Owing to the “warmth and love” of the team and coaches at Louisiana State University, McKenna found it easy to choose where to study.
Coming into her own
Following her injuries and the tough training that came afterward, this "warm and loving" approach was seemingly exactly what McKenna needed. In fact, just six weeks into her time at LSU, McKenna reportedly called Mary Lou to proclaim, “Gymnastics is fun again!”
In fact, McKenna's freshman season in college proved to be among her very best. She "hit her stride at the midway point of the season and put up great scores on floor," according to the LSU website.
McKenna made a name for herself
McKenna went on to become a force to be reckoned with on the LSU gymnastics team — especially in the floor exercise. In that freshman season, for example, she scored a stunning 9.925 in the event at the SEC Championship.
The team went on to obtain second place at the nationals, achieving their highest-ever finish. She also "earned a spot on the SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll" — despite suffering an ankle injury part-way through the season.
Her sophomore season was even better
McKenna beat her initial records in her sophomore season, hitting a career-high 9.975 on the floor in a meet with George Washington and Iowa. That year, she also helped LSU to win the SEC Championship.
She also made her way onto the academic honor roll and was named as a First-Team All-American on floor "during the NCAA Championship Semifinal II with a 9.95 in the fifth spot of the Tigers’ lineup."
Her junior season was a miss
When McKenna injured her Achilles tendon, however, she was taken out of her high-achieving rhythm and left unable to participate in gymnastics for the entirety of her junior season for LSU.
But when she came back for her final year on the LSU team, she was healed and ready to go. And as always, her biggest fan watched her comeback from the sidelines.
A "crazy loud obnoxious mom"
As a gymnast herself, Mary Lou admitted that observing McKenna and the rest of her children competing made her nervous. In a conversation with ESPN, she even described herself as a “crazy loud obnoxious mom.”
She went on to detail her committed cheering style. “I commentate to myself,” she explained. “Drive your heels! Look for your landing! Stick! All the same things I told myself when I was competing.”
She can't help herself
Yet although Mary Lou has claimed that her cheers help calm her during her daughters’ tense meets, she also promised her second-oldest that she’d try toning down the noise. Not that it made much difference
“I tell her every season, ‘McKenna, I’m really gonna do it this season. I’m gonna sit down like most of the other parents and just clap when you go and be quiet and civilized.’ And I just can’t help myself!” Mary Lou added.
McKenna's show-stopping routine
At the NCAA Women’s Gymnastics Championships — the last competition of McKenna’s collegiate career — both the athlete and her famous mother grabbed attention. On that occasion, McKenna wowed with her stunning performance on the floor, while Mary Lou made her own impression in the crowd thanks to her emotional reaction.
Adding to the drama, McKenna’s routine on the floor was the last of the event. The determined gymnast began the routine with her forearms covering her face, although she pulled them away to reveal a smile as soon as the music started.
The perfect performance
With that determined start, McKenna flipped her way through a routine that encompassed a trio of tough passes. On the floor, she went from a double layout to a second front layout-front full combination before, finally, a double backflip – and she landed each with ease. “She wants to go out with a big one!” the commentator stated.
After landing her last two flips — and dancing it out for the last few seconds of her routine — McKenna stood to celebrate her nearly flawless floor routine. She rose up and blew a huge kiss to the section of LSU supporters in the crowd. Then the cameras zoomed in on her proud mom.
A touching moment for mother and daughter
Mary Lou had both hands in the air, chanting the same number over and over. It seems that they all believed McKenna’s performance had warranted a perfect score. As soon as the cheer ended, however, the emotion of the occasion seemed to hit the Olympic gold medalist.
Yes, the camera caught Mary Lou tearing up. The proud mother then kissed her hands and pointed them toward the mat where her daughter was standing. And through her own tears, McKenna appeared to offer the same gesture back to her mom.
The near-perfect score
Ultimately, the judges awarded McKenna a 9.95 — a score that helped LSU secure its second-place finish in the NCAA Championships. McKenna’s coach, D-D Breaux, knew how much the athlete had needed to overcome in order to earn her near-perfect score.
“I really commend her,” Breaux told The Times-Picayune in April 2019. “She’s worked really hard to come back from a serious injury... She has done an amazing job.” Mary Lou said on Today that she hoped her daughter would cherish the last moments of her final meet.
"Remember this"
“My last thought to [McKenna] was, ‘Remember this.’ My words were, ‘Remember this, baby girl. This is your last routine.’ And the whole place... it was just such a moment,” Mary Lou said on the show.
It seemed as though McKenna took her sage advice, as the gymnast later recalled the event to be “picture perfect.” After her big competition had been completed, however, McKenna still had one final decision to make.
She chose study over sports
Technically, as she’d missed all of her junior season, she could return and compete with LSU for one more year. Yet that wasn’t to be; while on Today, McKenna announced that she had opted to graduate instead.
“I haven’t officially announced this, but I have decided to graduate with my senior class. I will not be taking a fifth year,” she said on Today. Mary Lou's response? “Thank God.”
“That really was my final routine”
“That really was my final routine,” McKenna said of her stunning floor performance. She explained, too, that she had felt “so at peace” with the decision to end an experience she described as “so special.”
Concluding, she added, “I don’t think another year of gymnastics could give me anything I needed more.” She added that the experience made her appreciate “the enormity of what [Mary Lou] did.”
She had dreams of being a motivational speaker
On Instagram, McKenna shared what she hoped to do now that her gymnastics career had come to a storybook finish. “Inspiring others is the true passion of my heart,” she revealed in an April 2019 post.
“I am following my dreams of being a motivational speaker and helping others to be the best version of themselves,” she finished. Plus, of course, there’d likely be someone along the way to cheer McKenna on.
Her number-one fan
Speaking of Mary Lou’s enduring support, McKenna told ESPN, “It’s so rewarding to look up and see the pride [my parents] have. It’s really touching that I can do what I love to do, and they’re there supporting me.”
"Her voice is so distinct, and I can always hear it in the crowd," she told ESPN. "She's a hollerer, for sure." But in 2023, McKenna had to be strong for her mom.
A stunning health scare
In October 2023, McKenna created a page on the fundraising website spotfund. "Hey everyone! On behalf of my sisters and I, we need y’all’s help," McKenna wrote on the page.
'My amazing mom, Mary Lou, has a very rare form of pneumonia and is fighting for her life. She is not able to breathe on her own," she continued, much to everybody's shock.
The family was keeping it private
"She’s been in the ICU for over a week now," McKenna added. "Out of respect for her and her privacy, I will not disclose all details. However, I will disclose that she is not insured."
"We ask that if you could help in any way, that 1) you PRAY! and 2) if you could help us with finances for the hospital bill," McKenna continued on the page.
The fans responded quickly
"ANYTHING, absolutely anything, would be so helpful for my family and my mom. Thank y’all so very much!" the post ended. McKenna set a $50,000 goal as her fundraising total — and the news quickly went viral.
As soon as fans heard about the news, they responded with open hearts. Within a day of the fundraiser going live, there were almost 4,000 donors and over 2,00 comments. The fundraising target was met three times over.
People were willing to help
“Please help my mom continue to fight,” another of Mary Lou's daughters, Emma Jean Kelley, added on Instagram. “Anything helps.” The public's response was proof, if any were needed, that Mary Lou was still close to their hearts.
Mary Lou's most high-profile appearance in the public eye came in 2018 when she appeared on Dancing with the Stars. She was eliminated in week six after performing the tango.