YORK ATHLETICS & RECREATION MOURNS THE PASSING OF HALL OF FAME MEN’S GYMNASTICS COACH TOM ZIVIC

General | 4/17/2025 3:00:00 PM

It is with much sadness that York University Athletics & Recreation announces the passing of former gymnastics coach and York Sport Hall of Famer Tom Zivic after a courageous battle with cancer.

Zivic, born on Sept. 12, 1937 in Niš, Serbia, was inducted into the Hall in 1983 after coaching and teaching at York for more than three decades. He arrived in 1968 and guided the men’s gymnastics program until 1993. Under Zivic’s guidance and that of his longtime assistant, the late Masaaki Naosaki, York teams won 21 OUA (then OUAA) and 18 U SPORTS (then CIAU) championships. Additionally, York gymnasts won 15 individual and dozens more provincial titles, making York’s program the best in the nation during his tenure.

During his time on campus, Zivic was also a faculty member in the School of Kinesiology & Health Science, where he instructed practicum classes in gymnastics, strength and conditioning, soccer and European handball. He retired from the University in 2003.

Zivic’s contribution to gymnastics stretched far beyond the walls of York University. He chaired the Ontario and Canadian Gymnastics Federations, and was presented an Ontario Gymnastics Federation Life Membership Award in October 1998. He has also served as a coach and judge for several Canadian and international competitions, and coached with Canadian Olympians for eight years from 1976-84. He was head coach of the Canadian national team at the World Gymnastics Championships in 1979, 1981, 1983 and 1985, and was head coach of the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic team.

55 former York gymnasts coached by Zivic paid tribute to the longtime coach at a living memorial in February, while another 10 did so virtually via Zoom. Zivic is survived by his wife, Nada – to whom he was married for sixty years – and their two sons, Sasha and George.
For more on Zivic’s life and legacy, click here.