Pioneer exercise advocate Bruno Balke dies at 92

A memorial service is scheduled Sunday, June 20, for Bruno Balke, 92, an emeritus professor of kinesiology and physiology who was considered a founding father of sports medicine.

Balke died Monday, June 7, in Aspen, Colo. He moved to Colorado after he retired from UW–Madison in 1973. The service is scheduled at 2 p.m. Sunday, June 20, at the Aspen Chapel in Aspen.

The pioneering exercise physiologist was the first to chart the relationship between oxygen consumption, exercise and cardiovascular health.

Before Balke helped determine otherwise in the 1960s, bed rest was the prescription for heart disease. As a result of his work, heart patients now follow a regimen of heart-building exercise. Gaining popularity in the 1970s, the findings were a catalyst for the aerobics and fitness craze that continues today.

Balke was a leader of his field in other ways as well. In 1967, Balke led a committee to create The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) journal, then called Medicine and Science in Sports.

Balke also played a role in encouraging exercise among University of Wisconsin faculty. The Faculty Soccer Group, still active today, began in the 1960s when Balke set up an exercise study involving middle-aged professors.