BRUNET, ANDRE; AND BRUNET, PIERRE

born Sept. 16, 1901, Paris, France died March 30, 1993, Boyne City, Mich., U.S. born June 28, 1902, Le Quesne, France died July 27, 1991, Boyne City, Mich. Andre Brunet, ne Andr Joly French figure skaters who were the outstanding pairs performers of their time. They won consecutive Olympic gold medals in 1928 and 1932. Brunet and Joly each competed individually before their Olympic debut in 1924. Brunet was a national hero in France, winning 10 consecutive national titles between 1920 and 1930. A perfectionist from an engineering background, Brunet brought to figure skating a technical cleanliness and precision of style, while Joly broke with figure-skating convention by wearing black like her partner instead of the traditional white. After a disappointing bronze at the 1924 Olympics in Chamonix, France, Brunet and Joly dominated pairs skating with world titles in 1926, 1928, 1930, and 1932. At the 1928 Olympics in St. Moritz, Switzerland, they narrowly defeated contenders from Austria. They married in 1929 and successfully defended their Olympic title at the 1932 Games in Lake Placid, New York, U.S., gaining international repute for their graceful, precise, and sometimes revolutionary performances. Opposed to the Nazi government in Germany, the Brunets refused to skate at the 1936 Winter Olympics in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Instead they toured Europe and Canada as professionals, emigrating to the United States in 1940. Brunet taught and coached at the New York Skating Club, encouraging the talent of such pupils as Carol Heiss, who would later win gold in the 1960 Olympics. The Brunets continued to coach in New York, Illinois, and Michigan until retirement in 1979.