Dan Gable

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Dan Gable

Weight:	68 Kg
High school:	Waterloo West High School
State championships:	3 (Iowa)
College:	Iowa State University
NCAA championships:	2
Olympic team:	United States of America
Olympic medal:	Gold
Status:	Coach of University of Iowa

Men's Freestyle Wrestling
Olympic medal record
Gold	1972 Munich	Lightweight

Dan Gable (born October 25, 1948 in Waterloo, Iowa), is a well-known American amateur wrestler. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest American amateur wrestlers of all time.^{[citation needed]}

1 High school career
2 Folkstyle and Freestyle Career
- 2.1 1967
- 2.2 1968
- 2.3 1969
- 2.4 1970
- 2.5 1971
- 2.6 1972
- 2.7 1973
- 2.8 1976
3 Coaching career
4 Family Life
5 Popularity
6 Quotes
7 External links
8 Notes

[edit] High school career

Although Gable was not permitted to wrestle on the varsity wrestling squad during his freshman year, he was an undefeated state champ during his sophomore through senior years. The only recorded high school loss suffered by Gable was during his freshman year when he lost an unofficial match to a teammate named Ron Keister^[1]

As a sophomore in high school, Gable experienced a personal tragedy.^[2] His older sister, Diane, was brutally raped and murdered in the Gable family home, while Dan and his parents were on vacation. Gable later recalled that the event gave him a singular passion for wrestling, as a way to uplift his shattered family. In his documentary Gable, he says "I needed to give them enough entertainment that they didn't have to look other places."

[edit] Folkstyle and Freestyle Career

After high school, Gable wrestled for Iowa State University. Gable wrestled for Iowa State's varsity squad for three years and won two NCAA titles. Gable's overall collegiate mark was 118-1. His only collegiate defeat was in his final match where he lost to Larry Owings of the University of Washington.

Gable wrestled on the national freestyle wrestling circuit between 1967 and 1976 where he earned a record of 67-4-2. He wrestled on the international freestyle wrestling circuit between 1971 and 1973 where he earned a record of 29-1-1. Overall, his freestyle record was 97-5-3.

[edit] 1967

Gable was not permitted to wrestle on the varsity wrestling squad at Iowa State because of NCAA rules that did not permit freshmen to wrestle.
1966-67 Midlands Tournament Champion, wrestling unattached
Gable's domestic freestyle record in 1967 was 3-2. He went 3-2 at the U.S. Freestyle Nationals

[edit] 1968

1967-68 Midlands Tournament Champion
Big Eight Champion
NCAA National Champion
Gable's domestic freestyle record in 1968 was 8-2-1, including a 3-2-1 mark at the Olympic Trials

[edit] 1969

1968-69 Midlands Tournament Champion
Big Eight Champion
NCAA National Champion
U.S. Freestyle National Champion

[edit] 1970

1969-70 Midlands Tournament Champion
Big Eight Champion
NCAA Runner-up
U.S. Freestyle National Champion

[edit] 1971

1970-71 Midlands Tournament Champion, wrestling unattached
Gable's international freestyle record in 1971 was 17-1-1.
Lost to Vasily Kozakhov at the Tblisi Tournament.
Tied Nasrulla Nasrualaev in a dual meet with Russia.
Pan-American Games Champion
World Freestyle Champion in the 68 kg category at Sofia, Bulgaria.^[3]

[edit] 1972

1971-72 Midlands Tournament Champion, wrestling unattached
Gable's international freestyle record in 1972 was 11-0.
Tblisi Tournament Champion.
Olympic Champion.

[edit] 1973

Gable's international freestyle record in 1973 was 1-0, defeating Pavel Pinigan in a dual meet with Russia.

[edit] 1976

Lost to Lee Kemp at the Northern Open. He lost to Ryan Schilling at the Rapids Open

[edit] Coaching career

Gable became head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa in 1976. He formed a dynasty matched by few. From 1978 to 1986, the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title each year, a record nine in succession. He continued to coach the team until a sabbatical after the 1997 season. His record in dual meets was 355-21-5 which included 15 NCAA titles and 21 straight Big Ten titles.

In 1997, the Hawkeyes were expected to lose to the favored Oklahoma State Cowboys. But Gable, who was by this time coaching on crutches after hip replacement surgery, led his team to its 17th NCAA team title and to an unprecedented NCAA-record 170 points.

In addition to his leadership at the college level, Gable was head coach of the United States Olympic team in freestyle wrestling in 1980, 1984, and 2000. Currently, he is an assistant athletic director at the University of Iowa.

Gable's successor at Iowa, Jim Zalesky, won three NCAA titles under him. It was announced on April 14, 2006 that Gable would be rejoining the coaching staff at Iowa as top assistant coach to current coach and former Gable national champion Tom Brands.^[4]

Gable remains involved with the team, but stepped down from his assistant coach role in October, 2007.^[5]

In 2008, Coach Tom Brands led Iowa to its 21st NCAA championship.

[edit] Family Life

Dan is married to his wife Kathy and has four grown daughters, Jenny, Annie, Molly and Mackenzie Gable.

[edit] Popularity

In an Esquire interview, actor, and high school wrestler Tom Cruise considered Gable his greatest hero. Gable himself was profiled in Esquire by the novelist and former University of Pittsburgh wrestler John Irving. The story was entitled "Gorgeous Dan".

Gable has perennially been on the wishlist for a Republican candidate for Governor of Iowa or Congressional positions.

In 1999, Sports Illustrated selected Dan Gable as the greatest sports figure in the history of the state of Iowa.^[6]

[edit] Quotes

"SHOW UP DOMINATE GO HOME."
"Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts."
"The 1st period is won by the best technician. The 2nd period is won by the kid in the best shape. The 3rd period is won by the kid with the biggest heart."
"Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy."
"More enduringly than any other sport, wrestling teaches self-control and pride. Some have wrestled without great skill - none have wrestled without pride."
"Right out of high school I never had the fear of getting beat, which is how most people lose."
"No one ever drowned in sweat."
"I'm a big believer in starting with high standards and raising them. We make progress only when we push ourselves to the highest level. If we don't progress, we backslide into bad habits, laziness and poor attitude."
"Raising your level of performance requires a proper mentality and meaning from within. This gives you the ability and drive to work on the things necessary to go to a higher level. When people ask me how to raise their level of performance, the first thing I ask is, How important is it to you?"

[edit] External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Dan Gable

[edit] Notes

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