Dan Gable, Olympic Wrestling Icon From The U.S. American Heartland

Unanimously, “The Greatest Sports Figure In The History Of The State Of Iowa”, Dan Gable has set the bar in high school, collegiate and Olympic freestyle wrestling soooo high, I wonder if anybody can come even close to matching or surpassing his accomplishments ever.

The reason I need to elaborate on wrestling today (again) is because it cannot be over-emphasized that the vast majority of physical encounters end up on the ground/floor and that’s where your grappling, wrestling, submission skills will be put to the test.

It was also the reason why yours truly as a tradtional Shotokan karateka saw the necessity and took he initiative to at least experiment in Judo years ago.

And honestly, every serious martial artist and every person serious about self-defense should have a very close look at their grappling skills.

Before I really get off track today, let’s get back to Iowa’s favorite amateur wrestling star, Dan Gable, who should serve as inspiration and motivation to you.

His achievements on the wrestling mat are legendary.

As a high school student Dan Gable was undefeated state champ during his sophomore through senior years. But wait, there’s more, a lot more!

While attending Iowa State University, Gable wrestled for three years and won 2 NCAA titles!

His only loss during his collegiate wrestling career was in his final match which brought his overall mark to an mind-boggling record of 181 victories and only 1 loss.

Dan Gable went on to wrestle internationally between 1971 and 1973 where he set his record at 29 wins and only 1 loss. Overall, his national and international freestyle wrestling record was 97-5.

One of his many highlights was the win of an Olympic Gold Medal as a Lightweight during the 1972 Munich Games where he did not give up a single point in all of his matches.

Following his extraordinary amateur wrestling career at the age of 28, Dan Gable became the wrestling coach at the University of Iowa in 1976.

In the nine years, from 1978 to 1986, under Gable’s leadership the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title each year, a record nine in succession.

He continued to coach the team until a sabbaticall after the 1997 season.

Gable’s coaching record in dual meets was 355-21-5 and that includes 15 NCAA titles and 21 straight Big Ten titles. Amazing!

He has also been called upon to coach the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team in 1980, 1984 and in 2000 in Sydney, Australia.

Dan Gable stays involved at the University of Iowa and not surprisingly he has also become a highly sought after motivational speaker.

In Waterloo, Iowa, they now even have a Dan Gable Museum that I am definitely going to check out when I head out there.

Now, let’s hit the mat!