Dan Gable
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Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
national champion, a
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gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the
United World Wrestling United World Wrestling (UWW) is the international governing body for the sport of Wrestling; its duties include overseeing wrestling at the World Championships and Olympics. It presides over international competitions for various forms of wrest ...
's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the
International Sports Hall of Fame The International Sports Hall of Fame (ISHOF) is a section 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established in 2012 by Dr. Robert M. Goldman to honor exceptional athletes and sporting figures for their accomplishments and dedication to furthering ...
and awarded the
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...
in 2020.


Early life

Gable was born and grew up in
Waterloo, Iowa Waterloo is a city in and the county seat of Black Hawk County, Iowa, Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States. As of the 2020 United States census the population was 67,314, making it the List of cities in Iowa, eighth-most populous city in the st ...
. When he was 15 years old, a teenager from his neighborhood murdered Gable's 19-year-old sister. Although Gable called his sister's death his "biggest loss", he did not allow the tragedy to affect his focus on wrestling. Instead, he thought of it as a reason to train with even more determination: He attended high school at West High School in Waterloo. During high school he was a three-time
Iowa Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
state champion with a 64–0 record.


Wrestling career


College

From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended
Iowa State University Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricult ...
, where he competed in
wrestling Wrestling is a martial art, combat sport, and form of entertainment that involves grappling with an opponent and striving to obtain a position of advantage through different throws or techniques, within a given ruleset. Wrestling involves di ...
. At Iowa State, he became a two-time
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
national champion and three-time finalist. Gable's college career record was 118–1, with his only loss being in the NCAA final match during his senior season to Larry Owings of the
University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...
.


Freestyle

From 1971 to 1973, Gable competed internationally in
freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
. Highlights of his career include gold medals at the 1971 Tbilisi Tournament, the 1971 world championships, and the 1972 Olympic Games. At the 1972 Games, Gable won all six of his matches without giving up a point. After competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable retired and became a full-time coach. In 1991, Gable was awarded with the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by
Cauliflower Alley Club The Cauliflower Alley Club is a non-profit fraternal organization, which includes a newsletter and website, comprising both retired and active professional wrestlers and boxers in North America. Established in 1965 by Mike Mazurki and Art Ab ...
.


Coaching career

From 1976 to 1997, Gable was the head wrestling coach at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
. Gable's teams compiled a dual meet record of 355–21–5. He coached 158 All-Americans, 50 national champions, 106 Big Ten champions, and 12 Olympians, including eight Olympic medalists. His teams won 21
Big Ten The Big Ten Conference (stylized B1G, formerly the Western Conference and the Big Nine Conference, among others) is a collegiate athletic conference in the United States. Founded as the Intercollegiate Conference of Faculty Representatives in 1 ...
championships and 15
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titles. In addition to coaching
folkstyle wrestling Collegiate wrestling, commonly referred to as folkstyle wrestling, is the form of amateur wrestling, wrestling practiced at the Tertiary education, post-secondary level in the United States. This style of wrestling is also practiced at the Secon ...
at the
University of Iowa The University of Iowa (U of I, UIowa, or Iowa) is a public university, public research university in Iowa City, Iowa, United States. Founded in 1847, it is the oldest and largest university in the state. The University of Iowa is organized int ...
, Gable coached
freestyle wrestling Freestyle wrestling is a style of wrestling. It is one of two styles of wrestling contested in the Olympic Games, along with Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman. scholastic wrestling, High school wrestling and men's collegiate wrestling in the U ...
. Gable was the head coach of three USA Olympic teams and six USA
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teams.


Legacy

Gable has been written about in many magazines and numerous books, including ''Two Guys Named Dan'' (1976), ''From Gotch to Gable: A History of Wrestling in Iowa'' (1981), ''The Toughest Men in Sports'' (1984) and ''Legends of the Mat'' (2006), all by wrestling historian Mike Chapman. The 2008 film,
Never Back Down ''Never Back Down'' is a 2008 American drama film directed by Jeff Wadlow and starring Sean Faris and Cam Gigandet. It tells the story of a frustrated and conflicted teenager who arrives at a new high school and discovers an underground fight ...
, mentioned Dan Gable. The antagonist and protagonist early in the film seem to bond over this Iowa athlete as the, 'greatest Olympic wrestler ever... the '72 Games, never surrendered a point.' The Dan Gable museum is named for him, which is located in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, part of the
National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum The National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame for amateur wrestling, headquartered in Stillwater, Oklahoma. In 2010, it began operating the Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo, Iowa. History The museum was awarded to Stil ...
. Professional wrestler
Chad Gable Charles Edward Betts (born March 8, 1986) is an American professional wrestler and former amateur wrestler. He has been signed to WWE where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Chad Gable and also portrays the masked luchador El G ...
's WWE in-ring name was named after him. Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Gable Steveson was named after him. The ''Gable grip'' used in wrestling and mixed martial arts was named after him.


Awards and honors

;2020 * 45px
Presidential Medal of Freedom The Presidential Medal of Freedom is the highest civilian award of the United States, alongside the Congressional Gold Medal. It is an award bestowed by decision of the president of the United States to "any person recommended to the President ...
;1980 * National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member ;1972 *
Summer Olympics The Summer Olympic Games, also known as the Summer Olympics or the Games of the Olympiad, is a major international multi-sport event normally held once every four years. The inaugural Games took place in 1896 in Athens, then part of the King ...
* Tbilisi Tournament * Midlands Championships ;1971 *
World Wrestling Championships The World Wrestling Championships for Greco-Roman wrestling (men, since 1904) and freestyle wrestling (men since 1951, women since 1987) are organized by United World Wrestling (UWW). Unofficial editions Several World Greco-Roman Championships h ...
*
Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...
* Midlands Championships ;1970 *
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
*
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
Gorrarian Award winner *
Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate ...
* Midlands Championships ;1969 *NCAA Most Outstanding Wrestler *
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
*
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
Gorrarian Award winner *
Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate ...
* Midlands Championships ;1968 *
NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest division of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athlet ...
*
Big Eight Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored American football, football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate ...
* Midlands Championships ;1967 * Midlands Championships


Match results

! colspan="7", World Championships & Olympic Games Matches , - ! Res. ! Record ! Opponent ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 12–0 , align=left, Ruslan Ashuraliyev , style="font-size:88%", 3–0 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, August 27, 1972 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 1972 Summer Olympic Games , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,
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,
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
, - , Win , 11–0 , align=left, Włodzimierz Cieślak , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 10–0 , align=left, Kikuo Wada , style="font-size:88%", 6–0 , - , Win , 9–0 , align=left, Stefanos Ioannidis , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 8–0 , align=left, Klaus Rost , style="font-size:88%", 20–0 , - , Win , 7–0 , align=left, Safer Sali , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - ! style=background:white colspan=7 , , - , Win , 6–0 , align=left, Ismail Yuseinov , style="font-size:88%", 8–3 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, August 27, 1971 , style="font-size:88%" rowspan=6, 1971 World Wrestling Championships , style="text-align:left;font-size:88%;" rowspan=6,
Sofia Sofia is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Bulgaria, largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain, in the western part of the country. The city is built west of the Is ...
,
Bulgaria Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern portion of the Balkans directly south of the Danube river and west of the Black Sea. Bulgaria is bordered by Greece and Turkey t ...
, - , Win , 5–0 , align=left, Kikuo Wada , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 4–0 , align=left, Josef Engel , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 3–0 , align=left, Nihat Kabanli , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 2–0 , align=left, Eero Suvilehto , style="font-size:88%", Fall , - , Win , 1–0 , align=left, Vasily Kazakov , style="font-size:88%", 5–1


See also

* Iowa Sports Hall of Fame


Bibliography

*Baughman, Wayne. 1987. ''Wrestling On & Off the Mat''. R. Wayne Baughman. *Chen, Albert. 2014. "Where are they Now: Catching up with Dan Gable and Larry Owings," Sports Illustrated (July 11, 2014) *Gable, Dan. 2015. ''A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable''. University of Iowa Press. *Hammond, Jairus K. 2005. ''The History of Collegiate Wrestling''. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. *Moffat, James V. 2007. ''Wrestlers At The Trials''. Exit Zero Publishing. *Smith, Russ L. 1973. ''The Legend of Dan Gable''. Medalist Sports Education Publication. *Zavoral, Nolan. 1997. ''A Season on the Mat''. Simon & Schuster.


References


External links


Official site
* *
Gable's wins and losses between the years 1963 and 1973
* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gable, Dan 1948 births Living people Wrestlers at the 1972 Summer Olympics American male sport wrestlers American wrestling coaches Iowa State Cyclones wrestlers Iowa Hawkeyes wrestling coaches Sportspeople from Waterloo, Iowa Olympic gold medalists for the United States in wrestling World Wrestling Championships medalists Medalists at the 1972 Summer Olympics Wrestlers at the 1971 Pan American Games Medalists at the 1971 Pan American Games Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States in wrestling Presidential Medal of Freedom recipients 20th-century American sportsmen 21st-century American sportsmen National Wrestling Hall of Fame inductees