Gable, Dan - Dictionary definition of Gable, Dan. Notable Sports Figures. COPYRIGHT 2. 00. 4 The Gale Group, Inc. American wrestler. America's greatest wrestler, Dan Gable was an Olympic medallist, an outstanding college wrestler and a tremendously successful college coach. Freestyle, the victories of Dan Gable Victories of Dan Gable: Responsibility. The Man With the Iron Will. Which is why 'Freestyle: The Victories of Dan Gable,' the fine documentary on college wrestling. He is an incredible example of determination and drive. A tireless proponent of wrestling, it's hard to measure just where Gable's impact in the sport of wrestling ends. The small town of Waterloo was predominately a farming community, but among the cornstalks in the quiet places of Iowa lingers some of the best wrestling in America. He didn't discover wrestling early, like most kids today, who enter the sport at four or five, competing on the weekends in highly charged meets. For Gable, swimming was the first arena in which he found success. At the age of twelve he was the state YMCA back- stroke champion. When he entered junior high, however, the school had no swimming program, so Gable played football and baseball. Gable was so upset by the loss that he locked himself in his room, emerging later without speaking. He went out and shoveled the driveway until it was clean (faster, it's been said, than a snowblower could have done it). When he came back inside, he vowed never to lose another match in high school. He went on to win sixty- four straight matches. The College Tradition. When Gable graduated from high school, Bob Buzzard, one of the older wrestlers Gable admired, was in town forthe weekend from Iowa State University. Gable invited Buzzard over to work out on a mat he had set up in his basement. Gable, with no reason to think he could lose after such superb high school career, was beaten very badly. Gable never conceived that he could be defeated that easily, and realized that being a three- time state champion was not going to be enough to cut it in big time wrestling. Gable chose Iowa State University for several reasons. Among them: it was close to home and it had a big- time program. The school suited his needs, and Iowa was the land where wrestling stars were made. Upon entering college, Gable already had a reputation. In a sport where a fanatical and religious devotion is the norm, where jogging when it's hot out while wearing trashbags under your sweatsuit, or eating ice chips for dinner in order to make weight can be routine, Gable would often push even further, training for six to seven hours a day. It was said that he showed up in his class with ankle weights on, squeezing hand trainers so he could get in as much of a workout as possible. The Worst Sort of Motivation. In 1. 96. 4 a neighbor raped and killed Gable's 1. Diane. Gable was fifteen, and his parents wanted to sell the house and move. Gable, however, didn't want to relocate. He claimed that the murderer wasn't going to take their house. He was already a young man with an almost complete focus on wrestling, and the death of his sister and the emotional turmoil it caused pushed him to work even harder. He submerged himself in his sport. Gable spent his sophomore year at an Olympic tryout camp with Rick Sanders of Portland State. Here is where the strongest weapon of Gable's wrestling career showed up. Sanders introduced Gable to arm bars to pin his opponents. After that, Gable pinned sixty of the last sixty- five opponents he faced in college, and he would not lose a match until he faced Larry Owings of the University of Washington in the NCAA finals his senior year. As a college wrestler, Gable amassed an outstanding record of 1. NCAA championship titles. Gable would get another chance to wrestle Owings during the 1. Olympic trials. Gable beat him handily, 7- 1. Olympic Gold and Coaching. At the 1. 97. 2 Olympic games in Munich, Gable won gold in the lightweight class (1. It was a dominating performance that has passed into legend. In a match with six opponents, and in a much publicized event wherein the Russian team vowed to find a challenger who would take Gable down, Gable ended up beating all six opponents, not once allowing them to score even one point off of him. When he left the Olympic arena, Gable took an assistant coaching position under Gary Kurdelmeier at the University of Iowa. Together, these teams produced national championships in 1. Gable eventually took over the program from Kurdelmeier, and after finishing third in the country in his first year, Iowa went on to win nine consecutive national titles. Numbers Speak for Themselves. Gable, as both wrestler and coach, has amassed some of the most amazing numbers in the sport, unparalleled in terms of athletic competition today. He was known in his time as the Babe Ruth of Wrestling, and today his utter dominance might be more closely allied with other athletes who compete individually, such as Tiger Woods . During his prep and college careers, Gable compiled the outstanding record of 1. Iowa State. He also won six Midlands Open Championships, and he was that meet's outstanding wrestler five times (he set NCAA records in winning and pin streaks). Chronology. 19. 48. Born October 2. 5 in Waterloo, Iowa, to Mack and Katie Gable. Wins YMCA backstroke championship. Suffers first loss in wrestling. Shattered when learns his sister was raped and murdered. Uses it as motivating force in his life. Enters into college career, one of most successful ever, at Waterloo West and Iowa State. Wins Gold Medal for the United States in the Olympics.
Marries Kathy Carpenter. Asked by Gary Kurdelmeier at Iowa to be assistant coach. Leads Iowa Hawkeyes to Big Ten Championship in first season as head coach. Coaches Hawkeyes to first ever undefeated and untied season (1. Asked to coach Olympic team. Honored with induction into the USA Wrestling Hall of Fame. Coaches the 1. 98. U. S. His wrestlers win seven gold and two silver medals. Coaches second perfect season at Iowa (1. Enters U. S. Olympic Hall of Fame. Leads U. S. Pan- American Games gold medallist. World Championships gold medallist. U. S. Olympic gold medallist. Big Ten Championship Team coach. NCAA Championship Team coach. Inducted into National Wrestling Hall of Fame. Amateur Athletic Union Wrestling Coach of the Year. U. S. Olympic Team coach. Inducted into U. S. Olympic Hall of Fame. As a coach he may be even more impressive, becoming the University of Iowa's all- time winningest coach during his tenure from 1. He compiled a career record of 3. All- Americans, 4. Big Ten Champions, and 1. Olympians (including four gold medallists). There is no getting around his almost unequivocal influence in the modern era. And, his wrestlers loved him. As a coach, Gable kept in shape with his students. He told American Health that, . Staying in shape is a real good example of the dedication wrestlers need, too. Dan's desire to have the film made was due in part because he feels wrestling needs more publicity, especially since in the wake of Title IX, many colleges let their wrestling programs fold rather than adding another sport (Title IX is the legislation passed in 1. Gable has said that, . Email: staff@dangable. On- line: www. dangable. SELECTED WRITINGS BY GABLE: (With James A. Peterson, Ph. D.) Conditioning for Wrestling: The Iowa Way, Leisure Press, 1. Where Is He Now? In 1. Gable married Kathy Carpenter, and together they had four daughters: Jennifer, Annie, Molly and Mackenzie. Today, at 5. 3, Gable has finally learned to relax a bit. Gable's definition of relaxation is what most people might consider the hardest work of their lives. He has had to slow down because his knees began hurting him if he ran too much, and the years of wrestling took their toll on his body. He has had two hip replacement surgeries and eight knee surgeries, as well as five hip surgeries to remove scar tissue. After stepping down as the University of Iowa's Assistant Athletic Director. Gable continued his efforts as a champion of wrestling the world over. Coaching Wrestling Successfully, Human Kinetics, 1. FURTHER INFORMATIONBooks. Chapman, Mike. A History of Wrestling in Iowa: From Gotch to Gable. Iowa City, IA: University of Iowa Press, 1. Hackensack, N. J.: Salem Press, Inc. Coaching Wrestling Successfully. Champaign, IL: Human Kinetics, 1. Gable, Dan (with James A. Conditioning for Wrestling: The Iowa Way. West Point, NY: Leisure Press, 1. Holland, Steve. Limerick Publications, 1. Smith, R. L. The Legend of Dan Gable: . A Season on the Mat. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1. Periodicals. Gustkey, Earl. Louis Post- Dispatch (March 1. D8. Sports Illustrated (March 3. USA Today (November 1.
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