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Awards
Dan Gable
Distinguished Member
Class Of 1980 | | Any textbook on dedication, determination and desire should use Dan Gable as its model. His relentless pursuit of excellence carried him to the highest pinnacles of achievement. Gable won every major championship available to an American wrestler, climaxed by a gold medal in the 1972 Olympic Games.
He was an undefeated, three-time state high school champion at West Waterloo in Iowa. Starting in his senior year, he won six consecutive Midlands Championships. At Iowa State, he captured three Big Eight titles and National Collegiate honors in 1968 and '69. He won 100 college matches in a row. Such was the stature of this magnificent athlete that he is best remembered for a match he lost, the 101st of his collegiate career, the 1970 NCAA finals to Larry Owings of Washington. Yet defeat only spurred him to new heights.
He won three National AAU Freestyle titles. In 1971, he was outstanding wrestler of a major international tournament in Russia, and won gold medals at the Pan American Games and the World Championships. Thousands of miles of roadwork, thousands of hours of training had brought Dan Gable within sight of his goal.
He was ready for the Olympic challenge. He overwhelmed all six opponents in the Games at Munich, without giving up a single point, and was widely acclaimed as outstanding wrestler of the 1972 Olympics.
Turning to coaching, Gable joined the Iowa staff in 1973 and became head coach in '77. Starting in 1978, his Hawkeyes won a record nine consecutive NCAA team titles. He stepped down in 1997 with a 355-21-5 dual meet record, 15 NCAA team trophies and 45 individual champions. His Hawkeyes won all 21 of their Big Ten meets. He also was World Freestyle coach and the 1980 and '84 Olympic coach.
As one of the great athletes of wrestling history, and a living example of the values of dedication in pursuit of a goal, Dan Mack Gable is honored as a Distinguished Member of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. |
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