Iowa Wrestling’s House Of Gable Stands Alone At Top Of Sport’s Hill Successful Wrestler, Coach Gained Direction After Tragedy
Stagg, Rupp, Robinson, Wooden, Bryant. Great collegiate coaches, great records.
But were any of them in the class of Dan Gable? An argument can be made that Gable is the greatest collegiate coach in NCAA history.
In 20 years at the University of Iowa, Gable’s wrestling teams have compiled a 340-20-5 dual-meet record, 124-2-1 in the Big Ten Conference. His teams have won every Big Ten championship in those 20 years and 13 national titles.
His wrestlers have won 104 Big Ten individual titles and 37 NCAA championships.
Never being satisfied in the face of overwhelming success is the legacy of the 47-year-old Gable, who was born in Waterloo, Iowa. He was 182-1 as a prep wrestler and 118-1 at Iowa State.
In 1972, Gable did something unlikely to be replicated - he won an Olympic gold medal without surrendering a point to an opponent.
Today, 330 wrestlers representing 100-plus schools come to Target Center to challenge Gable’s legacy as the NCAA championships open.
Iowa State coach Bobby Douglas said Iowa “has the power (qualifiers in each weight category) going in. After that, it’s wide open.”
Jeff McGinness at 126 pounds is the Hawkeyes’ only returning national champion but the team has five Big Ten champions. “It’s a great field, and we’re going to have to be very good to do well,” Gable said.
Modesty aside, how did Dan Gable get where he is?
“I was an ornery kid,” Gable said. “I was … very belligerent. I can remember my mom used to break rulers over my head all the time. I used to eat more soap than food.”
In 1964, when Gable was 15, his 19-year-old sister, Diane, was raped and murdered in the family’s home.
“I think after Diane’s murder, I think he (Dan) just tried that much harder,” Gable’s father, Mack, said. “Damn, I know he did.”
Gable became less ornery and totally dedicated to wrestling after his sister’s death.
“Just to step on a wrestling mat takes an unbelievable amount of character,” Gable said. “To be able to control your body, to be able to control your opponent’s body, to be able to withstand the nervousness of what takes place on a one-on-one battle within a set limit of rules takes character.”
Local watch
Two-time Oregon All-American Kevin Roberts, a senior from University High, is sixth seeded at 118. Roberts, 27-2, has finished fourth and eighth at nationals the last two season. He is recovering from a hairline ankle fracture suffered in the Pacific-10 Conference finals.
Roberts has a career record of 99-29, second all-time in Oregon career victories. At U-Hi, he was the 1991 State AAA champion.