Dan Gable US Wrestling Legend

The story of Dan Gable's life and the career of the US greatest wrestler contributed by Leo Kesh.

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This article is about Dan Gable: the US wrestling legend, a gold-hearted human being, an honest family man, and a man who lives his life the way he wrestled. He was not only a legend in the sport of wrestling, but also a man with character who fought for his family's honor and the betterment of himself. That’s why he is one of my heroes and an inspiration to many others around the world.

Danny Mack Gable was born October 25, 1948 in Waterloo, Iowa, which was mostly a farming community at the time. He had a close-knit family: his father Mack Gable, his mother Katie Gable, and his sister Diane. As a child he was very aggressive and wild, “one day while Dan was shopping with his mother in a department store, he spotted a fat woman bent over looking at something, Dan went over and bit her butt.”

One day, when Dan was 15 he went fishing with his parents and while they were out, Diane, his sister was raped and murdered at home by their neighbor. Dan took it very hard because he felt that he could  have prevented the tragedy, having been told by the neighbor earlier that he's had feelings for Diane. This tragedy caused Dan to mature fast. He started pursuing wrestling with a fierce passion: partially to help distract his parents in the aftermath of the horrific event, partially to honor his sister's memory and to some degree seeking redemption for himself.

Dan Gable didn’t begin his wrestling career early, he was an excellent swimmer (won a State title for backstroke) and in high school played football, baseball, and wrestled. He attended West High School in Waterloo, were he trained every day like it was his last, so he would become the best. With his dominating high school career record of 64 wins and 0 losses and 3-time Iowa State Championship, his hard work definitely paid off. After his excellent high school wrestling career, he continued his education and wrestling at the University of Iowa. He continued dominating the sport, winning 118 straight matches. His only loss came during his senior year to Larry Owings in the NCAA Finals. Even with this loss, Dan was a 2-time NCAA champion, set records for pinning and win streak, 3-time Big Eight Champion, and a 3-time All-American.

He had an amazing wrestling career, but his commitment to wrestling never wavered and Dan continued wrestling enthusiastically. After graduating from Iowa State University, he went on to win the 1971 World Championship, the 1971 Pan American Games, Dan Gable was a 6-time Midland Champion: the list of his accomplishments is very long. His biggest victory came during the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany; he won the gold medal yet again in domineering fashion, by not allowing one point to be scored on him by any opponent. At the end of all this he's achieved an unparalleled wrestling record of 130 wins and 1 loss and in 1985 was entered into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame.

After winning at the Olympics, Dan decided to start coaching at the University of Iowa. He was as great a coach as he was a wrestler; he coached a record of 335 wins - 21 losses - 5 draws, and every year he was the Head coach of Iowa, his team won the Big Ten title. Dan coached Iowa’s wrestling to an average win record of .932%, set records, and coached many great wrestlers. He also coached U.S. Olympic teams and many U.S. teams in international wrestling games.

Now-a-days Dan Gable lives in Iowa City with his wife Kathy and his daughters: Jennifer, Annie, Molly, and Mackenzie. He is a motivational speaker and continues to share his wrestling expertise; he is also famous for his quotes. In my eyes, Dan Gable is the greatest American wrestler of all-time, US wrestling legend and one of the best coaches of all-time. He is a man who's overcome tragedy, strived to succeed and exceeded everyone's expectations. His life is a proof that passion, dedication, and drive can overcome anything. In Dan Gable's own words: "Gold medals aren't really made of gold. They're made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called guts."  I couldn't agree with him more.

Expert article contributed
by Leo Kesh, amateur freestyle wrestler

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