WATERLOO – Waterloo West and Waterloo Schools will be honoring Dan Gable, 1966 West High Alumnus, at the Metro Wrestling Meet to be held at the Bob Siddens Gymnasium at West High on Monday, November 28, 2022. Coach Gable was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on December 7, 2020 at the White House.
The Metro Wrestling Meet will feature Waterloo East, Waterloo West, Waterloo Columbus Catholic, and Cedar Falls competing in dual meets following the brief recognition ceremony at 5:00 p.m.
The wrestling meets are scheduled as follows on two mats (All meet times are approximate and will proceed as soon as possible after the conclusion of the previous round).
- Reception in the West High Commons at 4:00 p.m.
- Dan Gable Presidential Medal of Freedom Ceremony – 5:00 p.m.
- Round 1 – 5:15 p.m.
- West vs. Cedar Falls
- East vs. Columbus
- Round 2 – 6:45 p.m.
- West vs. Columbus
- East vs. Cedar Falls
- Round 3 – 8:15 p.m.
- West vs. East
- Cedar Falls vs. Columbus
Dan Gable National Wrestling Hall of Fame Bio
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 1969. 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 and won gold medals at the Pan American Games and the World Championships in 1971. In 1972, he won the Soviet Union’s famed Tbilisi Tournament in Tbilisi Georgia and was named Outstanding Wrestler, receiving a horsehair cape that weighs 15 pounds. 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 1977. 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 1984 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.
If you have any questions, contact the West High Athletic Office at 433-2707 or the East High Athletic Office at 433-2475.
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