Dan Gable is the most successful figure to ever wrestle and coach the sport. His accomplishments as an athlete on the mat and as a mentor for many years after that have established him as one of the greatest champions in all of sports.
As a high school wrestler in Waterloo, Iowa, Gable won all 64 of his matches and three state championships. At Iowa State University he compiled a 118-1 wrestling record, while claiming two NCAA championships. He still holds NCAA records with 24 straight pins and 99 straight victories.
At the 1972 Olympics, he won a gold medal without surrendering a single point to any of his six opponents. In his six Olympic matches and the 15 matches he went through to qualify for the Olympic team, Gable posted a 21-0 record and outscored his opponents 130-1.
Gable's coaching record is even more impressive. During 21 seasons as head coach, his University of Iowa teams won 15 NCAA championships and 21 Big Ten Conference championships. His teams had an unprecedented .932 winning percentage (355-21-5). He also coached the 1984 United States Olympic wrestling team to seven gold medals.
Gable has been inducted into both the Olympic Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. In 1996, he was listed as one of the top 100 U.S. Olympians of all time.
Now serving as the assistant to the athletic director at the University of Iowa, Gable continues to work with world-class wrestlers, overseeing their training in preparation for major national and international competitions. Gable keeps his home in Iowa City, and when not involved with Hawkeye athletics or national speaking engagements, he enjoys outdoor activities with his family, especially camping, boating, fishing, and wildlife sightseeing.
