Dan Gable
One college loss, zero points allowed in Munich
- Born
- October 25, 1948, Waterloo, Iowa, US
- Nationality
United States- Height
- 175 cm (5′9″)
- Style
- Relentless pressure wrestler
- Weight
- 68 kg
- Active
- 1967–1975
- Status
- Retired · age 77
The record
Iowa State college record (83 pins); only loss 11-13 to Larry Owings in the 1970 NCAA final
1 Olympic gold, 1 world title
The story
an Gable set the standard for how hard an American wrestler could train. The Waterloo, Iowa native went 64-0 in high school and 117-1 at Iowa State, winning NCAA titles in 1968 and 1969; his only loss came in his final college match, 11-13 to Larry Owings in the 1970 NCAA final. He answered with the 1971 world title, then won Olympic gold in Munich in 1972 without surrendering a point in six matches, despite a damaged knee. The Gable grip, used across grappling and MMA, carries his name. As Iowa's head coach from 1976 to 1997 he won 15 NCAA team titles, and in 2020 he received the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Tap a technique with an arrow to learn how it works.
- Olympic champion (1972)
- World champion (1971)
- Pan American Games champion (1971)
- NCAA champion (1968, 1969)
- 15 NCAA team titles as Iowa head coach (1976–1997)
- National Wrestling Hall of Fame Distinguished Member (1980)
- Presidential Medal of Freedom (2020)
Defining matches
- 1968WINNCAA final (first NCAA title)
- 1970LOSSvs Larry Owings (NCAA final, 11-13; only college loss)
- 1971WINWorld Championships, Sofia (68 kg gold)
- 1972WINMunich Olympics (68 kg gold, no points conceded in six matches)
Make conditioning a weapon: Gable's thousands of miles of roadwork let him keep attacking late while opponents faded. Finish practice with short, full-pace live goes where you have to keep shooting until the whistle.
