Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948 in Waterloo, Iowa), has often been called the Babe Ruth of wrestling.
At West High School in Waterloo, Gable went undefeated in high school between 1963 and 1966. After graduation, he moved on to Iowa State University where he won two NCAA titles (1968, 1969). His overall collegiate mark was 118-1. His singular defeat was in his final match in the NCAA tournament. and only lost his last collegiate match to Larry Owings in 1970.
After college, Gable wrestled as an amateur for three years. He won the gold medal at 149 pounds (68 kg) at the 1972 Summer Olympics despite suffering from a painful shoulder injury. In fact, Gable did not surrender a single point at the 1972 Games. As an amateur from his high school career to his retirement in 1973, he was 299-6-3 with 182 pins.
Gable became head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa in 1976. He formed a dynasty rarely matched in all of sport. From 1978 to 1986, the Hawkeyes won the NCAA title each year, a record nine in succession. He continued to coach the team until a sabbatical after the 1997 season. He returned in 1999 to coach two more years. His record in dual meets was an amazing 355-21-6 with fifteen NCAA titles.
In addition to his leadership at the college level, Gable was head coach of the United States Olympic team in freestyle wrestling in both 1988 and 2004. Currently, he is an assistant athletic director at the University of Iowa.
His sister was murdered, in 1964.
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