Dan Gable

Gable with his mother and father iowapublicradio.org“Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easy.”- Dan Gable. Who is the man behind this quote? Many people cannot answer the question, who is Dan Gable? Dan Gable was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, he grew up with his mother, Katie Gable and his father, Mack Gable and he also had a sister whose name was Diane Gable. To say Gable’s life was easy would be a lie, like many there were ups and downs for example, “The tragic murder of his older sister when Gable was fifteen years old also had a profound influence on his life. His parents wanted to move, but Gable said no criminal was going to drive him out of his house and home-town” (Mcclellan). The death of his sister would have a huge impact on his life and would set the tone to how he dealt with adversity. But what makes a hero a hero? A hero not only does what is right while no one is looking, they do what is right even if they won't get fame for it but they also give the people something to believe in and in that sense Gable accomplished just that. Gable made people believe in something that seemed impossible. Dan Gable is more than just a wrestler; he is an inspiration because of how influential he was, not only for the sport of wrestling but in life, his hard work and ability to keep going, even when things were getting tougher, and his determination to be the very best version of himself in his sport and in life.

Dan Gable in his college singlet https://www.espn.com/espn/photos/gallery/_/id/9584990/image/5/ames-years-mat-dan-gableGable amongst other traits was influential for his sport and in life. The sport of wrestling would be nowhere if it weren't for his achievements as a wrestler. He is the reason many become successful in the sport of wrestling, gave people an end goal that made them constantly work. Without Gable's influence many aspects of wrestling wouldn't be the same and many wrestlers wouldn't have someone to look up to; there would be no blueprint or way to see what being the best looked like because Gable did what many would find unthinkable he was arguably the best wrestler of his time and gathered many awards to show not only how good he was on the mat but just how influential he was. His influence propelled the sport to new heights. In his prime,¨He was selected the nation's outstanding wrestler by the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in 1970, and the United States Wrestling Federation in 1971. Gable was the Amateur Wrestling News "Man of the Year" in 1970¨ (Mcclellan). This shows how influential he was to the sport he was awarded with titles but if he weren't as influential and he was great he would not have been deserving. He earned it by taking his sport to new heights and giving people something to believe in. In a sport where anything can happen, Gable brought a constant. He set a standard and a blueprint on how to be the best. He took the sport of wrestling and turned it from a sport to a way of life. If you wanted to be the best you had to devote your life to it. There would be no influence if you can't back it up so Gable did just that before he could speak and be influential for the sport. He had to let his actions speak for him so that is exactly what he did. ¨Called the Babe Ruth of U.S. amateur wrestling, Dan Gable made his mark both on and off the mat. As a competitor, he amassed a college wrestling record of 118-1 at Iowa State and earned a gold at the Olympics. As a coach, he led the University of Iowa to 15 national championships in 21 seasons, making him the winningest college wrestling coach in history¨(Cengage Company). The title ¨The Babe Ruth of U.S. amateur wrestling¨ is a title that is not given to anyone. It is something earned and, like Babe Ruth, Dan Gable was the best at his craft. He earned this by his actions and his influence. Gable was influential to the sport of wrestling. He was the pinnacle of what you could become and this influence was shared. He showed people how to be the best when he took up coaching. He taught them the many values he had learned and with this he led many teams to victory. In conclusion Gable had an influence to the sport like no other. On the mat, his actions did most of the talking for him but off the mat he taught many of the values that he had learned from the sport and passed it down to a future generation that would continue the legacy. His impact and influence on the sport is something seen in all aspects of wrestling. He gave many something to look up to, a hero.

Gable after his first college defeat https://www.westyorkwrestlingalumni.com/dangable_courage.htmDan Gable is a hero because of his ability to work hard when things got harder, if he wanted something he was willing to do more than it took to get it whether that be in his sport or in his daily life, this carried him very far in life as a person.  In his sport Gable’s hard work really shined through he the hardest worker off the mat and when he got on the mat he let it all show, “In a match with six opponents, and in a much publicized event wherein the Russian team vowed to find a challenger who would take Gable down, Gable ended up beating all six opponents, not once allowing them to score even one point off of him”(Barnes). This shows just how hard working Gable was he knew he had put the hours in and it reflected in his matches, he outworked nearly every opponent he had ever faced and this is what made him so special. This quote focuses on his sport but many of these quotes will but wrestling is like life you deal with many adversities in the sport, it teaches you to work hard in all aspects of life and the adversities faced in the sport relate to the adversities faced in life, so if Gable worked hard in his sport this would show how he worked in life it’s like a switch that can't be turned off. In 1964 when Gable was only 15 he had found that his sister had been raped and killed in their home, something like this would make any sane person retreat within themselves they'd want to do nothing with that home but Gable wasn't going to let someone run him out of his home he took all that energy and retreated into wrestling. “Fearing the strain of tragedy might break up his parents' marriage, Gable submerged himself in wrestling, hoping to add something positive to their lives. In his amateur career at Waterloo West and Iowa State, Gable won 181 matches and dropped only one, losing 13-11 in the 1970 NCAA finals to Washington's Larry Owings”(Cengage Company). This shows how Gable dealt with adversity he did not shy away from it he took the energy it had given it and put into something positive he wasn't going to let it weigh him down. Gable was almost fueled by adversity it made him work harder ever curveball that was thrown made gable work harder and harder in life and in wrestling. In conclusion Gable was a hard worker his ability to take every curveball that came at him and come back stronger showed this and thisGable after winning gold in the Olympics https://mirfaces.com/dan-gable-freestyle-wrestler/ is one reason Dan Gable is a hero

Dan Gable was also determined this determination was shown at a young age he was naturally competitive and tried to be the very best version of himself in every aspect of his life. Gable’s determination was seen at a very young age he wanted to be the very best at anything he did anything less was unacceptable for him. “He was an intense, fearless, and determined competitor who had a strong will to win. This attitude, toughness, and relentless work ethic would define the rest of his life”(Mcclellan). This shows Gable’s mindset and it was the mindset that would propel him to greater heights then he could ever imagine. Gable almost knew that you couldn't get anywhere in life without being determined and this is why he knew if he was going to do something he was going to be  the very best at it. Gable’s determination to be the best started at a young age but it did not stop there it was always with him and it got stronger as he got older. “The Soviets came to the Olympics with only one goal in mind: to defeat Gable. They were unsuccessful”(Gable). This shows how determined Gale was he knew there was a target on him everyone wanted to be the guy to dethrone gable and this just fueled him more he took as a challenge a challenge that many lost. Without this determination Gable would not have got as far as he did he would not have been the best at anything he would've been average but average was something Gable would not settle for. Gables Determination and need to be the best propelled him in all aspects whether it be in life or in wrestling he was determined to be perfect or as close as he could be this attribute of bring the best in all aspects, this is another reason why Gable is a hero.  

Dan Gable had an influence like no other wrestler before him, he had a determinations that was never seen before he came into the sport, and he showed the hard work needed to be the best and the hard work that propelled him to become a legend in the sport. Dan Gable is primarily a hero to those who compete in the sport of wrestling, but wrestling is similar to life, there are highs and lows and anything can happen and with that being said Gable is a hero to many if you look at the way he trained and how he acted he not only set a blueprint on how to be the best for wrestlers to follow he se a blueprint for all athletes to follow if they wanted to be the best in there sports. Gable was not like everybody but he is somebody that everybody can look up to his ability to deal with adversity through hard work is a trait that many need but don't have, his influence on the sport made wrestling what it is today without him it would never have been the same all these traits amount to a hero not only in his sport but a hero in life.

Works Cited

"Dan Gable." Gale Biography in Context, Gale, 2000. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K1650000742/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=9f7ca50a. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018.

"Dan Gable." Notable Sports Figures, edited by Dana R. Barnes, Gale, 2004. Biography In Context,https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K2440301175/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=3865ab1d. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018.

Dangable.com. 2011, dangable.com/. Accessed 27 Mar. 2018.

MCCLELLAN, KEITH. "Dan Gable." The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives, Thematic Series: Sports Figures, edited by Arnold Markoe and Kenneth T. Jackson, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2002. Biography In Context, https://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/K3436500187/BIC?u=powa9245&sid=BIC&xid=06406ceb. Accessed 26 Mar. 2018.