In the summer of 1969, Bone Daddy went to Ft. Sill, Oklahoma for his eight week ROTC Officer Training School….which was required of all who graduated from ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Course) programs at the universities that they attended. While at the ROTC school, BD became good friends with an NCAA wrestling champion from Iowa State named Mike Nelson…..as both were members of Bravo Company….which consisted of 144….while having 6 platoons with 24 soldiers in each. Bone Daddy was a member of 1st platoon along with Nelson….along with a 1969 All American linebacker from Arkansas State named Bill Bergey, at 6’4″ and 250 lbs…..who went on to star for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1969 to 1980. During one particular training session, Bergey was the acting platoon leader, when he got in the face of a Mike Nelson, who was 5’9″ and weighed 154 lbs….as Bergey tried to berate Nelson, who was a quite, soft spoken person….as Nelson responded to Bergey to get out of his face….and that is when Bergey made the huge mistake of hitting Nelson with a forearm….cuz Nelson responded by taking Bergey to the ground, with his face down…..while having Bergey in a position with his knee in the middle of Bergey’s back and putting leverage on Bergey’s neck with his arms and hands…..as Bergey couldn’t move….and then Nelson said in his soft-spoken way….“Bergey, if you ever get in the face of me or any of my friends again, I will ruin your professional career. Do you understand!?!” After the short-lived tussle with Bergey…..Nelson proceeded to tell Bone Daddy that the moves he put on Bergey were taught to him by his teammate, Dan Gable…..whom Nelson regarded as the best freestyle wrestler he had ever seen or wrestled with…..as Gable described the wrestling maneuver as “how to rapidly render a big man incapable”…..whereby Nelson went on to sing the praises of Dan Gable…..which is the basic catalyst for posting this story about the man who many pundits of collegiate and international amateur wrestling consider who was if not the greatest wrestler of all time….was certainly in the equal conversation at the top of the list…..I mean, the man went 107 – 1 in high school…..and 117 – 1 in his entire collegiate career at Iowa State University….simply put…THAT’s AWESOME!!!….so, here’s Dan Gable.
NCAA Wrestling – 2015 – Lex Fridman “Take It Uneasy” Podcast – Dan Gable: Wrestling
Dan Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach….who was considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time…..as a two-time NCAA Division I national champion….a world gold medalist….plus an Olympic gold medalist….for Gable was only the 3rd wrestler to have ever been inducted into the United World Wrestling’s Hall of Fame in the Legend category.
Wrestling – 1963 To 1966 – Waterloo High School Wrestling Highlights – A Tribute To Dan Gable
Gable grew up in Waterloo, Iowa….which was a town with 3 high schools….and each school had outstanding wrestling coaches….and when he was 15 years old, a teenager from his neighborhood sexually assaulted and murdered Gable’s 19-year-old sister…..and albeit Gable has called his sister’s death his “biggest loss,” ….he did not allow the tragedy to affect his focus on wrestling. Instead, he thought of it as a reason to train with even more determination….as evidenced by his quote….“The more you can settle into focusing on what you have and what you would like to do and where you want to go — a positive point of view — the quicker things turn around and positive things start to happen.”
NCAA & International Wrestling – 1963 To 1973 – ESPN Sports Century With Chris Fowler – Dan Gable Full Documentary
From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended Iowa State University…..where he competed in folkstyle wrestling…. and became an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion. Gable’s college career record was 117–1…..with his only loss being in the final match of his final season to Larry Owings of the University of Washington…..cuz Gable discusses this in his book “A Wrestling Life”…..for the interview below sheds great light on what made up this incredible athlete…..and equally incredible coach….as it becomes simply obvious why this man is the epitome of the acronym GOAT.
NCAA Wrestling – 2015 – “The Art Of Manliness” Podcast – With Dan Gable
From 1971 to 1973, Gable competed internationally in freestyle wrestling. Highlights of his career include gold medals at the 1971 Tblisi Tournament, the 1971 world championships, and the 1972 Olympic Games. At the 1972 Olympic Games in particular, Gable won all six of his matches without giving up a point.[6] In 1991, Gable was awarded with the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by Cauliflower Alley Club.
Olympics – 1972 – Munich Games – Men’s Freestyle Wrestling Finals 68kg – USA Dan Gable Vs. USSR Rusian Ashraliev
What does it take to be an Olympic gold medalist and to coach a collegiate team to fifteen NCAA titles? In A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the Banachs to the Brands; life-changing friendships he made along the way; and tales of his family life off the mat. A celebration of determination, teamwork, and the persevering human spirit, A Wrestling Life captures Gable’s methods and philosophies for reaching individual greatness as well as the incredible amount of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from working as part of a team.
NCAA & International Wrestling – 1966 To 1973 – Special Film – Dan Gable On Physical & Mental Training
Whether we are athletes or not, we all dream of extreme success and are all looking to make our future the best it can be, but along the way we will undoubtedly need time to recover and rejuvenate. Let these stories inspire you to find your path to strength and achievement along whatever path you take.
NCAA Wrestling – 1970 – NCAA Freestyle Wrestling 68kg Finals – Dan Gable Vs Larry Owings
In concluding this story…..when considering the accomplishments of Dan Gable the wrestler…..along with Dan Gable the coach….and it becomes obvious why we have highlighted his career…..which was truly phenomenal…..as this American hero deserves to have his tale told. The videos seen in this post herewith, contain a tremendous of “life lessons” to be learned…..so, here’s a “lil grilled fat” to chew on…. as most of these videos haven’t drawn over 5,000 views…..whereas Justin Bieber videos have 8 billion views…..whichI think that tells us all we need to know about the unprecedented level of absolute degradation society has descended to…..for the world needs more posts like these of Dan Gable….simply to show that there are still a few real men and women left in the world…..who appreciate a true legend such as Coach Gable.
News & Wrestling – 2020 – President Trump Campaign Rally In Des Moines, Iowa – As Trump Announces He Will Award Coach Gable The Presidential Medal of Freedom.
