Victory Bell Rings
Fansided

NCAA Wrestling: Dan Gable vs. Cael Sanderson

By Chris Snyder

NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands in the tunnel during session four of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images)
NEW YORK, NY - MARCH 18: Head coach Cael Sanderson of the Penn State Nittany Lions stands in the tunnel during session four of the NCAA Wrestling Championships on March 18, 2016 at Madison Square Garden in New York, New York. (Photo by Hunter Martin/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
3 of 5
Next
Coach Dan Gable of the Iowa Hawkeyes looks on.
Coach Dan Gable of the Iowa Hawkeyes looks on. /

Dan Gable Coaching Career

College Coaching Career
College: University of Iowa (1976-1997)
Dual Meet Record: 355-21-5
NCAA Team Championships: 15
NCAA Individual Champions: 45

World Coaching Career
3x Olympic Team Head Coach
6x World Team Head Coach

Coming off its first NCAA Team Title in 1975, the Iowa Hawkeyes’ head coach Gary Kurdelmeir decided to take an administrative position as the assistant athletic director. And with that, in walks Dan Gable to begin his coaching career in 1976.

And Gable was able to start just where Kurdelmeir left off. The Iowa Hawkeyes finished the 1976 season going 14-1-0 in duals and taking their second consecutive NCAA team championship with a total of 123.5 points.

It’s one thing to take over for a team on the rise as Gable did in 1976. But it’s another thing to keep a team at the top for any sustained period of time.

Gable found this out first hand as his Hawkeyes finished a distant 3rd in the 1977 NCAA Wrestling Championships, while his alma mater of Iowa State took home the team title.

The 1978 Iowa squad put together another impressive 15-1-0 record in the regular season and they looked to once again be at the top of the collegiate wrestling world. But the road wasn’t easy.

Despite not winning a single individual title in the 1978 NCAA’s, Iowa somehow did just enough to claw past Iowa State to win the team title with a score of 94.5 points. Iowa State came in second at 94.0.

Wow.

This narrow victory coupled with the brilliance of Dan Gable as a coach propelled the Hawkeyes to claim 9 straight NCAA team titles from 1978-1986. During this run, Gable totaled a dual record of 155-6-1 and averaged over 130 points in each of the 9 NCAA Wrestling Championships.

Between 1987 and 1990, Iowa State, Arizona State, and Oklahoma State took turns keeping Iowa from the pinnacle of college wrestling. But you can only keep Dan Gable and Iowa wrestling down for so long.

The Hawkeyes then went on to claim 6 of the next 7 NCAA team titles from 1991-1997.

From 1976-1997, the Iowa Hawkeyes had gone 355-21-5, claimed 15 NCAA team tiles, and 45 NCAA individual champions. And once again, Dan Gable made his mark on collegiate wrestling.

With his 15 NCAA Championships, Dan Gable currently sits at No. 7 in the list of coaches with the most NCAA Championships in history. The other 6 coaches are a mix of track and field, tennis, soccer, and golf.

Along with coaching the Iowa Hawkeyes, Gable went on to become the Team USA Olympic head coach three times (1980, 1984, and 2000). The most decorated of the Olympic teams he lead was the 1984 squad. They consisted of four Hawkeyes and took home seven gold medals.

Gable also served as the head coach of the World Team six times (1977, 1978, 1979, 1983, 1994, and 1999).

Dan Gable isn’t just the best wrestling coach of all time, he’s one of the best coaches in American history.

Home/Penn State Nittany Lions