Bucknell University Athletics
`Once you have wrestled, everything else in life is easy'
10/19/2005 8:00:00 AM | Wrestling
Oct. 19, 2005
by Frank Dimon
For the Standard-Journal
LEWISBURG -- Dan Gable admits that his quote isn't quite accurate. The legendary wrestler and coach says that the final word in the quote should have been easier -- not easy.
"It should say easier, because there are a lot of tough things that everyone has to go through," Gable said after speaking at a dinner to celebrate the return of the Bucknell wrestling program Saturday night in Lewisburg. "To win in wrestling is great, but to lose in wrestling is humbling. But you can learn from it. Wrestling makes you a little more independent and it makes you a stronger person. It makes it easier to handle whatever is thrown at you."
Gable's career is legendary. From his unbeaten high school career, to his college time that was stained only by a stunning loss to Larry Owings in his final bout, to his dominant performance on the way to Olympic gold in 1972. And that's just as a wrestler.
His time as a coach at Iowa might have been even greater. Nine consecutive national team championships, (15 in all), 21 straight Big Ten titles, and a 1984 Olympic squad that carted away seven gold medals.
Still, Gable likes to think that his greatest accomplishment isn't on that list, that it is yet to be accomplished.
"I am hoping that it is yet to happen," Gable said. "There are things that I think that I can do in this sport and that is to impact the masses."
Gable's dream is to walk in to a watering hole like the Lewisburg Hotel, where Saturday's dinner was held, and see fans screaming at a television while an Iowa-Penn State wrestling match is being watched, instead of a PSU-Michigan football battle.
"Hopefully, some part of my life can make that possible," Gable said.
Gable spent much of the evening visiting the tables of 43 prospective recruits, Bucknell's first recruiting class since the sport was shelved after the 2001-2002 season.
"This was a great evening," said Bison coach Dan Wirnsberger. "Having coach Gable here will have a great impact on this program."
Since 1972 collegiate wrestling has seen nearly 450 programs eliminated. Recently, more than 30 colleges have started mat programs, and eight -- including Bucknell -- have resurrected wrestling as a sport.
Though encouraged by those gains, Mike Moyer, the executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association, knows that much is yet to be accomplished.
"We need to keep building on the momentum," Moyer said as he watched Gable sign autographs. "I get as much motivation as anybody listening to Dan Gable speak. He is one of the most unselfish people and the greatest ambassador for this sport. Any time there is an opportunity (to support wrestling), he's there.
"We've made some progress bringing some programs back," Gable said. "We can't stop. We've stopped the bleeding and we've made some progress. We've got to keep pushing."
