Jean made it out just in time; he won the match, and the national title. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. Larry, what are you doing here? the neighbor said, then looked up and saw the banner that read LARRY OWINGS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT. Gable's teams compiled a dual meet record of 355215. "Stunned was the word," Owings said of his first moments as the giant-killer. Gable's college career record was 1171, with his only loss being in the final match of his final season to Larry Owings of the University of Washington. Owings briefly wrestled internationally and retired in 1973 to his home in Oregon. It's hard to win a third NCAA title. It had a tremendous impact on my entire coaching career.". 971K views, 7.2K likes, 334 loves, 948 comments, 4.9K shares, Facebook Watch Videos from NCAA Wrestling: Only one man stopped Dan Gable in his college career: Larry Owings. It was one of the greatest upsets in American sports: an unknown sophomore from the University of Washington slaying the god from Iowa State and one of the most astonishing streaks in sports history. After returning to Ames the next day, the first thing he did was ask teammates to wrestle him. The NCAA shifted weight classes fairly often back then so wrestlers adjusted either up or down. The two met in the finals of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. I was almost embarrassed to have won, he says. NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. It happened March 28, 1970, at McGaw Hall, an 8,800-seat fieldhouse on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Ill. Gable was (and is) the god of the sport, a no-nonsense, punishing force who may have been the world's best-conditioned athlete. Larry Owings Fall 5:19 Bryan McGann 6-3 David McGuire 4-0 Shane Foley 8-5 Mike Riley 9-0 Reid Lamphere 15-11 Larry Owings 13-2 David McGuire 8-4 Mike Riley 2-1 Reid Lamphere 14-12 David McGuire 3-3, 1-0 David McGuire Fall 4:32 130 Weight Class David McGuire 4-2 Len Groom, Northern Colorado [2] Mike Milkovich, Kent State Everette Barnard, Indiana Phone: (319) 233-0745 Smith successfully argued with the seeding committee for his wrestler, who would finish 33-1 that year, to get the second seed behind Gable. Is that so? I assume how hard it could be to train when you're given a lot of essays and homework to do. A stalemate brought the wrestlers back to the center, but, within seconds, the match was over. That softie had been nowhere to be found earlier in on this day as he navigated his black pickup through Iowa City while downing cans of Mountain Dew and breathlessly telling rollicking old wrestling stories that crackle like firecrackers. Im emotional about it because theres still a lot of meaning Gable told SI.com in 2014. "I had never heard that before. Two years ago, Gable got the call that Dianes killer had died in prison. Gable did escape, looking for points of his own, but the momentum had shifted. While wrestling still consumes Gables life, it now occupies such a small corner of Owings -- a retired school administrator, his life revolves around his wife and his 15-year-old daughter Sami, his work with his church and maintaining his properties in the small town of Aurora, Ore. -- that even some of those closest to him are unaware of his wrestling past. Now nearly 70 but still strong as an ox, Owings is not one to use a blackboard to teach his wrestlers how to do a takedown. My strategy was to throw everything I could at him, keep him so busy he wouldnt be able to get into a rhythm in the match, Owings later said. World Champion", "Trump honors legendary Iowa wrestler Gable at White House", "Dan Gable among speakers discussing victims' rights", "Himself the victim of a violent tragedy, Gable says loss can result in some good", "Bio: Dan Gable 15 National Championships. Then, one night about 10 years ago, he had an epiphany, which he believes came from God. "I'm not going to this tournament to be a national champion. He was going for his third title at 142 pounds, and virtually everyone thought he was a lock. Owings, who said, "I did not really realize the scope of what I accomplished," never again won the championship, losing in the NCAA finals his final two years. No one had ever said something that, at least no one who could back it up. Im emotional about it. Theres the verbal stuff, here and there. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He has softened in his old age -- thats what nine grandchildren will do to you -- and lately he has been more reflective; a stack of papers on the desk is the memoir hes working on with a writer. But I have to admit to this day that match made my career, not only the next two years. It would take me years to realize this, but I wouldnt have become great wrestler and a great coach -- a legend in the sport -- without that match. After he left Iowa State, Gable went on to win the 1971 Pan Am games and world championships, he took gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972 without allowing surrendering a single point; he went on to a 21-year coaching career at the University of Iowa, where he led the Hawkeyes to an unprecedented 15 national titles. "I had two minutes more riding time, so I was pretty much in control of the match," Gable said. Owings wore a black singlet with white trim, while Gable was in cardinal and gold. (Refresh the page to see latest Notices) Monday February 27, 2023. His physical makeup was legendary, his results extraordinary. See, Larry Owings is the The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. Dan Gable height is 5 Feet 9 Inches. Gable, then and now, says the near-fall was "a judgment call.". A natural introvert, he struggled for decades against his reputation as The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. He didnt want his whole life to be defined by something that transpired over a period of nine minutes when he was a teenager. He grew up the youngest of five Owings brothers, all of them wrestlers; Larry, overweight growing up, was always the least likely of the Owings brothers to go one to become a great in the sport. With a score of 8-6, Gable again worked for back points before a scramble ensued. I told him he had to get out there. Jean made it out just in time; he won the match, and the national title. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. One competitor already knows hes going to win, and the other knows hes going to lose before either steps onto the mat, Gable likes to say. Who wants to be known for just one thing? He thinks about what would have happened if he would have lost his match: maybe he wouldnt have entered a failed marriage in 1970 just months after the match (Maybe she wouldnt have married me if I wouldnt have been a winner, he says), maybe he would have pushed himself harder to become an Olympian. Caldwell was always dangerous and capable of beating anyone anytime. His conditioning was so legendary that the Russians whom he would face in an international career that included two world championships and a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich nicknamed him The Machine.. During the conversation, neither mentioned the match. He faced Gable on the mat one more time, at the 1972 Olympic trials in Anoka, Minn. Owings was wrestling best at 136.5 that year, but he struggled to keep his weight under 138. It is the subject of an old wrestling match from 44 years ago that has him go silent. Wow! This was the featured match of the tournament. That makes it worse now from my point of view. He tired me out more than I thought he would, he said. Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations, 405 West Hall of Fame Avenue It was a name I had not come across too much ahead of time, but I began paying more attention to him. "I've never wrestled after you've lost a match, and I'm not going to do it now." Im emotional about it. He was intrigued by Owings' swagger. I got bumped down a seed at Nationals in 72 because the winner of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals. First, though, he has a question about the man who beat him: Here is Larry Owings: sitting at his dining room table in his modest house in the Oregon countryside, 30 miles outside of Portland, on a May afternoon. Odds & lines subject to change. He took notice of the young Husky, perhaps more than appropriately. We got up, and he offered me his hand and we shook. Iowa State's Dan Gable had one of the most legendary careers in college wrestling, pinning 76 of his 118 opponents during his three years as a starter for the Cyclones and amassing a nearly flawless record on his way to two NCAA titles. It was my moms worst fear. Feeling stripped of his powers after his loss, Gable was finding out what it was like to be human. AZ, CO, CT, IL, IN, IA, KS, LA, (select parishes), MD, MI, NH, NJ, NY, OH, OR, PA, TN, VA, WV, WY, CA-ONT only.Eligibility restrictions apply. Iowa State Coach Harold Nichols protested. [7] After competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable retired and became a full-time coach. I know that the match affected my entire life. This is where Gable thought he had the match won. Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry Owings. He was interviewed by a Chicago newspaper about his chances against the invincible one, and Owings didn't demur. "I was a scrambling type of wrestler, and I think he was more of a controlled wrestler," Owings told the Associated Press 17 years after his win in an article headlined "Gable's rival, former bosses look back. He's still the most famous person in the world of wrestling. They haven't talked to each other since. Earned bachelor's degree and master's degree in education from the University of Washington. The scorer had not seen the near-fall signal because a TV cameraman had jumped in the way, so Perri stopped the match to explain. His days now are spent talking -- talking on stages and in boardrooms across the country on the speaking circuit; talking to millionaires over dinners to raise money for a sport hes trying to save; talking to strangers who still worship him like a god -- here in Iowa there are, at latest count, three bronze statues of him in the state. He coached for a while, then settled into obscurity of teaching and administrating. He had won more than 200 matches in high school." From inside his cabin Gable looks out onto the night fast approaching. He could't believe he was the one affected by his opponent's reputation. Owings had won. When I started to embrace that, I started to become happier, I think., The young wrestlers have all heard of Dan Gable. He was known to wake up in the middle of night, just to do push-ups while his opponents slept. Larry Richard Oliver (October 6, 1952 - March 5, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, known as "Crippler" Rip Oliver, who had success in Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW). By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. It's famous in part because of the outcome -- it was the only match Gable lost in college -- and in part because of what it led to: an even more focused and determined Gable, who won gold at the World Championships and Olympics in the years that follow and who then coached Iowa to 15 national championships in 21 seasons, a staggering and unprecedented accomplishment. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. Michael Jordan is the Dan Gable of basketball. "He was in excellent condition. Finally, he says, Theres a barrier between us that Im not sure needs to ever go away., 2023 ABG-SI LLC. Come watch me next week as I finish my career 182-0. Gable kept bungling the lines, and the take took half an hour; by the time he was finished, without having gone through his regular pregame warm-up, every seat in the area was already filled, and the match was about to start. Owings was a sophomore at the University of Washington, who had dropped two weight classes (from 158 to 142) just to get a shot at the legend. The night before the start of the tournament, a teammate asked if hed seen the front page of the Chicago Tribune sports section. Before the match, Gable had recorded a promo for ABC saying, Hi, Im Dan Gable. ", Owings and Gable, forever linked, met in the NCAA final for the 142-pound weight class. Gable made numerous attempts to explain the only defeat he would ever know. Does all that happens without the loss to Owings? Given that Gable -- by his own admission in the piece -- still isn't truly over that loss and that it still lights a fire in him well, I'm gonna say that that loss was perhaps the best thing that ever could have happened to Gable -- and, by extension, Iowa wrestling. And he was famous. The article didn't mention the fact that Caldwell had pinned Metcalf the previous season. All Rights Reserved. "The American people like the underdog, but at the same time there was sadness. His intensity only grew when he became coach at Iowa in 1976; Gable was legendary for going to extreme limits to solve a problem. One day his mother finally showed up at his door and when she saw Dan, she slapped him across the face, walked away, and made the one and a half hour drive back to Waterloo. The words hang in the air. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan smiled after being presented with a prayer book during a visit to Cardinal Hickey Academy on February 26, 2016 in. Iowa Wrestling Lands Commitments From Spencer Lee and Gavin Teasdale, TONY RAMOS TO LEAVE IOWA FOR NORTH CAROLINA, FORMER IOWA HEAVYWEIGHT TERRANCE JEAN-JACQUES SIGNS DEAL WITH WWE, TONY RAMOS FEELS "BETRAYED" BY IOWA, LEAVING IOWA PROGRAM, DAN DENNIS BEATS TONY RAMOS, WILL WRESTLE IN THE OLYMPICS IN RIO. The name "Larry Owings" might not be immediately recognizable to Iowa fans, but he's an important figure in the history of both Gable and Iowa wrestling. Gable was heartbroken. His gig was always that he was going to out condition people, says Owings. He had two points in riding time that would be rewarded at the end by Perri. Wrestling is just two people out there -- anyone can be beat, anything can happen. Owings had dropped two weight classes to wrestle in Gables class at 142 pounds. Gable said when Owings grabbed his leg "it was kind of like a slow-motion fall. He has come to peace with things he never thought he would. As painful as the experience was, looking back, he believes it may have helped toughen him up. Larry Owings of Washington breaks hold and flips Dan Gable of Iowa State during the final match in the 142-pound class of the NCAA Wrestling. He would mow the lawn of his parents home in Waterloo, on a 100-degree Iowa summer day with double layers of jogging pants to burn calories. "If he had never tried that before, then that tells me it's desperate. mark@intermatwrestle.com, Twitter: @MatWriter. In the days afterward he shut himself from the world. Wrestling was already fading in his life when he met Diane, the woman who would become his second wife. "It was bedlam. But the scars from 1970 would never go away, and not just for Gable. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, "Bio: Dan Gable 15 National Championships. It was a decision the Chicago Daily News writer Bill Jauss said made him either the bravest or dumbest guy in amateur wrestling. Gables reputation was such that guys generally piled on weight to avoid facing him on the mat; not the other way around. He clings to it like a drowning man trying to stay afloat, because he understands what once had defeated him also made him a champion. Gable got his rematch against Larry Owings, who handed Gable his only defeat at Iowa State, when he defeated Owings in the 1972 Olympic Trials. Here's what you may have missed. Gable would go for five mile runs, then get inside a car and, with the windows rolled up all the way, turn the heater on full blast so he would return to his ideal wrestling weight at the end of the day. In his high school career, undefeated. The result, though unexpected, put the crowd of 8,500 on its feet throughout the match and gave them [the athletes] a shattering ovation when it ended, per the New York Times. Caldwell had pinned Metcalf the previous season Gable had recorded a promo for ABC saying Hi! 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