Not, like he-was-on-a-Wheaties-box-one-time famous (though he was). It was a name I had not come across too much ahead of time, but I began paying more attention to him. And he was famous. Dan Gable was and is a god among men in the world of amateur wrestling. However, Owings turned things around, becoming a two-time Oregon high school state champ, winning the 136-pound crown as a junior in 1967, and the 138 title in 1968 (pinning all his opponents at state). "People are still talking about it," said Ron Good, editor of the Amateur Wrestling News. After retiring as the virtually undisputed greatest wrestler in the history of the sport, he decided to go ahead and become its greatest coach. No, with his movie star looks and charisma, and a physique that would make Chris Hemsworth jealous, he was legitimately world famous. Owings thought to himself, Im not going to the Olympics, Why am I cutting weight? Facebook gives people the power to. Owings was the first UW wrestler to win an NCAA title, but what mattered was that he had upset a man the Russians reverently called "The Machine," a man who had won 181 straight matches, 108 by pins. Come watch me as I finish my career 182-0.. Gable is in the U.S. Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla. Owings, despite a national title and an 87-4 record at Washington (52-1 in dual meets), is not. He is turning on his iPad, hoping to find clips of the match that would change his life in unexpected and complicated ways. Gable was more exhausted than hed ever been at the end of a match. 64-0. x][w~3sV% $f'$qRUzV[%JVwr|rnNk{-66Y6'{.oO\n.OyR$.`XISdf$fy&!=y67eiPl>M4?~sH^dYyd@oZn.N^~6hPW~nkz9^4Y\,2E
/uVMo]BP6wi&$P,s5Gsxp*.&J4X~BHwf=Sx7p&,\/bi,b%_%eR?UM4]AB! He walked over and saw his teammate Chuck Jean there. Gable remembers the moment the seed of doubt was planted entering the 1970 national championships at Northwestern Universitys McGaw Hall. Within the first 30 seconds, Gable got up 2-0 with a takedown, but Owings came back on a takedown and escape to lead, 3-2. In "Larry Owings Documentary (The Man Who Beat Dan Gable," filmmaker Kaden Christiansen shares the story of Washington Athletics' Larry Owings, who is famously known for his upset of undefeated two-time NCAA champion Dan Gable of Iowa State Wrestling in the 1970 NCAA Wrestling finals. 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. 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. [7] After competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable retired and became a full-time coach. That loss is a key part of the creation story for the Dan Gable myth. Then, just an hour before the match, ABC-TV convinced him to do a short promo advancing the telecast, which would be shown a week later, by having him tell the viewer to watch him finish his career 182-0. Its been 17 years since he coached his last match, but his life still revolves around wrestling and fixing problems within in the sport, both small and big, from the new freshman at the university who needs a kick in the butt to the sports very survival -- last year, after the International Olympic Committee dropped wrestling as one of its core sports in February 2013, Gable made it a personal crusade to have it reinstated. Gable won, easily, but Owings scored some points and even put the champ on his back one time. 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. The two met in the finals of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. 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. "At that point, once I saw the score and only three seconds left, I knew he couldn't get two points," Owings said. [1][2] On December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[3]. Gable says that the loss was "like a death in the family." Waterloo, Iowa 50701 "When I got to the tournament, I still felt fine - that I could win and do everything I thought I could do," Gable said. His results were extraordinary. Let's take a look into the NCAA vault and recap the sequence of events that led to this final collegiate dual and the battle between the Cyclone star and his opponent, Washington's Larry Owings, in 1970. He was taking time out to do countless interviews, up until the very moment of his match: ABCs Wide World of Sports requested that he tape a spot for them on the mat just minutes before the final. I didn't know how the referee would score it.". We got up, and he offered me his hand and we shook. The atmosphere was electric, though what everyone had expected -- what ABC had come for -- was a coronation, not a competition. I didn't know he passed away in 2013, but that explains the omission of Joseph/Martinez. The words hang in the air. "There was probably not 10 people in that crowd of 9,000 or so who would have bet on Owings," Oklahoma State Coach Myron Roderick said. Gables obsession with preparation and routine was already legendary; the stories are almost outlandish -- but they are all true. He noticed that the UW wrestler was making "all kinds of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent." 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. From 117-0 to 117-1. "I thought it would be a contest. Larry Owings As Sports Illustrated reported in its coverage of the 1970 NCAAs, "Owings was far more accomplished than most people realized. So I went up to 149, he says, and I told myself that hed beat me, and everybody will leave me alone. It was not a contest: Gable won 7-1. Stillwater, OK 74075 It is the match that Dan Gable will say turned him into a great wrestler -- and yet he still has trouble bringing himself to talk about it. Time heals nothing, not the memory, not the legend and not the gap between the two men, Iowa State's Dan Gable, the greatest wrestler of all time, and a confident University of Washington sophomore named Larry Owings. Desperation is something that brings out unusual things," Gable said. I remember asking him what he did in Colorado. His physical makeup was legendary, his results extraordinary. The way I see it, he says, Im the coach of the sport.. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a world gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. in the state of Iowa really going to lose it right now? "It was my mom's worst fear." Results Placement Matches (16 Man) Team. SPORTS ILLUSTRATED is a registered trademark of ABG-SI LLC. 13-11. It's all good. All Rights Reserved. "The American people like the underdog, but at the same time there was sadness. After a slow start, "He had won more than 200 matches in high school.". It's an essential part of the origin story for Dan Gable-as-superhero. Drawing on personal accounts from former Maple Heights wrestlers, nationally known celebrities of the sport like Larry Owings and Bobby Douglas, and the four Milkovich brothers, Kalin draws a . Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon. The wrestler would go on to win a national championship. He was presented with the Man of the Year award during the championships, the media sought him out before and after every match, and he was struggling under the burden of a 181-match winning streak. His career had been one of perfection -- he was 64-0 as a high schooler, a three-time state champion, and 117-0, with two national championships, entering the final collegiate match of his career -- and there was no reason for Gable to be anything other than supremely confident when he arrived with his teammates in Evanston. He went on to the sensational international and Olympic career that has already been described. A sophomore had beaten the giant. Just a thought. He also has a museum named for him in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Although Gable has called his sister's death his "biggest loss,"[4] he did not allow the tragedy to affect his focus on wrestling. Michael Jordan is the Dan Gable of basketball, a sportswriter once said. The man who beat Dan Gable.. [10], Gable has been written about in many magazines and numerous books, including Two Guys Named Dan (1976), From Gotch to Gable: A History of Wrestling in Iowa (1981), The Toughest Men in Sports (1984) and Legends of the Mat (2006), all by wrestling historian Mike Chapman.[11]. Im emotional about it. During the award ceremonies, his real feelings came out. On March 28, 1970, in what remains the most famous college match ever, a Washington sophomore named Larry Owings defeated him, 13-11. That's what I thought. Gable was one of the few. Perri brought the two wrestlers back with 17 seconds left for a final grab-and-hold. He had pinned everyone in the 1970s national tournament before this match, and he was considered to be the unquestionable favorite against a wrestler he beat two years prior at the Olympic Trials. 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. But in ink? The most comprehensive list of wrestling tournaments all in one place. Larry Owings's wrestling career was different from Gable's. Growing up with 5 wrestling champs, Larry was told by his siblings he would never be a wrestler even being nicknamed "Porky." Owing wanted to prove them wrong. Each wore white headgear and white kneepads. <> And if he could use them to help somebody else, he should. Theyre waiting for you to lift your head. Gable did -- and the cheering finally stopped. '@$6. He wasn't stalling on top, but he wasn't earning any additional points either. Later, over beers at a local bar, when hes asked how often he thinks about his loss in the 1970 NCAA wrestling national championships, he will say, without a beat, Everyday. His wife, Kathy, will turn to him and look as if she suddenly doesnt know this man shes been married to for 40 years. The YouTube video cuts to black. Dan Gable won 181 consecutive matches during high school and college before losing his final match at Iowa State. Dan stood there crying. Gable was told Owings' comment and said he didn't realize the infamous leg sweep was not a practiced move. Where do you go from there? Owings remained one of the top wrestlers in the country, but as disappointments mounted -- he finished second in the NCAA championships in 1971 and 72 -- Owings began to feel like his national championship win was a curse. Grant won in '69 @ 145 and again in '70 @ 150. [8], From 1976 to 1997, Gable was the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. Obviously a very soft spoken, humble man. This was where Owings wanted to be, on the mat in the middle of the action. To understand the legend of Larry Owings, you must first understand the legend of Dan Gable. That has never bothered Owings. I told him he had to get out there." In 1968, in Ames, Iowa, he stepped onto the mat to face the Iowa State sophomore who was already considered the best wrestler in the country. After his Olympic title, he coached the Iowa Hawkeyes to 21 consecutive Big Ten titles and 15 national championships in his 21 years as head coach, going 355-21-5. He also helped the Cyclones to a team title the year of his loss, scoring enough team points to help them edge out Michigan State by over ten points. As Sports Illustrated reported in its coverage of the 1970 NCAA's, "Larry Owings was far more accomplished than most people realized.". 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. "I had two minutes more riding time, so I was pretty much in control of the match," Gable said. 93 talking about this. Larry Owings is a wrestling legend. Gambling problem? The Hawkeyes can still earn a double bye, but a lot hinges on the trip to Indiana. Gable remembers wrestling an opponent while at the same time watching Owings lose on an adjacent mat. He was, perhaps, the most superbly conditioned athlete the sport had ever seen. As painful as the experience was, looking back, he believes it may have helped toughen him up. They said Id never be a wrestler because I was too fat, he recalled, much later. Olympic Champion. It was done out of utter desperation, but hey it worked. He won every college match, and the only match he dropped was his last match against Larry Owings in the 142-pound finals in 1970. I got bumped down a seed at Nationals in 72 because the winner of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals. Im not going out there, Jean said. World Champion", "Named for an icon, Gable Steveson becomes a legend in his own right", "Where are they Now: Catching up with Dan Gable and Larry Owings", Website of film 'Catch: the hold not taken', Gable's wins and losses between the years 1963 and 1973, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dan_Gable&oldid=1134702764, Chen, Albert. All Rights Reserved. He lost only once, in the final match of his final season at Iowa State University. "Probably some day," said Roderick, who is president of the museum. You can find youth folkstyle wrestling tournaments as well as Freestyle and Greco-Roman events. His senior year, he earned a spot on Wrestling USA magazine's 1967-68 High School All-American team. Instead, he thought of it as a reason to train with even more determination: "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. Come watch me next week as I finish my career 182-0." Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry Owings. It was probably the match of the century. 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. After beating up on them, he thought to himself, OK, I'm still good. While at Iowa State, Gable continued his winning ways by capturing three Big Eight Championships, earning All-American honors all three years. He became an assistant wrestling coach at Woodburn High School, and today strives to serve as a positive role model and mentor to local youth. Gable won @ 130 in '68. How Much Is Dan Gable Worth? I really enjoyed the article - thanks. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. Owings watches the video as Perri lifts his arm and Gable staggers away. [6], Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Gable Steveson was named after him. "It was a move," Owings said, "I had never done before or since.". Id never experienced that before, says Gable. Later, in a quiet moment in his hotel room, Gable got his hands on the paper, and there, in big bold letters across the top of the paper was the headline IM HERE TO BEAT DAN GABLE. Smith would rather have Owings wrestle at 150 pounds. From inside his cabin Gable looks out onto the night fast approaching. He holed himself up in his room, he didn't talk to anyone, he didn't even return his parents' phone calls. Just sitting here, talking about it it hurts. Gable recovered from the defeat and would later say it made him a much better wrestler. He just smiled and congratulated me, never once mentioning he was an NCAA national champion! Gable asked Jean as he stood there under the water. Referee Pascal Perri described the noise as "comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw.". Facing a wrestler legendary for his endurance, opponents of Gable would almost always go for broke from the opening whistle. He also became the greatest coach in U.S. college wrestling, winning 17 NCAA titles, and 21 Big Ten Championships. They made up songs about me and teased me unmercifully.. Again in '69 @ 137. Owings briefly wrestled internationally and retired in 1973 to his home in Oregon. But Owings honestly believed he could beat him. The pair had met two years earlier, at the 1968 Olympic Trials when Owings was a senior at Canby (Ore.) High and Gable was a sophomore at Iowa State. Phone: (405) 377-5243 Gable said he learned not to take an opponent lightly, to eliminate distractions and accentuate an aura of invincibility and intimidation toward an opponent, just as Owings had done to him. In 1966, he entered Iowa State, 110 miles away in Ames. When the 13-11 decision was announced in Owings favor, the crowd erupted in a standing ovation. He has one VHS cassette of the broadcast but the tape is the only copy of the match hes ever owned, so worn that hes afraid that if he runs it in the VCR one more time the tape will be ruined forever. 2023 NCAA | Turner Sports Interactive, Inc. Dan Gable vs. Larry Owings: FULL 1970 NCAA title match at 142 pounds, I know that the match affected my entire life. That number 182 would have included Gable's undefeated high school and collegiate career. The message was that his talent at wrestling, and his improbable victory over Dan Gable, had happened for a reason. After losing 20 pounds and growing several inches, nobody believed he couldn't be a wrestler anymore. This was Owings' opportunity, the fateful moment when his never-used leg sweep caught Gable by surprise. 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 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. Says Gable, "You could say that this was my first coaching moment. He was intrigued -- Dan and Kathy went to Washington to have a series of meetings at the White House. He was Goliath, but David was coming to the mat, ready to live out a dream. While the result of the match against Owings was unusual, in comparison with Gable's previous results, his effort is undeniable. 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. Gable asked Jean as he stood there under the water. More than any other sport, wrestling is rooted in self-belief and desire: being big, strong, fast and talented can take you only so far; in the end, it is about endurance, stamina, conviction. 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. Larry took the match to him.". In Chicago, though, the bubble burst. All Rights Reserved. It doesn't matter that it's been 30 years. Finally, he says, Theres a barrier between us that Im not sure needs to ever go away., 2023 ABG-SI LLC. The next match featured Grant, like Gable a defending Champion from 1969. Owings has not talked to Gable since 1980, and that was a brief conversation to ask him to consider looking at a wrestler in his district. But Owings has a prominent spot in the Hall, with a large picture of the match and some mementos. I was almost embarrassed to have won, he says. "Owings was very squirmy and hard to control.. 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. Here's what you may have missed. That makes it worse now from my point of view. zF\LxW"ve(1t^~W#ZxD!K(BTvA;h\5Ij _IAial&$prh~PZdm%6/LmJLU^+qLq) >ZY&k>.w6jI.E]^`OUF2X28U2EaI<5^F:+}TskfpjSiC)s5:V\4jgU3[[8?&JzK'[Iz)MHeqk}\"/y fd8< iqNHh|@bLM(uE'+8 ANqWR%T]t?s6S(t.yuzw,eb`WV(^Q*DYnuQuXUvWy1 kNV*)?I'lf}(+2_{^i|Dd$wIZ)E5AR a5SysmZ5o=~atjtlINH9[fy:y 2014. By the time the two wrestlers took center stage of the arena for the fourth match of the evening-- Gable in a sleeveless cardinal-and-gold jersey and separate trunks; Owings in a one-piece purple piece with U of W monogrammed on the chest -- it was so loud, with a standing room crowd of nearly 9,000 squeezed into McGaw Hall, that the wrestlers couldnt hear the ref, Pascal Perri, unless they leaned in close. The Cyclone star did rack up his time in control and actively worked for the turn with an arm bar before resetting and continuing to ride. I think Ill wrestle till Im at least 80, he said during a recent interview. There is, however, still the open wound from 1970. I told him he had to get out there. Jean made it out just in time; he won the match, and the national title. He tired me out more than I thought he would, he said. USWF Greco-Roman and freestyle champion and Outstanding Wrestler. Of the century. 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. Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry Owings.