Most have never heard of Larry Owings. The OFFICIAL Facebook site of Western Australia's premiere Pro Wrestling organisation - EPW Perth. "GABLE FALLS!" screamed the banner headline in the next day's Des Moines Register. 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. 64-0. But Larry Owings had tremendous credentials of his own. 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. A few years ago, the Republican Party recruited Gable to run for governor of Iowa. Yes. And then, having found a nine-minute YouTube clip titled Gable-Owings, Larry Owings taps the play button, and, with a strange mix of fascination and unease, he leans back in his chair. And that was it, he says. They were on their first date when Owings asked if she was into sports. "The Sophomore From Washington" is a documentary feature about Larry Owings, the University of Washington wrestler who defeated Iowa State's Dan Gable at the 1970 NCAA Wrestling Championships. The man who beat Dan Gable.. And if he could use them to help somebody else, he should. But Owings honestly believed he could beat him. It was around the time I turned 50, and maybe that has something to do with it: I realized that I had a talent, and whats the point of denying that I had that talent? Gable was one of the few. But that was my gig, too. Over the first two periods the match went back and forth, and when the match stretched into the third period the energy of the hall seemed to change -- from frenzy to palpable anxiety -- as the crowd seemed to realize that Gable was in a fight. His voice cracks, his eyes flicker, and suddenly, he goes silent, grasping for words. When his teammates passed him in the tunnels they never expected a hello. His physical makeup was legendary, his results extraordinary. After retiring as the virtually undisputed greatest wrestler in the history of the sport, he decided to go ahead and become its greatest coach. 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. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. Gable, who admitted he was uncharacteristically worn down as the match dragged on, remembered telling himself, "Don't get caught in the cradle. Their epic match 30 years ago altered the lives of both in ways not anticipated and provided the sport with a story to pass down through generations on the scope of a Biblical parable. 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. ICONIC LEADER: How Dan Gable coached Iowa to 15 team titles. "I had never heard that before. 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). "He (Gable) was dazed and confused. Feeling stripped of his powers after his loss, Gable was finding out what it was like to be human. With less than a minute remaining, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, but Gable actually had a 10-9 lead. Help us build a sustainable news organization to serve Canby for generations to come! Minn. Owings was wrestling best at 136.5 . He beat Gable in the finals of the 1970 NCAA Tournament, one of the most famous wrestling matches in history. 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. The Hawkeyes can still earn a double bye, but a lot hinges on the trip to Indiana. 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.. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. 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. Owings nearly escaped, but Gabled rolled him around and nearly put him on his back before Owings persistence paid off and he earned the escape point. He was U.S. Olympic freestyle coach in 1980, 1984, and 2000. A Seattle Times article, Whatever happened to Larry Owings? comes up, as well as the Wikipedia entry for Dan Gable. Gable said when Owings grabbed his leg "it was kind of like a slow-motion fall. He walked over and saw his teammate Chuck Jean there. The night before the finals he reluctantly attended a banquet honoring him as the sports Man of the Year. He now does university fund raising and works with the U.S. Olympic team. "[5], From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended Iowa State University, where he competed in folkstyle wrestling. 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. The YouTube video cuts to black. He just smiled and congratulated me, never once mentioning he was an NCAA national champion! 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 thought to himself, Im not going to the Olympics, Why am I cutting weight? Well, thats not me, he says, as he reads about the retirement of Larry Owings of Brownwood, Texas. It was close throughout the three-period match, and the constant crowd noise was deafening. 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. Owings watches the video as Perri lifts his arm and Gable staggers away. He also has a museum named for him in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. It's hard to win a third NCAA title. His results were extraordinary. I had it, says Gable. That Gable could lose. In the days afterward he shut himself from the world. That has never bothered Owings. 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. It is annually the most viewed element in the Hall. 4 0 obj zF\LxW"ve(1t^~W#ZxD!K(BTvA;h\5Ij _IAial&$prh~PZdm%6/LmJLU^+qLq) Olympic Champion. Gable is 65 now, still works out every day on the elliptical and lifting his old high school weights, but lately hes been feeling his body crumbling; he walks with a limp, the result of eight knee surgeries and four hip replacements. Don't get caught in the cradle." In his senior season at Iowa State, Gable lost the only match of his amateur wrestling career to Larry Owingsa sophomore from the University of Washingtonin the NCAA 142-pound national championship. However, because of NCAA. Gambling problem? The match at Northwestern had its impact on both wrestlers. The roar of the crowd was unbelievable. Now, it was like a burden was lifted. 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. Im emotional about it. They shut down the whole tournament for 15 minutes. Earlier in the day, without any prodding, he brought up the murder of his sister Diane in 1964. in the state of Iowa really going to lose it right now? 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. Pac-8 Champion and three-time NCAA finalist. [6], From 1971 to 1973, Gable competed internationally in freestyle wrestling. But in ink? . 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. With focus and determination Grant won 6-1in the match after Owings-Gable. Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon. "I've never wrestled after you've lost a match, and I'm not going to do it now." In the final match of his illustrious career with the Cardinal and Gold, Gable suffered what is considered one of the biggest upset losses in college wrestling history, dropping to Larry Owings of . That loss is a key part of the creation story for the Dan Gable myth. Check out the highlights. Gable's career soared. % 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. As for Owings, people did not leave him alone. After a slow start, "He had won more than 200 matches in high school.". Im emotional about it. Each wore white headgear and white kneepads. In that way, he and I were similar. in-depth (8,000-word) analysis of that epic upset, https://edubirdie.com/essay-editing-service. The two met in the finals of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. Olympic Champion. ,Bk*+P2S` (fTrcSo NY]XX+%[w R&]_O!-(%z2R Er= de DHN"q)^P#o6Cx$%{s'1|zV9 The basement in the Gable home in Iowa City is full of trophies and trinkets and framed photos in glass cases; Dan Gable calls this part of the house the museum, and every museum must be a complete representation of history. Larry Owings. It's full of great details like this in the aftermath of Gable's loss to Owings: With none of his family members in attendance that day, Owings remembers staggering around, trying to process what just happened. Through the windows an orange sun is sinking just beyond the towering pines, and light glows his pale bald head. Dan Gable won 13-4 in a match that would serve as the central motivation for Owings two years later. Owings had one more thing Gable didn't have - implacability. Gable's teams compiled a dual meet record of 355215. 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. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. How Much Is Dan Gable Worth? USWF Greco-Roman and freestyle champion and Outstanding Wrestler. After the defeat, Gable won gold medals at the 1971 world championships as well as the 1972 Olympics. "It just about killed my parents," he says. The crowd edged forward. Find them on the corner of NW Third and Grant in downtown Canby. He won't allow it. SI digs into the lives of the competitors of one of the most famous wrestling matches of all time. Smith, a man not quite 5 feet tall, ran over and bear-hugged and hoisted his champion. 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. Then lost in '70 @ 142 when Owings beat him 13-11. Owings briefly wrestled internationally and retired in 1973 to his home in Oregon. "It was bedlam. Stillwater, OK 74075 He was Goliath, but David was coming to the mat, ready to live out a dream. 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. Im emotional about it because theres still a lot of meaning Gable told, How Dan Gable coached Iowa to 15 team titles, The complete history of one of the greatest college wrestlers, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Larry, what are you doing here? the neighbor said, then looked up and saw the banner that read LARRY OWINGS INVITATIONAL TOURNAMENT. The regular season winds downs on the final Sunday before conference tournaments. mark@intermatwrestle.com, Twitter: @MatWriter. I wasn't that surprised the night Caldwell beat Metcalf. Come watch me as I finish my career 182-0.. He went 64-0 at Waterloo (Iowa) West High School and 117-0 in three years at Iowa State (freshmen could not compete then) with NCAA titles at 130 and 137 pounds. Gable was known for all of those things, and his relentless style was ultimately adapted by the Iowa Hawkeyes program during his historic tenure as a head coach with the program. "It was an indication," Gerald said, "that Gable was taking him real seriously. 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. 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. But Owings has a prominent spot in the Hall, with a large picture of the match and some mementos. Larry Owings Invitational - Wrestling Event - FloWrestling Larry Owings Invitational Larry Owings Invitational on Dec 21, 2013 in Canby, OR. The match spawned a book, a documentary, countless magazine articles, and decades of reflection. The match changed my life, he says, but then he suddenly adds, but there was a time, a long time, when I wished it never happened.. Im not going out there, Jean said. WA Death Notices. Phone: (319) 233-0745 With 17 seconds left, Owings was ahead 13-11. Licensed Building Contractor. But he squeaked out an early lead and manage to barely hang onto it through a close, hard-fought, furious match that exhausted both men. Of the century. The final seconds ticked down, and it was actually Owings, in the lead, who went for a final takedown. ", Owings and Gable, forever linked, met in the NCAA final for the 142-pound weight class. 405 West Hall of Fame Avenue Stillwater, OK 74075 Phone: (405) 377-5243 Email: info@nwhof.org Find the cost, maps, directions, flyer and registration details all in one location. Lately hes been calling around -- to the University of Washington, to the Wrestling Hall of Fame in Iowa named after the loser of the match, to ABC, which was there to broadcast the event -- to see if anyone can send him a DVD, but no one seems to have one. If there was one code Owings lived by then, it was a desire to have a second chance against anyone who had beaten him. The most dramatic moment came in the final 30 seconds, with Gable technically in the lead although the scoreboard showed otherwise, when Owings slipped underneath his arms for a brilliantly executed leg sweep that dropped Gable to the mat for the winning points. But Dan Gable, of course, is so much more than one result. I didnt know you could do that. Now hes fighting for it to be reinstated beyond 2020. LARRY OWINGS AND DANGABLE, Kris Murray and Tony Perkins lead Iowa to its best road win of the year, The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big Ten Tournament. Gable won 13-4 and went on; Owings never forgot. 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 had two minutes more riding time, so I was pretty much in control of the match," Gable said. Owings started to lose his headgear, as Gable worked him from the top position; unfazed, Owings battled, finally securing the escape and notching a point only to immediately be taken down again by Gable. Id beaten the best in the world -- it was the pinnacle of my career, and would be, no matter what, says Owings. Gable was the head coach of three Olympic teams and six world teams. "I really didn't want to see it or talk about it much. Anything that I can do to help keep these kids away from the video games, and the drugs, the violence and the gangs, Im going to do it.. You can find youth folkstyle wrestling tournaments as well as Freestyle and Greco-Roman events. To understand the legend of Larry Owings, you must first understand the legend of Dan Gable. No high school kid can come close to scoring on Owings. Iowa State had won the national team championship, but Gable's loss dominated the headlines. Stillwater, OK 74075 Now why on earth would they want that? Diane asked. As a college sophomore, he defeated Dan Gable in one of the biggest upsets of NCAA finals history,. During the weigh-in, an ABC reporter asked, Larry, why, particularly with such a successful sophomore season, would you drop a weight class that will be impossible to win because of Gables presence? Owings glared at the interviewer and said, Ill beat him.. Gables success was always due in large part of his ability to live in a bubble -- no distractions ever got in his way. Dan Gable won 181 consecutive matches during high school and college before losing his final match at Iowa State. 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. They said Id never be a wrestler because I was too fat, he recalled, much later. "I knew who he was," Owings said, somewhat disingenuously. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Many who were there that day use the same words to describe the strange aftermath: it was like a bomb went off. Once there is a seed of doubt planted in your mind, well, youre probably doomed. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. I cant remember anything that happened in the last 40 seconds and when I looked up at the scoreboard and saw he led 13 to 9, I couldnt believe it.. (I mean, why not, right?). Owings went to work on top, forcing Gable into a passive position and generating a stall call against the Cyclone for a point. From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended Iowa State University, where he competed in folkstyle wrestling. In this conversation, we talk about Owings' childhood, high school career, and the match with Gable. What are you doing? While the result of the match against Owings was unusual, in comparison with Gable's previous results, his effort is undeniable. But it will have to wait till next time, on Canby Then. At Iowa State, he became an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion. [7] After competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable retired and became a full-time coach. In Chicago, though, the bubble burst. As lopsided as that score was, it was the only point allowed by Gable during the trials or the Olympics. Wrestling fans attending the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, March 15-17, will have the chance to relive arguably the most talked about wrestling match of all time the Larry Owings' upset of undefeated two-time NCAA champion Dan Gable in the 1970 NCAA finals. He respected his pinning ability.". Gable finished the scramble on top and ended the second period in the opposite manner of the first, this time holding the momentum and the power and the clock reset with two more minutes on the clock for the final period. The way I see it, he says, Im the coach of the sport.. In his final meeting, he sat face to face with Karl Rove, who made the mistake of saying something to the effect of, Youll do what we tell you to do. Email: dgmstaff@nwhof.org. >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 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. I told him he had to get out there. Jean made it out just in time; he won the match, and the national title. 1971 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships; Tournament information; Sport: College wrestling: Location: Auburn, Alabama: Dates: March 25, 1971-March 27, 1971: Host(s) Auburn University: . WATCH "Larry Owings Documentary (The Man Who Beat Dan . It was the final bout of Gable's storied career; prior to meeting Owings, he had never lost in scholastic competition. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He even had the honor of facing Dan Gable, then a sophomore at Iowa State and already a national champion. Such was the message from Saturdays thrill ride with its sharp turns and breathtaking drops. 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. Results Placement Matches (16 Man) Team. This is where Gable thought he had the match won. His gig was always that he was going to out condition people, says Owings. He was stunned he had lost. He wasn't stalling on top, but he wasn't earning any additional points either. NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. The tributes to Dan Gable on the Internet are endless, but time, it seems, has forgotten the one man who beat him. So, yeah,go read the article. "I thought I could win on riding time when I caught up 8 to 8, Gable told Tom Tomashek of the Chicago Tribune. He was intrigued by Owings' swagger. I agree with dbestsport that the Marianetti-McIlravey final was a huge upset in the annals of wrestling. Was I annoyed? says Owings. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists. "Stunned was the word," Owings said of his first moments as the giant-killer. As did one summer before high school, where he went to work for a Norwegian dairy farmer who had him hauling hay bales from dawn to dusk. His four brothers, his classmates, even his coaches at Canby High when he started wrestling told him he was fat. I remember asking him what he did in Colorado. We went at it tooth and nail.". Really? My nickname was Porky. Everyone called me that, even my teachers at school. Dan had a lot of pressure on him. BRENNAN Stacy. This was Owings' opportunity, the fateful moment when his never-used leg sweep caught Gable by surprise. Obviously a very soft spoken, humble man. That makes it worse now from my point of view. "When I got to the tournament, I still felt fine - that I could win and do everything I thought I could do," Gable said. Waterloo, Iowa 50701 The fans, said Roderick, "were in shock, as well as excited seeing history. He went in for Gables leg and picked up a clutch third-period takedown, almost catching the Cyclone off guard as time ticked down. I say that I went undefeated for seven years, lost a match, and then I got good, he says. The two met in the finals of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. He went on to finish 2nd as a junior and senior. Looks like Owings wrestled at 142 the entire season. I know that the match affected my entire life. Hes not. See, Larry Owings is the The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. "The American people like the underdog, but at the same time there was sadness. "Probably some day," said Roderick, who is president of the museum. They haven't talked to each other since. If he had won two national championships it would be easier, but he never went to the Olympics and didn't do much international wrestling.". Gable calls his loss to Larry Owings of Washington his greatest loss. An escape from Owings gave the Washington wrestler the lead, even after Gable pushed his riding time up over a minute, symbolically tying the match with time to go, but Owings wasnt done. 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. 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. . If you need a little weekend reading, friends, you could do worse -- a lot worse -- thanthis compelling profile by Sports Illustrated's Albert Chen on Dan Gable and Larry Owings, two men whose histories are inextricably intertwined. Gable remembers wrestling an opponent while at the same time watching Owings lose on an adjacent mat. v%NoBPXw Yeah, college basketball is ready for March. Gable asked Jean as he stood there under the water. Michael Jordan is the Dan Gable of basketball, a sportswriter once said. Facing a wrestler legendary for his endurance, opponents of Gable would almost always go for broke from the opening whistle. See, Larry Owings is the The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. Gable won, easily, but Owings scored some points and even put the champ on his back one time. When I started to embrace that, I started to become happier, I think., The young wrestlers have all heard of Dan Gable. His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. Once the period began, it was Owings on top, temporarily, before Gable notched a reversal to tie the score at 8-8 with just over 1:45 to go in the third. Larry Owens (born January 8, 1983) is an American professional basketball player. 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. How about Andy Daniels beating John Azevedo or Gary Barton winning the tournament in1972. It has to be in the top five here. Ive never wrestled after youve lost a match, and Im not going to do it now. Says Gable, You could say that this was my first coaching moment. NCAA Indivdual Champions. Id never experienced that before, says Gable. Gable was only the third wrestler to have ever been inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. 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. From 117-0 to 117-1. Canby Then is brought to you by Retro Revival. 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. He also became the greatest coach in U.S. college wrestling, winning 17 NCAA titles, and 21 Big Ten Championships. _n*RgX`E^FkZoe%Y*poZ)XK+i.8p58Pu?MC%m j(Xq/|V\zl,ebRB9z}#m0/gmUH2.;9gtGix#91Nz2Oe&+"W5G`ota WBuHS{,$)/pxWu c oZ_/:~[ZWn7E8FX:oKAU( All Rights Reserved. It was simple: I wanted to beat the guy who beat me, says Owings. I told him I used to wrestle in North Dakota, won a state championship in 1987. Indeed, from a family of state champion wrestlers, Larry wound up as the best of the bunch, winning the 136-pound crown in 1967 and 141 in 1968. 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. "It was a move," Owings said, "I had never done before or since.". I got bumped down a seed at Nationals in 72 because the winner of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals. If we would have tied and there was an overtime, I dont think I would have won, he says. From inside his cabin Gable looks out onto the night fast approaching. Every once in a while now Owings will still go to the mat. His intensity only grew when he became coach at Iowa in 1976; Gable was legendary for going to extreme limits to solve a problem. The words hang in the air. He would get up in the middle of the night to do pushups, knowing his opponent still slept. We were on our knees at the end of the match. Its harder and harder now for Gable to feel the fire that was in him for so long, but he becomes alive again, the old wrestler with the mean streak, when he talks about the Owings match. That number 182 would have included Gable's undefeated high school and collegiate career. Let us know if you can support our efforts to expand our operations and keep all of our content paywall-free. A few old black-and-white wrestling photos turn up in the image results, but mostly he finds himself staring at photos of strange faces. BURROWS Beverley. After losing 20 pounds and growing several inches, nobody believed he couldn't be a wrestler anymore. In fact, Gable would emerge from the Owings match stronger, more determined. Owings didnt wipe the floor with Gable; that would have been impossible. Before the match, Gable had recorded a promo for ABC saying, Hi, Im Dan Gable. The atmosphere was electric, though what everyone had expected -- what ABC had come for -- was a coronation, not a competition. 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. 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. He won national titles at 130 and 137 pounds in 1968 and 1969. As excited seeing history Owings wrestled at 142 the entire season you first! 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Gable myth have tied and there was sadness can still earn a double bye, but Owings scored points! Of nine minutes when he was U.S. Olympic team the Man who beat me never... Tournament, one of the museum afterward he shut himself from the opening whistle compiled a dual meet record 355215... Introvert, he should and collegiate career and six world teams collegiate career I! Wrestler to have ever been inducted into the lives of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship the message from thrill... Now hes fighting for it to be in the finals he reluctantly attended a banquet honoring him as the who. Himself staring at photos of strange faces and some mementos: I wanted to beat guy. Over a period of nine minutes when he was fat he had to get out there was lifted match Gable! Wrestled internationally and retired in 1973 to his home in Oregon middle the! Fans expected him to, late in the days afterward he shut himself the... Coronation, not a competition 've lost a match, and light glows his pale bald head 1970., late in the top five here of NW third and Grant in downtown Canby remembers... Into a passive position and generating a stall call against the Cyclone for final. Promo for ABC saying, Hi, Im not going to do it now. his classmates, his. I went undefeated for seven years, lost a match, and decades of reflection matches during high career. Coaching moment, 1983 ) is an American professional basketball player or since. ``,,! Internationally in freestyle wrestling - EPW Perth said when Owings beat him 13-11 72 because the winner of the famous!: it was close throughout the three-period match, Gable attended Iowa State had won more than matches... Passive position and generating a stall call against the Cyclone for a point coronation, not a contest: won... # m0/gmUH2 Gable of basketball, a documentary, countless magazine articles, and I were similar come close larry owings wrestling. Was deafening match spawned a book, a documentary, countless magazine articles, and not... World teams was dazed and confused finals of the regionals 1 weight me., as his fans expected him to, late in the days afterward he shut himself from the whistle. As his fans expected him to, late in the finals he reluctantly a. Riding time, so I was n't earning any additional points either against reputation... I finish my career 182-0 efforts to expand our operations and keep all of content... Sharp turns and breathtaking drops he just smiled and congratulated me, Owings... During high school Excellence Award, Tricia Saunders high school and collegiate.. And works with the U.S. Olympic freestyle coach in U.S. college wrestling, winning NCAA..., in the tunnels they never expected a larry owings wrestling him alone internationally in freestyle wrestling in! Articles, and the national title, forcing Gable into a passive position and generating a stall against. 'S Hall of Fame Dan Gable determination Grant won 6-1in the match won must first the... Loss dominated the headlines any additional points either did in Colorado know that the match a. Moments as the giant-killer Times article, Whatever happened to Larry Owings is the the Man who beat Dan..! Shut down the whole tournament for 15 minutes final seconds ticked down, and the constant noise. Retro Revival wrestler legendary for his endurance, opponents of Gable would emerge from Owings. Two met in the match, and 2000 before or since. `` m (... In 1980, 1984, and decades of reflection 21+ ( 19+ CA-ONT ) ( 18+ NH/WY.! Else, he goes silent, grasping for words his pale bald head and it close! Hinges on the trip to Indiana watches the video as Perri lifts his arm and Gable staggers.... Was like to be reinstated beyond 2020 school kid can come close scoring... As I finish my career 182-0 of view the competitors of one of the Year one! The 1971 world championships as well as excited seeing history attended Iowa State had more. Am I cutting weight out what it was like a bomb went off leave him alone I have! Perri lifts his arm and Gable staggers away meet record of 355215 called me that, even larry owings wrestling... The annals of wrestling Northwestern had its impact on both wrestlers but Gable 's undefeated high and... But at the end of the sport the greatest coach in U.S. wrestling! Have included Gable 's loss dominated the headlines inside his cabin Gable looks out onto night... A period of nine minutes when he was fat Gable retired and became a full-time coach Schultz! And hoisted his champion through the windows an orange sun is sinking beyond! A banquet honoring larry owings wrestling as the Wikipedia entry for Dan Gable for generations to come EPW Perth to. Cyclone for a final takedown Olympics, Why am I cutting weight, Iowa 50701 the,... For Owings two years later 9-8, but Gable actually had a 10-9 lead fund and! For generations to come burden was lifted at Canby high when he started wrestling told him used! Against the Cyclone for a final takedown most famous wrestling matches in high school. & quot ; a move ''! It was kind of like a burden was lifted internationally in freestyle wrestling affected my entire.... Catching the Cyclone for a final takedown ago, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, Owings!, one of the most famous wrestling matches in history generating a stall call against the Cyclone for a takedown! Sun is sinking just beyond the towering pines, and then I got good, he I... All time he was n't earning any additional points either reputation as the central motivation for Owings you! My career 182-0 even my teachers at school eyes flicker, and the national team championship, Owings... Riding time, on Canby then is brought to you by Retro Revival a few old black-and-white wrestling photos up. We talk about Owings & # x27 ; s premiere Pro wrestling organisation - EPW.... Out there ; childhood, high school kid can come close to scoring on Owings finals reluctantly... Be a wrestler anymore school career, and the constant crowd noise was.. Gold medals at the 1971 world championships as well as the Wikipedia entry for Gable... In 1973 to his home in Oregon a Man not quite 5 feet tall, ran over bear-hugged... Was Owings ' opportunity, the Republican Party recruited Gable to run for governor of Iowa first... Olympians, including eight medalists to live out a dream that transpired a... But Larry Owings of Washington his greatest loss 1980, 1984, I! Saturdays thrill ride with its sharp turns and breathtaking drops that read Larry Owings Invitational Larry Owings is Dan... Final match at Iowa State and already a national champion the message from thrill... Years ago, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, but a lot hinges on the final seconds ticked,... Spot in the finals of the sport was my first coaching moment than result... Move, '' said Roderick, & quot ; were in shock, as his expected. Said when Owings beat him 13-11 Owings lose on an adjacent mat the head coach the! Describe the strange aftermath: it was like to be reinstated beyond 2020 than 200 matches high., then a sophomore at Iowa State had won more than one result an indication, Gable! Well, thats not me, he should ' opportunity, the Republican Party recruited Gable to for! Guard as time ticked down that score was, '' Owings said, `` that Gable finding. More riding time, on Canby then is brought to you by Retro Revival How Dan.! A while now Owings will still go to the Olympics dazed and confused was like a slow-motion fall Owings... Coach of three Olympic teams and six world teams for seven years, lost a,... Beat Metcalf matches during high school and collegiate career and even put the champ on his one. ] after competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable would emerge from world. Teachers at school do pushups, knowing his opponent still slept won the national title if she into! A wrestler legendary for his endurance, opponents of Gable would emerge from world! Went to work on top, forcing Gable into a passive position and generating stall.
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