In Chicago, though, the bubble burst. 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. Is the hardest S.O.B. When he was 15 years old, a teenager from his neighborhood raped and murdered Gable's 19-year-old sister. National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum, "Bio: Dan Gable 15 National Championships. That Gable could lose. Larry Owings As Sports Illustrated reported in its coverage of the 1970 NCAAs, "Owings was far more accomplished than most people realized. Gable asked Jean as he stood there under the water. They made up songs about me and teased me unmercifully.. Is that so? "He (Gable) was dazed and confused. Olympic Champion. 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. "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. A stalemate brought the wrestlers back to the center, but, within seconds, the match was over. But Owings honestly believed he could beat him. I was almost embarrassed to have won, he says. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. He wasn't stalling on top, but he wasn't earning any additional points either. The night before the finals he reluctantly attended a banquet honoring him as the sports Man of the Year. 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. Dan Gable was and is a god among men in the world of amateur wrestling. The NCAA shifted weight classes fairly often back then so wrestlers adjusted either up or down. "But I was distracted by Larry Owings. It's hard to win a third NCAA title. He was intrigued -- Dan and Kathy went to Washington to have a series of meetings at the White House. Owings ran three miles every morning around the Husky Stadium track, averaging six minutes a mile and sprinting the final quarter-mile in less than a minute. NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. The teasing was merciless and nearly crushed him, but it also fueled him to drop the weight and spend extra hours in the gym, and by his senior year he was the best wrestler in the state, competing in national tournaments and Olympic trials. Gable calls his loss to Larry Owings of Washington his greatest loss. 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. 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! But the scars from 1970 would never go away, and not just for Gable. His intensity only grew when he became coach at Iowa in 1976; Gable was legendary for going to extreme limits to solve a problem. 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. In fact, the result was so expected that Gable filmed a commercial with ABCs Wide World of Sports encouraging viewers to watch his final match by saying "Hi, Im Dan Gable. He holed himself up in his room, he didnt talk to anyone, he didnt even return his parents phone calls. "I thought it would be a contest. He said he "coached some wrestling ". Dan Gable has not forgotten about that night in 1970. I told him I used to wrestle in North Dakota, won a state championship in 1987. So, yeah,go read the article. SECOND PERIOD: Gable chose top to start the second period with the goal of looking for a turn against Owings for back points, but, instead, Owings, escapes and takes a shot for another two-point takedown, extending his lead to 6-2. 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.. Iowa State Coach Harold Nichols protested. The article didn't mention the fact that Caldwell had pinned Metcalf the previous season. Stillwater, OK 74075 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. 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. f&6wZ> His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. He was as relentless and as conditioned as Gable was. Graduated from Canby High School where he was a two-time OSAA champion. * 21+ (19+ CA-ONT) (18+ NH/WY). He went on to finish 2nd as a junior and senior. 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. He walked over and saw his teammate Chuck Jean there. Larry Owings Documentary: https://youtu.be/AHuD161zOBU Full match vs Dan Gable: https://youtu.be/98HYl3c0L1c Any can be beaten, nothing is impossible! They are not your average antique shop. "I could talk after that," he says. After a slow start, "He had won more than 200 matches in high school.". Both wrestlers advanced through the tournament by pinning each of their opponents. "After that match, it took me a long time to really admit a lot of things," Gable said. That number 182 would have included Gable's undefeated high school and collegiate career. It also dominated him. He is turning on his iPad, hoping to find clips of the match that would change his life in unexpected and complicated ways. 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. Now, it was like a burden was lifted. Im emotional about it because theres still a lot of meaning , Where Are They Now: Catching up with former Cavs guard Craig Ehlo, His voice trails off, and he lifts a hand to dry his eyes; something thats been buried deep is suddenly resurfacing. At Iowa State, he became an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion. in the state of Iowa really going to lose it right now? Come watch me next week as I finish my career 182-0." National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, Dave Schultz High School Excellence Award, Tricia Saunders High School Excellence Award. A few years ago, at a wrestling banquet, Les Anderson, a former assistant coach at Iowa State, pulled his former protg aside, and said, Gable, I just want to apologize for that last match. Waterloo, Iowa 50701 Gable said when Owings grabbed his leg "it was kind of like a slow-motion fall. Im emotional about it. Really? Larry Owings. I kind of wish he had gotten me with his best move.". I enjoyed your article and with no intention of being critical. He won 117 college wrestling matches with impressive dominance, setting a tone and a pace that few could match. I don't know if he planned it or not, but he got inside my head.". Owings at that moment pulled off a move that hed never done in a match: a leg sweep that caught Gable by surprise and dropped him down to the mat -- as Gable fell, he felt like he was going down in slow motion. How Tall Is Dan Gable? Before the match, Gable had recorded a promo for ABC saying, Hi, Im Dan Gable. He had won more than 200 matches in high school." Gable won, easily, but Owings scored some points and even put the champ on his back one time. 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. 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: . Many who were there that day use the same words to describe the strange aftermath: it was like a bomb went off. Results Placement Matches (16 Man) Team. Washington's Larry Owings knocked off Iowa State's Dan Gable for the 1970 NCAA championship at 142 pounds. This was where Owings wanted to be, on the mat in the middle of the action. He coached for a while, then settled into obscurity of teaching and administrating. BURROWS Beverley. 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.. 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. It was quite the pedigree, but no one expected the same from Larry, for one simple reason. Unbelievably, Mr. Flasche was my neighbor and customer at my pharmacy when he moved to our tiny, beautiful town of Troy, MT in the early 2000s. "[5], From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended Iowa State University, where he competed in folkstyle wrestling. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. Finally, Gable says in a quiet, raspy voice, I know that the match affected my entire life. There were some things I could have done We just thought you were invincible., Anderson was dying of cancer, and as Gable says, It was like he was unloading a lifelong burden., Where are They Now: Former UConn star Doron Sheffer. 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. Each wore white headgear and white kneepads. Then lost in '70 @ 142 when Owings beat him 13-11. WATCH "Larry Owings Documentary (The Man Who Beat Dan . Jean was due to wrestle in the night's final match, and the PA announcer called for the match wrestlers: Jean had three minutes to get to the mat. Gable was only the third wrestler to have ever been inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. But Dan Gable, of course, is so much more than one result. Gable began scouting Owings' matches. He attempted an arm-bar move, raising his arm over Owingss shoulder to lock him up and take him down. Well, thats not me, he says, as he reads about the retirement of Larry Owings of Brownwood, Texas. Yes. It was Gable's first loss of his collegiate wrestl. Feeling more comfortable in the match, Gable started to go for a pinning combination, but Owings defense held him off. But now he is about to try. To understand the legend of Larry Owings, you must first understand the legend of Dan Gable. He has come to peace with things he never thought he would. His senior year, he earned a spot on Wrestling USA magazine's 1967-68 High School All-American team. "I really didn't want to see it or talk about it much. The line Gable had to recite was simple: Hi, Im Dan Gable. Dan Gable won 181 consecutive matches during high school and college before losing his final match at Iowa State. The fans, said Roderick, "were in shock, as well as excited seeing history. Does all that happens without the loss to Owings? 2014. 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. He even had the honor of facing Dan Gable, then a sophomore at Iowa State and already a national champion. After losing 20 pounds and growing several inches, nobody believed he couldn't be a wrestler anymore. 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 holed himself up in his room, he didn't talk to anyone, he didn't even return his parents' phone calls. However, because of NCAA. my Events OPC Video News Powered by That has never bothered Owings. It was one of the most emotional scenes I can ever remember.". 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 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. When the 13-11 decision was announced in Owings favor, the crowd erupted in a standing ovation. This was the featured match of the tournament. After returning to Ames the next day, the first thing he did was ask teammates to wrestle him. "It was my mom's worst fear." Not in Dan Gable's mind, not in this lifetime. He went on to the sensational international and Olympic career that has already been described. He respected his pinning ability.". Owings had one more thing Gable didn't have - implacability. 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. 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. Im emotional about it because theres still a lot of meaning Gable told SI.com in 2014. 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. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. Larry Owings Invitational detail view. In 1991, Gable was awarded with the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by Cauliflower Alley Club. And then I got greedy. Gable had pinned an astonishing 70 percent of his opponents entering the final, and now he determined to pin Owings to close out his collegiate career. He won't allow it. He was U.S. Olympic freestyle coach in 1980, 1984, and 2000. He was going for his third title at 142 pounds, and virtually everyone thought he was a lock. . That wouldn't happen in 1970. He wasn't scared and had nothing to lose. 93 talking about this. 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. Larry Owings Invitational - Wrestling Event - FloWrestling Larry Owings Invitational Larry Owings Invitational on Dec 21, 2013 in Canby, OR. A sophomore had beaten the giant. In his high school career, undefeated. 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. It's never going to leave, that painful image of defeat. Check out the highlights. Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry Owings. His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. When his teammates passed him in the tunnels they never expected a hello. Theyre waiting for you to lift your head. Gable did -- and the cheering finally stopped. After beating up on them, he thought to himself, OK, I'm still good. Gable didnt feel redemption or justice, only a heavy weight lifted: in an unexpected moment of clarity, he realized that all these years hes somehow been partly blaming himself for her death. Yeah, college basketball is ready for March. Of the century. Darrell Keller, Oklahoma State DEC Larry Owings, Washington, 16-12 150 lbs Stan Dziedzic, Slippery Rock DEC Jay Arneson, Oklahoma . 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. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists. Owings will forever be in the history books because of this match, and the lesson from this moment is that anything can happen in the NCAA finals. It was the final bout of Gable's storied career; prior to meeting Owings, he had never lost in scholastic competition. 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? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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. 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. This site also has Jiu Jitsu, Beach and Belt tournaments listed. From inside his cabin Gable looks out onto the night fast approaching. FIRST PERIOD: The legend took the first shot, moving in on Owings right leg before squaring up a then fending off an attack from Owings. 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). Phone: (405) 377-5243 Gable was heartbroken. "You can't put someone in because of one match. How Much Is Dan Gable Worth? 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. Gable was one of the few. As a sophomore, he wrestled mainly in the 95-pound weight class before moving up to 112 pounds by his senior year. 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. Such was the message from Saturdays thrill ride with its sharp turns and breathtaking drops. "People are still talking about it," said Ron Good, editor of the Amateur Wrestling News. 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. 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. He coached 152 All-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten champions, and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists. Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry Owings. 2023 National Wrestling Hall Of Fame. "I had never heard that before. in-depth (8,000-word) analysis of that epic upset, https://edubirdie.com/essay-editing-service. Owings was an outstanding 29-1 for the season, Gable an astonishing 181-0 against high school and college competition. Gable grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. Two years ago, Gable got the call that Dianes killer had died in prison. Call 1-800-GAMBLER. 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. Gable wrestled collegiately at Iowa State, but spent his coaching career from 1976-1997 at the University of Iowa. 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. Phone: (405) 377-5243 11 ranked men's hoops teams in action tonight, DI indoor T&F championship selections revealed. 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. 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. I remember asking him what he did in Colorado. . How about a nod to the wrestler Owings so very wisely avoided. "I'm not going to this tournament to be a national champion. Stillwater, OK 74075 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 Gable was in the locker room when he heard the water running in the shower. "It's the biggest upset ever in the sport, and it's a fascinating story. 13-11. He went in for Gables leg and picked up a clutch third-period takedown, almost catching the Cyclone off guard as time ticked down. They were on their first date when Owings asked if she was into sports. He wrestled Gable one more time, in the 1972 Olympic Trials, losing 7-1. After defeating Gable, Owings left the crowd at Northwestern stunned having witnessed wrestling history. He could't believe he was the one affected by his opponent's reputation. The tributes to Dan Gable on the Internet are endless, but time, it seems, has forgotten the one man who beat him. He noticed that the UW wrestler was making "all kinds of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent." Facebook gives people the power to. With a score of 8-6, Gable again worked for back points before a scramble ensued. Larry Owings won the Pac 12 at 157 and went to 142 for Nationals. The match spawned a book, a documentary, countless magazine articles, and decades of reflection. Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon. How about Andy Daniels beating John Azevedo or Gary Barton winning the tournament in1972. [6], In addition to coaching folkstyle wrestling at the University of Iowa, Gable coached freestyle wrestling. In a corner of the room theres a photo of Gable on the podium after the Owings match, a close black and white shot of his face with tears in his eyes. It had a tremendous impact on my entire coaching career.". Now I read this and learn his win was the greatest upset in wrestling history at the time and still ranks in the top three.
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