The UPI reported:
President Donald Trump awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom on Monday to Olympic wrestling gold medalist and collegiate coaching great Dan Gable.
Gable won a gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympic Games in Munich and finished his collegiate career at Iowa State with a record of 117-1.
Gable later went on to become one of the most successful college wrestling coaches of all-time over a span of 21 years at rival Iowa. His Hawkeye teams won 15 national championships and he coached a total of 152 All-Americans before retiring in 1997.
Iowa’s current wrestling coach wrestled for Iowa under Gable and he shared this:
Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands, who wrestled under Gable as a student-athlete there, said he learned a lifetime of lessons from the legendary coach.
“My brother and I are keen on the lessons we learned from him,” Brands said. “That will never change. This award is awesome because it puts Dan Gable in context and brings him back front and center. Gable was a winner. He did not lose.”
The NCAA says this about Gable:
“Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination and a hard-to-find alloy called guts.”
These words, written about Gable from an interview and not directly spoken by the wrestling legend, still stand out as a true marker of the mindset of this champion. Gable had his fair share of golds, and, as a three-time conference champion and two-time NCAA champion, he’s one of the best to ever compete in the sport. Gable amassed a college record of 117-1 — losing just once in his career as a senior in the NCAA finals — when he wrestled for the Iowa State Cyclones from 1966-1970.
While the loss ruined Gable’s chance of a perfect record, the Iowa native built upon his legacy further as a coach for the Iowa Hawkeyes from 1976-1997. He won 15 NCAA team titles to etch his name in history as one of the greatest coaches of all time. Gable’s coached 45 NCAA champions, 12 Olympians, 152 All-Americans and 106 conference champions. Dan Gable is synonymous with wrestling and his presence hangs over the Hawkeye wrestling room that bears his name.
Here is President Trump awarding Dan Gable for his efforts:
Trump: "Now, I'm larger than you a little bit. Do you think I could take you in wrestling now? Would I have a big advantage?"
Gable: "You would have no chance." 😂🐐pic.twitter.com/oQJLgAyJa2
— WeAreWrestlers (@WeAreWrestlers) December 7, 2020