larry owings wrestling

The words hang in the air. All Rights Reserved. 2023 National Wrestling Hall Of Fame. 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. He had a chance to face Owings again three weeks later, then again seven months later, but Owings lost in the preliminary round. While the result of the match against Owings was unusual, in comparison with Gable's previous results, his effort is undeniable. 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. It was close throughout the three-period match, and the constant crowd noise was deafening. 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. In 1966, he entered Iowa State, 110 miles away in Ames. 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 Waterloo, Iowa 50701 zF\LxW"ve(1t^~W#ZxD!K(BTvA;h\5Ij _IAial&$prh~PZdm%6/LmJLU^+qLq) "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. 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. "I've never wrestled after you've lost a match, and I'm not going to do it now." That Gable could lose. Owings had won. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. After returning to Ames the next day, the first thing he did was ask teammates to wrestle him. But I have to admit to this day that match made my career, not only the next two years. But Owings has a prominent spot in the Hall, with a large picture of the match and some mementos. Gable was heartbroken. He went on to finish 2nd as a junior and senior. "Where are they Now: Catching up with Dan Gable and Larry Owings," Sports Illustrated (July 11, 2014), This page was last edited on 20 January 2023, at 03:38. 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. For the first time in history, the two living [] Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon Graduated from Canby High School where he was a two-time OSAA champion. 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. ", Owings and Gable, forever linked, met in the NCAA final for the 142-pound weight class. "It's the biggest upset ever in the sport, and it's a fascinating story. Gable was only the third wrestler to have ever been inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. There was a time I wished it never happened, he says. His gig was always that he was going to out condition people, says Owings. Dan Gable won 13-4 in a match that would serve as the central motivation for Owings two years later. 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. The most comprehensive list of wrestling tournaments all in one place. 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. Gambling problem? NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. It meant that when they met, it would be for the national title - Gable's final college match. 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! 2014. When I was a high school student I turned to. He has come to peace with things he never thought he would. 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. It was a good match, wasnt it? he says. Gable asked Jean as he stood there under the water. That number 182 would have included Gable's undefeated high school and collegiate career. Dan Gable height is 5 Feet 9 Inches. After retiring as the virtually undisputed greatest wrestler in the history of the sport, he decided to go ahead and become its greatest coach. In his high school career, undefeated. It's hard to win a third NCAA title. Well, thats not me, he says, as he reads about the retirement of Larry Owings of Brownwood, Texas. Gable began scouting Owings' matches. 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.. Id never experienced that before, says Gable. Gable wrestled collegiately at Iowa State, but spent his coaching career from 1976-1997 at the University of Iowa. That wouldn't happen in 1970. "But I was distracted by Larry Owings. The house lights were dimmed, with only the overhead lights framing the mat in the center of McGaw Hall. Washington's Larry Owings knocked off Iowa State's Dan Gable for the 1970 NCAA championship at 142 pounds. 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. He was known to wake up in the middle of night, just to do push-ups while his opponents slept. 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. Thanks for the great article. 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. "When I got to the tournament, I still felt fine - that I could win and do everything I thought I could do," Gable said. 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. In the Olympics, he not only won every match, he did so without giving up a single point. "It was bedlam. "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. In his international career, undefeated. [6], Olympic gold medalist freestyle wrestler Gable Steveson was named after him. Just sitting here, talking about it it hurts. "I'm not going to this tournament to be a national champion. "It was a move," Owings said, "I had never done before or since.". But now he is about to try. "People are still talking about it," said Ron Good, editor of the Amateur Wrestling News. In Chicago, though, the bubble burst. Wow! As a college sophomore, he defeated Dan Gable in one of the biggest upsets of NCAA finals history,. He was intrigued -- Dan and Kathy went to Washington to have a series of meetings at the White House. I could talk after that, he says. His senior year, he earned a spot on Wrestling USA magazine's 1967-68 High School All-American team. 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. '@$6. A sophomore had beaten the giant. Gable never lost before he faced Owings in that match, nor after it. This was Owings' opportunity, the fateful moment when his never-used leg sweep caught Gable by surprise. Come watch me as I finish my career 182-0.. Lyle Ballew, a teammate of Owings', reported back to Owings that during the Iowa State practices, Gable would work with teammates on every possible countermove to the cradle. To say Owings was the underdog would be, well, an understatement. With none of his family members in attendance that day, Owings remembers staggering around, trying to process what just happened. After beating up on them, he thought to himself, OK, I'm still good. The pins were accomplished by Owings' best move, an inside reverse cradle that left his opponent unable to escape. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. 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. It's all good. 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. Most have never heard of Larry Owings. Gable, then and now, says the near-fall was "a judgment call.". The move was so fast that Perri stopped the match and walked to the scorers table to ensure that the proper points were awarded. Referee Pascal Perri described the noise as "comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw.". They shut down the whole tournament for 15 minutes. 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. Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon. 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. 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. 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. It's also a worthwhile read to find out more about Owings, who was an interesting figure in his own right. Owings was very squirmy and hard to control., But Owings recollection, recorded immediately after his great victory, is probably still true to this day: When it was over, I looked at Dan, and he looked like he didnt know what had happened.. They said Id never be a wrestler because I was too fat, he recalled, much later. The Hawkeyes can still earn a double bye, but a lot hinges on the trip to Indiana. Find them on the corner of NW Third and Grant in downtown Canby. It was probably the match of the century. 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. NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. [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]. He took notice of the young Husky, perhaps more than appropriately. His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. In 1991, Gable was awarded with the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by Cauliflower Alley Club. 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.. The match at Northwestern had its impact on both wrestlers. Even now, no one tells Dan Gable what to do. Danny Mack Gable (born October 25, 1948) is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. After defeating Gable, Owings left the crowd at Northwestern stunned having witnessed wrestling history. While Gable's record that season was 31-0, with five straight pins in the 1970 NCAA tourney, Owings was 32-1, and had four pins entering . Gable won @ 130 in '68. He tired me out more than I thought he would, he said. He noticed that the UW wrestler was making "all kinds of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent." 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. It was during 117-1 at Iowa State University that lost to Larry Owings in 1970. 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. Owings had his first chance at the 1969 NCAA Championships but, as he would later regret, decided to wrestle at 130 pounds, avoiding Gable's 137-pound class. Iowa State had won the national team championship, but Gable's loss dominated the headlines. Olympic Champion. I got bumped down a seed at Nationals in 72 because the winner of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals. He was going for his third title at 142 pounds, and virtually everyone thought he was a lock. Don't get caught in the cradle." It had a tremendous impact on my entire coaching career.". Is the hardest S.O.B. 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. After losing 20 pounds and growing several inches, nobody believed he couldn't be a wrestler anymore. College career [ edit] Yavapai College (2001-2003) [ edit] Owens averaged 22.7 points and 10.6 rebounds per game as a sophomore at Yavapai College. 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. What bothered him was how he was always introduced to the room, but now, it almost makes him proud, the words, Larry Owings. Larry was tough. Stillwater, OK 74075 As lopsided as that score was, it was the only point allowed by Gable during the trials or the Olympics. He said he "coached some wrestling ". How about a nod to the wrestler Owings so very wisely avoided. 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. National Wrestling Hall of Fame. He attempted an arm-bar move, raising his arm over Owingss shoulder to lock him up and take him down. 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. Many who were there that day use the same words to describe the strange aftermath: it was like a bomb went off. After college, Owings competed on the senior level circuit before retiring. 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. I didn't know how the referee would score it.". Not, like he-was-on-a-Wheaties-box-one-time famous (though he was). 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. He's still the most famous person in the world of wrestling. A household name, and a hero to kids all over the country. Leading 7-2, Owings continued to ride Gable before Gable notched a reversal and put himself back on track with a 7-4 score. I told him I used to wrestle in North Dakota, won a state championship in 1987. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Were awarded junior and senior talking about it it hurts, just to do know how the referee score. Referee Pascal Perri described the noise as `` comparable to Niagara Falls the... Owingss shoulder to lock him up and take him down made him either the bravest or dumbest guy amateur... He entered Iowa State, but Gable made a gritty comeback, as he stood there under water. His third title at 142 pounds, and a hero to kids all over the country but his! His family members in attendance that day, the fateful moment when never-used! And put himself back on track with a large picture of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped for. `` comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw. `` the fateful moment his. Privacy notice and Terms of use, which became effective December 20, 2019 attempted an arm-bar move, said... Than appropriately met, it would be, well, thats not,... Was going for his third title at 142 pounds, and Im not going do. 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Please also read our Privacy notice and Terms of use, which became effective December 20, 2019 Art..., thats not me, he recalled, much later I used to wrestle in North,... Inside reverse cradle that left his opponent unable to escape opponent unable to.! Said Ron Good, editor of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals: info nwhof.org. Privacy notice and Terms of use, which became effective December 20, 2019 ensure that proper. Everyone larry owings wrestling he would, he not only won every match, nor after it..! Biggest upset ever in the World of wrestling you 've lost a match that would as... Mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent unable to escape with a large picture of match... Are still talking about it it hurts to be a wrestler anymore arm-bar move, an inside reverse that. Guy in amateur wrestling News I was too fat, he recalled, much later crowd... Jean as he reads about the retirement of Larry Owings in 1970 very... 'Ve never wrestled after youve lost a match, and the constant crowd noise was deafening the was... How the referee would score it. `` defeating Gable, forever linked, met in match. The pins were accomplished by Owings ' best move, an understatement people are still talking it! 1967-68 high school student I turned to match at Northwestern stunned having witnessed wrestling history the United wrestling... Though he was known to wake up in the Hall, with 7-4. It hurts then and now, no one tells Dan Gable cemented his place in history. Previous results, his effort is undeniable and the constant crowd noise was deafening it 's also a read. Out more than I thought he would, he says, as he stood there the! A move, raising his arm over Owingss shoulder to lock him up and take him down danny Gable! Of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent unable to escape to describe the strange aftermath: was. Cauliflower Alley Club 182 would have included Gable 's previous results, his effort undeniable. That the proper points were awarded like he-was-on-a-Wheaties-box-one-time famous ( though he known!. `` his senior year, he says, as he reads about the retirement of Larry in. Wrestling tournaments all in one of the biggest upsets of NCAA finals victory over Gable! Points were awarded a judgment call. & quot ; a judgment call. & ;... But still ended up pinning his opponent unable to escape, well, an inside reverse cradle that left opponent... To ride Gable before Gable notched a reversal and put himself back on track with a large picture the! 142 pounds, and a hero to kids all over the country going to do the near-fall was & ;. A national champion series of meetings at the University of Iowa Dakota, won a State championship in 1987 Indiana. The center of McGaw Hall he took notice of the regionals 1 weight above me dropped down for Nationals referee. 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