Gable Gala highlights women’s wrestling, future of the sport
DES MOINES, Iowa--The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum hosted the inaugural Dan Gable Museum Gala in Des Moines, Iowa, on Saturday, Oct. 24.
The event was part of a $750,000 capital campaign for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is being transformed into a state-of-the art museum with an expanded wrestling room and training center. Updated interactive displays throughout the museum are in the works, along with a new theater.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit http://www.nwhof.org/support or contact National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum Development Officer, Mike Doughty at (319) 594-8356 or mdoughty@nwhof.org.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a not-for-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. Its mission is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire generations.
The Gala was a historic event for wrestling, especially within the state of Iowa, with all 26 state colleges with wrestling programs being represented. The event also included numerous National Wrestling Hall of Fame members, Olympians, NCAA wrestling champions, and legendary coaches.
Presenting sponsor for the event was Casey’s General Stores, while Wild Rose Casino and Resort was the corporate sponsor, and Hy-Vee and Riley Moving and Storage were table sponsors. Cornell College, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa also purchased sponsorship packages as did Kinseth Hospitalities, Jed Brown, Female Elite Wrestling, Wrestling For Life, Iowa City to Rio Committee, Dan Gable, and Dream Team of 1947.
“There were some great lines of communication from the event that will enhance the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and the sport of wrestling,” said Gable. “Thank you to all the sponsors and for those in attendance.”
Gable, namesake of the museum, was the featured speaker. His speech was about the importance of women’s wrestling, incorporating Terry Steiner, head coach at USA Wrestling for the women’s national team and three-time women’s freestyle wrestling World champion Adeline Gray.
The appearance of Steiner and Gray camp weeks after the United States women’s freestyle wrestling team earned a bronze medal team finish at the World Championships in Las Vegas. Gray earned her third World Championship in dominant fashion, outscoring her five opponents by a combined score of 49-4.
It was a great to be part of the event,” said Steiner. “It was important that Coach Gable stood up publicly and told everyone that we need to move this sport forward with women
is a huge statement. I’m honored to be part of that. We have work to do but this is a great start.”
Gable also spoke about wrestling on both the international and collegiate level, getting input from USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender and National Wrestling Coaches Association executive director Mike Moyer.
The legendary coach also promoted youth wrestling, which is a crucial part of the overall mission at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, by having four young wrestlers—two male and two female—participate in a demonstration.
The Gable Museum currently hosts daily youth programming in its onsite wrestling room, but the room needs to be expanded to accommodate increased participation. The museum currently hosts programming for both male and female wrestlers in the Dan Gable Teaching Center.
A native of Waterloo, Gable is arguably the greatest athlete and coach ever. In 1972 he won a gold medal at the Munich Olympics without surrendering a point after winning NCAA titles for Iowa State in 1968 and 1969. As the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa he led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years (1977-1997), compiling a 355-21-5 dual meet record.
[embed]https://youtu.be/yK76q6rIYeQ[/embed]
The event was part of a $750,000 capital campaign for the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.
The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is being transformed into a state-of-the art museum with an expanded wrestling room and training center. Updated interactive displays throughout the museum are in the works, along with a new theater.
If you would like to make a donation, please visit http://www.nwhof.org/support or contact National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum Development Officer, Mike Doughty at (319) 594-8356 or mdoughty@nwhof.org.The National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum is a not-for-profit organization based out of Waterloo, Iowa. Its mission is to preserve history, recognize excellence, and inspire generations.
The Gala was a historic event for wrestling, especially within the state of Iowa, with all 26 state colleges with wrestling programs being represented. The event also included numerous National Wrestling Hall of Fame members, Olympians, NCAA wrestling champions, and legendary coaches.
Presenting sponsor for the event was Casey’s General Stores, while Wild Rose Casino and Resort was the corporate sponsor, and Hy-Vee and Riley Moving and Storage were table sponsors. Cornell College, University of Iowa, and University of Northern Iowa also purchased sponsorship packages as did Kinseth Hospitalities, Jed Brown, Female Elite Wrestling, Wrestling For Life, Iowa City to Rio Committee, Dan Gable, and Dream Team of 1947.
“There were some great lines of communication from the event that will enhance the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum and the sport of wrestling,” said Gable. “Thank you to all the sponsors and for those in attendance.”
Gable, namesake of the museum, was the featured speaker. His speech was about the importance of women’s wrestling, incorporating Terry Steiner, head coach at USA Wrestling for the women’s national team and three-time women’s freestyle wrestling World champion Adeline Gray.
The appearance of Steiner and Gray camp weeks after the United States women’s freestyle wrestling team earned a bronze medal team finish at the World Championships in Las Vegas. Gray earned her third World Championship in dominant fashion, outscoring her five opponents by a combined score of 49-4.
It was a great to be part of the event,” said Steiner. “It was important that Coach Gable stood up publicly and told everyone that we need to move this sport forward with women
is a huge statement. I’m honored to be part of that. We have work to do but this is a great start.”Gable also spoke about wrestling on both the international and collegiate level, getting input from USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender and National Wrestling Coaches Association executive director Mike Moyer.
The legendary coach also promoted youth wrestling, which is a crucial part of the overall mission at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum, by having four young wrestlers—two male and two female—participate in a demonstration.
The Gable Museum currently hosts daily youth programming in its onsite wrestling room, but the room needs to be expanded to accommodate increased participation. The museum currently hosts programming for both male and female wrestlers in the Dan Gable Teaching Center.
A native of Waterloo, Gable is arguably the greatest athlete and coach ever. In 1972 he won a gold medal at the Munich Olympics without surrendering a point after winning NCAA titles for Iowa State in 1968 and 1969. As the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa he led the Hawkeyes to 15 NCAA team titles in 21 years (1977-1997), compiling a 355-21-5 dual meet record.
[embed]https://youtu.be/yK76q6rIYeQ[/embed]
Our Mission: To honor the sport of wrestling by preserving its history, recognizing extraordinary individual achievements, and inspiring future generations