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Dan Gable

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Wrestler

The Resume

    (October 25, 1948- )
    Born in Waterloo, Iowa
    Won a gold medal in freestyle wrestling at the Munich Olympics (1972)
    Overall amateur record of 299-6-3
    Coached the University of Iowa wrestling team (1976-97)
    NCAA record of 355-21-5
    Head coach of the US Olympic freestyle wrestling team (1984, 2000)

Why he might be annoying:

    His training regimen included wearing weights while mowing the lawn.
    After his only college defeat, he said, ‘At first, I couldn't face my parents. I felt I had let them down.'
    While training for the Olympics, he would wake up in the middle of the night, think ‘The Russians might be training' and do sit-ups and push-ups until he went back to sleep.
    When the US Olympic team was invited to the White House, he decided not to attend because it would interfere with his training schedule.
    He was so wrapped up in the competition at the Olympics that during an interview he did not immediately realize that the reporter was talking about the murder of Israeli athletes.

Why he might not be annoying:

    On at least one occasion, police were called to the house because his father was beating him and his sister.
    His older sister was raped and murdered in the family home while he and his parents were on a fishing trip (1964).
    Despite a painful knee injury, he did not lose a single point to an opponent at the Olympics.
    He coached Iowa to nine straight NCAA championships (1978-86), tying the record for the longest streak of titles for any college in any sport.
    He coached Iowa to a 17th NCAA title while on crutches following hip replacement surgery (1997).
    Tom Cruise called Gable his greatest hero.

Credit: C. Fishel


Featured in the following Annoying Collections:

Year In Review:

    In 2023, Out of 13 Votes: 38.46% Annoying
    In 2022, Out of 21 Votes: 23.81% Annoying
    In 2021, Out of 29 Votes: 48.28% Annoying
    In 2020, Out of 7 Votes: 28.57% Annoying
    In 2019, Out of 34 Votes: 61.76% Annoying
    In 2018, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2017, Out of 1 Votes: 100% Annoying
    In 2016, Out of 10 Votes: 40.0% Annoying
    In 2015, Out of 7 Votes: 42.86% Annoying
    In 2014, Out of 27 Votes: 62.96% Annoying
    In 2013, Out of 60 Votes: 65.00% Annoying
    In 2012, Out of 20 Votes: 50.0% Annoying
    In 2011, Out of 98 Votes: 54.08% Annoying
    In 2010, Out of 76 Votes: 63.16% Annoying
    In 2009, Out of 38 Votes: 55.26% Annoying
    In 2008, Out of 46 Votes: 41.30% Annoying
    In 2007, Out of 90 Votes: 54.44% Annoying