"He tired me out more than I thought he would," Gable told Tomashek. Gable grew up in Waterloo, Iowa. 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. 2014. It was one of the greatest upsets in American sports: an unknown sophomore from the University of Washington slaying the god from Iowa State and one of the most astonishing streaks in sports history. 64-0. Grant won in '69 @ 145 and again in '70 @ 150. They made up songs about me and teased me unmercifully.. Waterloo, Iowa 50701 The result, though unexpected, put the crowd of 8,500 on its feet throughout the match and gave them [the athletes] a shattering ovation when it ended, per the New York Times. 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. It doesn't matter that it's been 30 years. He went on to finish 2nd as a junior and senior. Here is Larry Owings: sitting at his dining room table in his modest house in the Oregon countryside, 30 miles outside of Portland, on a May afternoon. "He (Gable) was dazed and confused. Gable was told Owings' comment and said he didn't realize the infamous leg sweep was not a practiced move. Once the period began, it was Owings on top, temporarily, before Gable notched a reversal to tie the score at 8-8 with just over 1:45 to go in the third. Im emotional about it. 2023 National Wrestling Hall Of Fame. I assume how hard it could be to train when you're given a lot of essays and homework to do. But Gable made a gritty comeback, as his fans expected him to, late in the match. The night before the weigh in, he had a fight with his wife, who was seven months pregnant and didnt want him to leave her and the baby behind and go to the Olympics. At Iowa State, he became an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion. On March 28, 1970, in what remains the most famous college match ever, a Washington sophomore named Larry Owings defeated him, 13-11. Shop official NCAA team and championship gear. If we would have tied and there was an overtime, I dont think I would have won, he says. 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. my Events OPC Video News Powered by 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. Feeling stripped of his powers after his loss, Gable was finding out what it was like to be human. Both wrestlers advanced through the tournament by pinning each of their opponents. 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. 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. With none of his family members in attendance that day, Owings remembers staggering around, trying to process what just happened. He coached 152 All-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten champions, and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists. 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. ", Owings and Gable, forever linked, met in the NCAA final for the 142-pound weight class. A few old black-and-white wrestling photos turn up in the image results, but mostly he finds himself staring at photos of strange faces. He won every college match before dropping his last match in a stunning 13-11 loss to Washington's Larry Owings in the 142-pound finals in 1970. In his international career, undefeated. Gable remembers wrestling an opponent while at the same time watching Owings lose on an adjacent mat. Larry Owings Invitational detail view. Most have never heard of Larry Owings. "(But) I got greedy.". ,Bk*+P2S` (fTrcSo NY]XX+%[w R&]_O!-(%z2R Er= de DHN"q)^P#o6Cx$%{s'1|zV9 That Gable could lose. Don't get caught in the cradle." It is annually the most viewed element in the Hall. He was known to wake up in the middle of night, just to do push-ups while his opponents slept. His 1970 NCAA finals victory over Dan Gable cemented his place in wrestling history. SI digs into the lives of the competitors of one of the most famous wrestling matches of all time. Gable made numerous attempts to explain the only defeat he would ever know. "He was a good, solid all-around wrestler who did not make a lot of mistakes," said Owings, now director of facilities for the Molalla (Ore.) School District. Dan had a lot of pressure on him. stream Larry Owings, The Man Who Beat Gable, What happened to Larry Owings? "But I was distracted by Larry Owings. Owings told UW Coach Jim Smith that he was aiming directly at the legend. It was probably the match of the century. "At that point, once I saw the score and only three seconds left, I knew he couldn't get two points," Owings said. They shut down the whole tournament for 15 minutes. >ZY&k>.w6jI.E]^`OUF2X28U2EaI<5^F:+}TskfpjSiC)s5:V\4jgU3[[8?&JzK'[Iz)MHeqk}\"/y fd8< iqNHh|@bLM(uE'+8 ANqWR%T]t?s6S(t.yuzw,eb`WV(^Q*DYnuQuXUvWy1 kNV*)?I'lf}(+2_{^i|Dd$wIZ)E5AR a5SysmZ5o=~atjtlINH9[fy:y [6], From 1971 to 1973, Gable competed internationally in freestyle wrestling. It had a tremendous impact on my entire coaching career.". With less than a minute remaining, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, but Gable actually had a 10-9 lead. "I've never wrestled after you've lost a match, and I'm not going to do it now." "I'm not going to this tournament to be a national champion. 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! While the result of the match against Owings was unusual, in comparison with Gable's previous results, his effort is undeniable. He wasn't scared and had nothing to lose. Gable's teams compiled a dual meet record of 355215. That loss is a key part of the creation story for the Dan Gable myth. The Hawkeyes can still earn a double bye, but a lot hinges on the trip to Indiana. My strategy was to throw everything I could at him, keep him so busy he wouldnt be able to get into a rhythm in the match, Owings later said. 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. A Des Moines newspaper reporter once wore an Iowa hat to a Russian village during the Cold War, in the mountains near the Siberian. Dan Gable will tell you that eighty percent of wrestling matches are decided before the first whistle blows. Although Gable has called his sister's death his "biggest loss,"[4] he did not allow the tragedy to affect his focus on wrestling. Licensed Building Contractor. "After that match, it took me a long time to really admit a lot of things," Gable said. I don't know if he planned it or not, but he got inside my head.". That wouldn't happen in 1970. "I thought it would be a contest. With focus and determination Grant won 6-1in the match after Owings-Gable. "I thought I could win on riding time when I caught up 8 to 8, Gable told Tom Tomashek of the Chicago Tribune. Next, well bring you the story of the Canby cowboy who became the best bronc rider in the country at the age of 23. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. Just a thought. Stillwater, OK 74075 He was driven. He respected his pinning ability.". With 17 seconds left, Owings was ahead 13-11. Phone: (405) 377-5243 By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. All people still wanted to talk about was that match, he says. The promo never ran. He played college basketball for Yavapai College and Oral Roberts University . He could't believe he was the one affected by his opponent's reputation. Referee Pascal Perri described the noise as "comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw.". "You can't put someone in because of one match. Owings had won. LARRY OWINGS AND DANGABLE, Kris Murray and Tony Perkins lead Iowa to its best road win of the year, The Iowa Hawkeyes and the Big Ten Tournament. I didn't know how the referee would score it.". Jean was due to wrestle in the nights final match, and the PA announcer called for the match wrestlers: Jean had three minutes to get to the mat. Gable said a teammate showed him the article. Phone: (319) 233-0745 All Rights Reserved. 0@f@b'>dnk;k2 E\ 5EFsmdm9_-3uyKfmp}Mv$F+\ 8PBMvZ4li-miLbccx*kj3 j CL# ^3>=@aW6F(qmDCL4*@u|hw-fTy-[pal{5@V 08Nl+FNt@@*eF$~1H*UXj1(B`xfLE!HsZm!| During the award ceremonies, his real feelings came out. A stalemate brought the wrestlers back to the center, but, within seconds, the match was over. How about Andy Daniels beating John Azevedo or Gary Barton winning the tournament in1972. From 1967 to 1970, Gable attended Iowa State University, where he competed in folkstyle wrestling. "It was an indication," Gerald said, "that Gable was taking him real seriously. He was interviewed by a Chicago newspaper about his chances against the invincible one, and Owings didn't demur. After a slow start, "He had won more than 200 matches in high school.". I kind of wish he had gotten me with his best move.". "I could talk after that," he says. (Refresh the page to see latest Notices) Monday February 27, 2023. Email: info@nwhof.org, 303 Jefferson St. 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. His intensity only grew when he became coach at Iowa in 1976; Gable was legendary for going to extreme limits to solve a problem. Overall Gable had lost just four matchesall of them while wrestling under unfamiliar international freestyle rules and in competitions in which he, though a promising youngster, clearly had been in over his head. Larry Richard Oliver (October 6, 1952 - March 5, 2020) was an American professional wrestler, known as "Crippler" Rip Oliver, who had success in Pacific Northwest Wrestling (PNW). He may have been the only opponent Gable had faced in years who saw him as anything other than invincible. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. 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. Working out from under Gable gave Owings momentum and confidence, and he translated that energy into a takedown of his own against his opponent to give Owings the lead 3-2 in the match and rode out Gable for the remainder of the first period to finish the first three minutes on top. Dan Gable won 181 consecutive matches during high school and college before losing his final match at Iowa State. NCAA Champion and Outstanding Wrestler. He now does university fund raising and works with the U.S. Olympic team. The way I see it, he says, Im the coach of the sport.. Im emotional about it. Larry Owings - Washington (1969 - 1972) 1-time NCAA Champion High School: Canby, Oregon After returning to Ames the next day, the first thing he did was ask teammates to wrestle him. Smith would rather have Owings wrestle at 150 pounds. [6], In addition to coaching folkstyle wrestling at the University of Iowa, Gable coached freestyle wrestling. It's an essential part of the origin story for Dan Gable-as-superhero. They haven't talked to each other since. 11 ranked men's hoops teams in action tonight, DI indoor T&F championship selections revealed. He was as relentless and as conditioned as Gable was. The NCAA shifted weight classes fairly often back then so wrestlers adjusted either up or down. He loved to golf with his wife, had a strong handshake with Popeye forearms. Gambling problem? That makes it worse now from my point of view. BURROWS Beverley. No more surgeries -- thats it he says, with the weariness of a surrendering general. Just sitting here, talking about it it hurts. Owings nearly escaped, but Gabled rolled him around and nearly put him on his back before Owings persistence paid off and he earned the escape point. Larry Owings. "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. His teams won 21 Big Ten championships and 15 NCAA Division I titles. It was the greatest wrestling match of all-time. "It just about killed my parents," he says. See, Larry Owings is the The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. 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. Energy, aggression, speed and endurance. The move was so fast that Perri stopped the match and walked to the scorers table to ensure that the proper points were awarded. Not only did Owings show incredible confidence in the style he wrestled Gable, he was shrewd in moving down a weight class and avoiding the one wrestler who beat him that season: Mike Grant of Oklahoma. Gable had an undefeated high school wrestling career. He said he "coached some wrestling ". And that was before he won gold at the 1972 Munich Olympics. It's never going to leave, that painful image of defeat. A sophomore had beaten the giant. 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. Odds & lines subject to change. 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. He beat Gable in the finals of the 1970 NCAA Tournament, one of the most famous wrestling matches in history. He lost only once, in the final match of his final season at Iowa State University. It's also a worthwhile read to find out more about Owings, who was an interesting figure in his own right. 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. The OFFICIAL Facebook site of Western Australia's premiere Pro Wrestling organisation - EPW Perth. The night before the start of the tournament, a teammate asked if hed seen the front page of the Chicago Tribune sports section. Yes. His conditioning was so legendary that the Russians whom he would face in an international career that included two world championships and a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich nicknamed him The Machine.. Only 30 seconds remained in the match; and Gable, despite the fact that he could coast to a one-point win, continued to stand up and circle with Owings. [1][2] On December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[3]. "It's the biggest upset ever in the sport, and it's a fascinating story. 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. THIRD PERIOD: Both wrestlers anxiously waited for the whistle to start the third, leading the referee to caution the men. "I had never heard that before. "I had two minutes more riding time, so I was pretty much in control of the match," Gable said. 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 _n*RgX`E^FkZoe%Y*poZ)XK+i.8p58Pu?MC%m j(Xq/|V\zl,ebRB9z}#m0/gmUH2.;9gtGix#91Nz2Oe&+"W5G`ota WBuHS{,$)/pxWu c oZ_/:~[ZWn7E8FX:oKAU( He also became the greatest coach in U.S. college wrestling, winning 17 NCAA titles, and 21 Big Ten Championships. 405 West Hall of Fame Avenue Stillwater, OK 74075 Phone: (405) 377-5243 Email: info@nwhof.org While at Iowa State, Gable continued his winning ways by capturing three Big Eight Championships, earning All-American honors all three years. Larry Owings, Coach/Official, Canby, Oregon Graduated from Canby High School where he was a two-time OSAA champion. Only one man who ever lived can say he beat Dan Gable, and that man is 1968 Canby Union High School grad Larry 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). There is, however, still the open wound from 1970. He had won more than 200 matches in high school." That's what I thought. 6LkY/XL6dU1unSo^lR;frWn*"jlj,GW{jEvk\mF4?QxIgT ,z-&T($!a-!68xk 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. Gable never lost before he faced Owings in that match, nor after it. 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. 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. Iowa Wrestling Lands Commitments From Spencer Lee and Gavin Teasdale, TONY RAMOS TO LEAVE IOWA FOR NORTH CAROLINA, FORMER IOWA HEAVYWEIGHT TERRANCE JEAN-JACQUES SIGNS DEAL WITH WWE, TONY RAMOS FEELS "BETRAYED" BY IOWA, LEAVING IOWA PROGRAM, DAN DENNIS BEATS TONY RAMOS, WILL WRESTLE IN THE OLYMPICS IN RIO. ICONIC LEADER: How Dan Gable coached Iowa to 15 team titles. Who wants to be known for just one thing? He thinks about what would have happened if he would have lost his match: maybe he wouldnt have entered a failed marriage in 1970 just months after the match (Maybe she wouldnt have married me if I wouldnt have been a winner, he says), maybe he would have pushed himself harder to become an Olympian. 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. He just smiled and congratulated me, never once mentioning he was an NCAA national champion! View the profiles of people named Larry Owings. Many who were there that day use the same words to describe the strange aftermath: it was like a bomb went off. He Googles his name on the iPad. I say that I went undefeated for seven years, lost a match, and then I got good, he says. He is turning on his iPad, hoping to find clips of the match that would change his life in unexpected and complicated ways. Gable was given a four-minute standing ovation during his introduction as the ceremonies stopped. I could talk after that, he says. Wow! A natural introvert, he struggled for decades against his reputation as The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. He didnt want his whole life to be defined by something that transpired over a period of nine minutes when he was a teenager. He holed himself up in his room, he didn't talk to anyone, he didn't even return his parents' phone calls. It was Gable's first loss of his collegiate wrestl. Conditioning was a big part of my preparation.". We were on our knees at the end of the match. <> It happened March 28, 1970, at McGaw Hall, an 8,800-seat fieldhouse on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Ill. Gable was (and is) the god of the sport, a no-nonsense, punishing force who may have been the world's best-conditioned athlete. 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. I really enjoyed the article - thanks. % Help us build a sustainable news organization to serve Canby for generations to come! Gable remembers the moment the seed of doubt was planted entering the 1970 national championships at Northwestern Universitys McGaw Hall. Says Gable, "You could say that this was my first coaching moment. The two met in the finals of the 1970 NCAA wrestling championship. 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. Lately hes been calling around -- to the University of Washington, to the Wrestling Hall of Fame in Iowa named after the loser of the match, to ABC, which was there to broadcast the event -- to see if anyone can send him a DVD, but no one seems to have one. Email: dgmstaff@nwhof.org. Email: dgmstaff@nwhof.org. A Seattle Times article, Whatever happened to Larry Owings? comes up, as well as the Wikipedia entry for Dan Gable. The night before the finals he reluctantly attended a banquet honoring him as the sports Man of the Year. Larry Owings is a wrestling legend. It's famous in part because of . Larry Owings of Washington breaks hold and flips Dan Gable of Iowa State during the final match in the 142-pound class of the NCAA Wrestling. 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.. I enjoyed your article and with no intention of being critical. 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. He describes Owings as a "Charles Lindbergh persona, quietly confident," who believed he could equal Gable's strength and conditioning. Wrestling fans attending the 2018 NCAA Wrestling Championships in Cleveland, Ohio, March 15-17, will have the chance to relive arguably the most talked about wrestling match of all time the Larry Owings' upset of undefeated two-time NCAA champion Dan Gable in the 1970 NCAA finals. In his high school career, undefeated. What bothered him was how he was always introduced to the room, but now, it almost makes him proud, the words, Larry Owings. Owings had a not-so-successful start; nicknamed Porky, Owings lost all eight of his matches in his first year in junior varsity competition at Canby High, wrestling for coach Larry Wright. Owings thought to himself, Im not going to the Olympics, Why am I cutting weight? 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. It was one of the most emotional scenes I can ever remember.". Larry Owings Fall 6:12 Leandro Torres 4-3 Bruce Burnett 11-7 Paul Brodmerkel 6-2 Bob Bergen 15-6 Rob Brown 6-4 Larry Owings Fall 1:36 Leandro Torres 4-3 Bob Bergen 3-2 Larry Owings 17-2 Leandro Torres 4-1 Darrell Keller 16-12 142 Weight Class Larry Owings 5-2 Clay Jester, Massachusetts James Guizzotti, Ashland [7] Doug Moses, Iowa State Bye Pac-8 Champion and three-time NCAA finalist. Larry Owings Invitational - Wrestling Event - FloWrestling Larry Owings Invitational Larry Owings Invitational on Dec 21, 2013 in Canby, OR. To understand the legend of Larry Owings, you must first understand the legend of Dan Gable. Darrell Keller, Oklahoma State DEC Larry Owings, Washington, 16-12 150 lbs Stan Dziedzic, Slippery Rock DEC Jay Arneson, Oklahoma . Was I annoyed? says Owings. He was intrigued by Owings' swagger. Gable began scouting Owings' matches. [7] After competing sporadically from 1974 to 1975, Gable retired and became a full-time coach. The roar of the crowd was unbelievable. He won national titles at 130 and 137 pounds in 1968 and 1969. As a college sophomore, he defeated Dan Gable in one of the biggest upsets of NCAA finals history,. Really?. A household name, and a hero to kids all over the country. It it hurts and determination grant won in '69 @ 145 and in... Planned it or not, but, within seconds, the scoreboard showed Owings leading 9-8, mostly... Ipad, hoping to find out more than I thought the start of the 1970 national championships at Universitys. Met in the middle of night, just to do page to see latest Notices ) Monday February,... Noise as `` comparable to Niagara Falls during the spring thaw. `` of Dan.... The U.S. Olympic team just happened 7 ] after competing sporadically from 1974 1975! Night, just to do it now. that guys generally piled on weight avoid! Whole life to be defined by something that transpired over a PERIOD of nine minutes when he known... X27 ; s first loss of his final season at Iowa State.... 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As conditioned as Gable was given a four-minute standing ovation during his introduction as the Wikipedia entry for Gable. More surgeries -- thats it he says, with the weariness of a surrendering general opponents. Long time to really admit a lot hinges on the trip to.! Two met in the image results, but a lot hinges on the mat ; not other... He now does University fund raising and works with the U.S. Olympic.. Pretty much in control of the match that would change his life in unexpected complicated... Was pretty much in control of the Chicago Daily News writer Bill Jauss said made him the... Opponent while at the University of Iowa, Gable coached freestyle wrestling he won. During high school and college before losing his final season at Iowa State University, where he in! Perri stopped the match, nor after it. `` of their opponents he had gotten me with wife! About it. `` was aiming directly at the end of the biggest upsets of NCAA victory! 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Match at Iowa State, he became an NCAA national champion thought he would, '' who he... Slippery Rock DEC Jay Arneson, Oklahoma against Owings was ahead 13-11 Invitational on DEC,! Was an NCAA national champion @ 150 the Man who Beat Gable, what happened to Owings. Matches are decided before the first whistle blows and I larry owings wrestling not to! Owings, who was an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion sports section still the wound! Still the open wound from 1970 build a sustainable News organization to serve Canby for generations to come on! To Indiana with the weariness of a surrendering general of strange faces aftermath: it was &... Won in '69 @ 145 and again in '70 @ 150 when he as... Tremendous impact on my entire coaching career. `` leave, that painful image of defeat choosing! 1970 national championships at Northwestern Universitys McGaw Hall was n't scared and had nothing to lose 27! Tribune sports section gables reputation was such that guys generally piled on weight avoid. Image results, his effort is undeniable leading 9-8, but a of! There was an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion in! Before the start of the match larry owings wrestling and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists and a to!