There was a time I wished it never happened, he says. Im not going out there, Jean said. I gave it everything I had.. Larry Owings Documentary: https://youtu.be/AHuD161zOBU Full match vs Dan Gable: https://youtu.be/98HYl3c0L1c Any can be beaten, nothing is impossible! By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. NCAA Indivdual Champions. I know that the match affected my entire life. 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. They haven't talked to each other since. Unbelievably, Mr. Flasche was my neighbor and customer at my pharmacy when he moved to our tiny, beautiful town of Troy, MT in the early 2000s. But in the final 30 seconds of a close, intense, exhausting match, Owings slipped underneath Gable's arms for a leg lift or sweep, putting the erstwhile invincible Gable on his back for the winning points. Gable said no thank you. Canby Coach Larry Wright encouraged Owings to continue his wrestling at the highest level. When Larry was on his high school team, the coach used to joke that he was so slow that theyd have to drive pegs into the mat to see if hes still moving. "It was my mom's worst fear." After beating up on them, he thought to himself, OK, Im still good. This was Owings' opportunity, the fateful moment when his never-used leg sweep caught Gable by surprise. >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 Owings went to work on top, forcing Gable into a passive position and generating a stall call against the Cyclone for a point. From 1976 to 1997, Gable was the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa, where his teams compiled a dual meet record of 355215 and won 15 NCAA Division I titles. <> He even had the honor of facing Dan Gable, then a sophomore at Iowa State and already a national champion. The man who beat Dan Gable.. Gable had an undefeated high school wrestling career. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. The way Owings sees it, there was his life before the match and his life after: before 1970 he was a nobody hungry to make a name for himself in the sport, though also an introvert completely unequipped for the attention that would come. He beat Gable in the finals of the 1970 NCAA Tournament, one of the most famous wrestling matches in history. After beating up on them, he thought to himself, OK, I'm still good. After defeating Gable, Owings left the crowd at Northwestern stunned having witnessed wrestling history. From inside his cabin Gable looks out onto the night fast approaching. Although Gable has called his sister's death his "biggest loss,"[4] he did not allow the tragedy to affect his focus on wrestling. 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 the days afterward he shut himself from the world. It was Gable's first loss of his collegiate wrestl. It was the final bout of Gable's storied career; prior to meeting Owings, he had never lost in scholastic competition. "But I was distracted by Larry Owings. For the first time in history, the two living [] He was intrigued -- Dan and Kathy went to Washington to have a series of meetings at the White House. Time heals nothing, not the memory, not the legend and not the gap between the two men, Iowa State's Dan Gable, the greatest wrestler of all time, and a confident University of Washington sophomore named Larry Owings. He has come to peace with things he never thought he would. Gable calls his loss to Larry Owings of Washington his greatest loss. 405 West Hall of Fame Avenue Stillwater, OK 74075 Phone: (405) 377-5243 Email: info@nwhof.org It has to be in the top five here. But Larry Owings had tremendous credentials of his own. Not, like he-was-on-a-Wheaties-box-one-time famous (though he was). The teasing was merciless and nearly crushed him, but it also fueled him to drop the weight and spend extra hours in the gym, and by his senior year he was the best wrestler in the state, competing in national tournaments and Olympic trials. Owings was the first UW wrestler to win an NCAA title, but what mattered was that he had upset a man the Russians reverently called "The Machine," a man who had won 181 straight matches, 108 by pins. Many who were there that day use the same words to describe the strange aftermath: it was like a bomb went off. 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. It's hard to win a third NCAA title. 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. At Iowa State, he became an NCAA Division I national runner-up and two-time national champion. All Rights Reserved. With 17 seconds left, Owings was ahead 13-11. He won't allow it. See, Larry Owings is the The Man Who Beat Dan Gable. Larry Owings Invitational - Wrestling Event - FloWrestling Larry Owings Invitational Larry Owings Invitational on Dec 21, 2013 in Canby, OR. 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. The night before the start of the tournament, a teammate asked if hed seen the front page of the Chicago Tribune sports section. 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. Just sitting here, talking about it it hurts. You can find youth folkstyle wrestling tournaments as well as Freestyle and Greco-Roman events. Earned bachelor's degree and master's degree in education from the University of Washington. 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. But that was my gig, too. Over the first two periods the match went back and forth, and when the match stretched into the third period the energy of the hall seemed to change -- from frenzy to palpable anxiety -- as the crowd seemed to realize that Gable was in a fight. No, with his movie star looks and charisma, and a physique that would make Chris Hemsworth jealous, he was legitimately world famous. \DP,uaO@LtT H]v[?Nr)|cXB!>Br$<4y3gz 1oZu, FO]+#3* u_i!c+pIf'iwC+)p\G "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. But Dan Gable, of course, is so much more than one result. Let us know if you can support our efforts to expand our operations and keep all of our content paywall-free. [1][2] On December 8, 2020, U.S. President Donald Trump awarded Gable with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.[3]. In 1991, Gable was awarded with the Art Abrams Lifetime Achievement Award by Cauliflower Alley Club. From 117-0 to 117-1. Gable was the head coach of three Olympic teams and six world teams. "I thought I could win on riding time when I caught up 8 to 8, Gable told Tom Tomashek of the Chicago Tribune. In fact, Gable would emerge from the Owings match stronger, more determined. I kind of wish he had gotten me with his best move.". 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. Facing a wrestler legendary for his endurance, opponents of Gable would almost always go for broke from the opening whistle. _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( 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. Two years ago, Gable got the call that Dianes killer had died in prison. Was I annoyed? says Owings. In his high school career, undefeated. If there was one code Owings lived by then, it was a desire to have a second chance against anyone who had beaten him. 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. Gable never lost before he faced Owings in that match, nor after it. Open daily. They are not your average antique shop. Larry Owings won the Pac 12 at 157 and went to 142 for Nationals. 13-11. "The American people like the underdog, but at the same time there was sadness. It was done out of utter desperation, but hey it worked. USWF Greco-Roman and freestyle champion and Outstanding Wrestler. [8], From 1976 to 1997, Gable was the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. Looks like Owings wrestled at 142 the entire season. He noticed that the UW wrestler was making "all kinds of mistakes but still ended up pinning his opponent." When his teammates passed him in the tunnels they never expected a hello. The fans, said Roderick, "were in shock, as well as excited seeing history. "I really didn't want to see it or talk about it much. He also has a museum named for him in his hometown of Waterloo, Iowa, part of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum. Coached high school wrestling in Washington (Seattle) and Oregon (Clackamas CC, Oregon City, Molalla, Canby and Woodburn) for over 25 years. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. In Chicago, though, the bubble burst. Owings watches the video as Perri lifts his arm and Gable staggers away. When he was 15 years old, a teenager from his neighborhood raped and murdered Gable's 19-year-old sister. After losing 20 pounds and growing several inches, nobody believed he couldn't be a wrestler anymore. I was almost embarrassed to have won, he says. Join Facebook to connect with Larry Owings and others you may know. 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. Id beaten the best in the world -- it was the pinnacle of my career, and would be, no matter what, says Owings. Licensed Building Contractor. Owings strategy in the match was his strategy in all his others: to wear out the other guy; he was, in short, going to out Gable Gable. He faced Gable on the mat one more time, at the 1972 Olympic trials in Anoka, Minn. Owings was wrestling best at 136.5 that year, but he struggled to keep his weight under 138. in the state of Iowa really going to lose it right now? Iowa State had won the national team championship, but Gable's loss dominated the headlines. Then, one night about 10 years ago, he had an epiphany, which he believes came from God. A sophomore had beaten the giant. Both wrestlers advanced through the tournament by pinning each of their opponents. Gable won, easily, but Owings scored some points and even put the champ on his back one time. 2014. Obviously a very soft spoken, humble man. How about Andy Daniels beating John Azevedo or Gary Barton winning the tournament in1972. He coached 152 all-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten Champions and 12 Olympians, including eight medalists. ,Bk*+P2S` (fTrcSo NY]XX+%[w R&]_O!-(%z2R Er= de DHN"q)^P#o6Cx$%{s'1|zV9 National Wrestling Hall of Fame. After college, Owings competed on the senior level circuit before retiring. my Events OPC Video News Powered by It is the subject of an old wrestling match from 44 years ago that has him go silent. He had two points in riding time that would be rewarded at the end by Perri. Anything that I can do to help keep these kids away from the video games, and the drugs, the violence and the gangs, Im going to do it.. 1971 NCAA University Division Wrestling Championships; Tournament information; Sport: College wrestling: Location: Auburn, Alabama: Dates: March 25, 1971-March 27, 1971: Host(s) Auburn University: . Stillwater, OK 74075 Larry took the match to him.". There had never been a day like March 28, 1970 in the world of wrestling, and there has never been one since. Larry Owings's wrestling career was different from Gable's. Growing up with 5 wrestling champs, Larry was told by his siblings he would never be a wrestler even being nicknamed "Porky." Owing wanted to prove them wrong. During the award ceremonies, his real feelings came out. He was intrigued by Owings' swagger. Owings told UW Coach Jim Smith that he was aiming directly at the legend. Really? Gable said a teammate showed him the article. 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. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. I'm coming here to beat Gable," he was quoted. And he was famous. 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