Dan Gable speaks at the United 4 Wrestling event in 2013 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com)Fresno State announced this past February it was bringing back its intercollegiate wrestling program which had been eliminated in 2006. The school says that a search for a head wrestling coach is underway… with the expectation that the program would take to the mats during the 2018-19 school year.
Gable, who had a near-perfect 181-1 record in his folkstyle wrestling career at Waterloo West High in Iowa and at Iowa State, then won the gold medal in freestyle at the 1972 Munich Olympics before embarking on a successful coaching career at University of Iowa, isn't waiting to get the wrestling community in California and beyond energized about the return of wrestling at Fresno State.
"We want to create momentum to help Fresno State get back on its feet," the 67-year-old Gable said Tuesday. "Fresno is a pretty good hotbed for wrestling at the high school and youth level.
"It makes sense for there to be a wrestling program at Fresno State."
"We don't really have the numbers like we really need to at the college level, especially when you consider how strong the participation rate is in the high schools," Gable said, referring to statistics that show there is only one opening for a wrestler at the college level for approximately 45 high school wrestlers, a much lower opportunity than available for high school athletes in football, basketball or track and field. "Fresno State bringing back wrestling is a good thing."
Tickets for the Wrestlers in Business Network event featuring Gable are available for $50 per person. Admission includes refreshments and light food, a cash bar is also available. Event organizers ask participants to wear "sharp casual attire" with sports jackets and collared shirts. For more information, call (408) 410-0384.
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