Former Iowa head wrestling coach Dan Gable will be honored with a reception and banquet at the Coralville Marriott on June 4 in a retirement celebration.

The reception is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., and dinner is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Speakers will follow the dinner.

Gable, who has served as assistant to the athletics director and also assistant to the director for performance enhancement since he stepped down as coach in 1997, is considered to be the best college wrestling coach in history.

He coached for 21 years, compiling a 355-21-5 record that included 15 national titles and 21-straight Big Ten championships.

Gable coached 152 All-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 Big Ten champions, and 10 Olympians (four gold, one silver, and three bronze medalists).

Gable is also famous for his own wrestling career at Iowa State. He compiled a 118-1 record, with his only loss coming to Washington’s Larry Owings in the NCAA finals his senior year. He later avenged that loss with a run to the Olympic gold in 1972. He didn’t surrender a single point to any of his opponents at the Games.

More information on the retirement celebration will be released in the coming weeks.

— by J.T. Bugos