By Courtney Baumann
He’s a militant type — a leader in the locker room who will yell at his fellow wrestlers if they don’t pick up their towels. He is the exact type of wrestler and person Iowa head coach Tom Brands wants his guys to be, and everyone better “Stay clear while machine is in use,” because Thomas Gilman isn’t going to stop for anybody.
Brands said that’s what Gilman’s gear will say this year on a white sticker with bright red lettering: “Stay clear while machine is in use.”
It’s a warning to his opponents: Get out of his way or it won’t be pretty.
Brands said the sticker was Gilman’s idea. “He doesn’t shy away from words,” the head coach said.
The senior 125-pounder, though, said he had zero knowledge of that information before walking down the stairs in Carver-Hawkeye to get to the Dan Gable wrestling room for media day Wednesday.
It’s OK. Gilman will embrace the slogan anyway.
“I’m not sure where that idea came up, I’m sure it was one of Tom’s great ideas; he’s got a lot of them,” Gilman said. “It makes a lot of sense to me. I’m a machine, and I’m going to work. If you don’t like it, then stay out of my way, and if you’re not going to stay out of my way, I’m going to push you out of my way.”
While the slogan is new, the mindset isn’t. Gilman has long been a leader for the team, and he knows it.
Since the minute he stepped on the Iowa campus, the native of Council Bluffs was an example to his fellow Hawkeyes on how to practice, perform on the mat, and live.
The accolades that have come along with his work make it relatively easy for others to recognize he’s doing everything right. The two-time All-American has placed twice at Nationals — fourth in 2015 and second in 2016 —– and spent the entire 2015-16 ranked No. 2 in the nation.
He’s been the one other Hawkeyes have looked to as a role model in just about every way.
“If you look at leadership, a great one is Thomas Gilman,” junior 149-pounder Brandon Sorensen said. “He’s holding people accountable, making sure you’re getting every rep in, making sure everything is getting done right and you’re not cheating yourself.”
Holding his teammates accountable for what they do is one of the things Gilman does best, other than wrestling of course.
He isn’t afraid to make sure the other guys know what they are doing wrong or need to improve on, because their actions affect the whole wrestling room.
“People need to be accountable for their actions and how they affect the team. Whether they win or lose, they can still affect the team positively,” Gilman said. “Accountability is always good, and … just because I’m a leader doesn’t mean I don’t need to be held accountable. If I’m doing something wrong, I need a kick in the butt.”
In order for that to happen, though, the other Hawkeyes will have to step up to the plate and serve as the same type of leader Gilman is.
Brands put it simply.
“Gilman is what we need more of,” Brands said. “He’s what we need more of.”