‘I haven’t seen it:’ Iowa wrestlers talk Dan Gable Traveling Trophy
Iowa has never relinquished control of the trophy since it was created in 2010.
Iowa’s 149-pound Cobe Siebrecht works for inside control against Princeton’s Josh Breeding during a season opener dual wrestling meet between No. 1 Iowa and No. 21 Princeton at Carver-Hawkeye Arena on Friday, Nov. 19, 2021. Siebrecht won by tech fall 16-1. The Hawkeyes defeated the Tigers with a team score of 32-12.
December 2, 2021
The Dan Gable Traveling Trophy is not one of the most famed prizes Iowa Athletics competes for.
The Floyd of Rosedale, Cy-Hawk, and Heartland trophies that the Hawkeye football team competes for against Minnesota, Iowa State, and Wisconsin, respectively, are some of the most well-known pieces of hardware among Iowa fans and athletes alike.
The Dan Gable Traveling Trophy has been awarded to the winner of the annual Iowa-Iowa State men’s wrestling dual every year since 2010.
But to say the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy ever moves, as its name might imply, is a bit of a stretch.
Since its inception, Iowa State has never won the trophy. The Dan Gable Traveling Trophy has resided in Iowa City for the last 11 years.
In fact, the Hawkeyes haven’t lost to the Cyclones for the last 17 years. Iowa and Iowa State did not wrestle last year because of COVID-19.
Iowa has won 16 consecutive duals versus Iowa State. The Hawkeyes have reigned victorious in 31 of their last 32 and 55 of their last 59 matchups against the Cyclones.
Even though the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy has never left the Hawkeyes’ possession, some of Iowa’s wrestlers don’t know where the hardware is or what it looks like.
At an Iowa wrestling media availability session Nov. 30, 141-pound senior Jaydin Eierman and 149-pound sophomore Cobe Siebrecht both admitted that they did not know where the trophy was or what it looks like.
“I haven’t, no,” Siebrecht said. “I haven’t seen it. No, I have not.”
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In photos, the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy appears to feature a wood base with a small golden plaque that reads, “The Dan Gable Traveling Trophy” and “Iowa vs. Iowa State.”
The pyramid-like wood base is topped by a seemingly synthetic black block with a silhouette of its namesake, Dan Gable, etched onto it. The substance the black block is made out of seems almost indeterminable without touching it.
“I have not [seen the trophy],” Eierman said. “I’m looking forward to it.”
Eierman added that, even if the trophy hasn’t moved much in its 10-year history, the Hawkeyes still want to keep it in Iowa City.
Gable is an appropriate namesake for the trophy. He was born and raised in Waterloo, Iowa, and he wrestled at Iowa State from 1967 to 1970.
Gable won two national championships as a Cyclone.
Gable also became a legendary coach at the University of Iowa. From the time he took over as head coach at Iowa in 1976, to the moment he stepped down in 1997, Gable won 15 national championships. Gable has coached 45 individual national champions, 152 All-Americans, 106 solo Big Ten Conference champions, and 12 Olympians.
“I knew that there was a style difference,” Iowa head coach Tom Brands said of his experience watching Iowa and Iowa State wrestle as a child. “I knew that I gravitated toward Gable, and that was at a young age. And that goes without saying, maybe. But, you know, my heroes that were on my wall wore Black and Gold, without a doubt.”
Iowa and Iowa State will wrestle for the Dan Gable Traveling Trophy Sunday at 6 p.m. at Hilton Coliseum in Ames. The match will stream live on BTN+.
