A Wrestling Life: The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable

by Dan Gable, Scott Schulte

What does it take to be an Olympic gold medalist and to coach a collegiate team to fifteen NCAA titles? In A Wrestling The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable, famed wrestler and wrestling coach Dan Gable tells engaging and inspiring stories of his childhood in Waterloo, Iowa; overcoming the murder of his sister as a teenager; his sports career from swimming as a young boy, to his earliest wrestling matches, through the 1972 Olympics; coaching at the University of Iowa from the Banachs to the Brands; life-changing friendships he made along the way; and tales of his family life off the mat. A celebration of determination, teamwork, and the persevering human spirit, A Wrestling Life captures Gable’s methods and philosophies for reaching individual greatness as well as the incredible amount of fulfillment and satisfaction that comes from working as part of a team.Whether we are athletes or not, we all dream of extreme success and are all looking to make our future the best it can be, but along the way we will undoubtedly need time to recover and rejuvenate. Let these stories inspire you to find your path to strength and achievement along whatever path you take.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction, Biography, Martial Arts, Memoir, Audiobook, Biography Memoir

188 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 1, 2015

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, but it was a little all over the place for me. Meant to be a collection of stories, it does contain some good ones, my favorites being the commentary from Gable's daughter (the eldest of whom used to sit under Dan's chair as he coached), Gable's experiences at the Munich Olympics, and the story regarding his friendship with author John Irving. But the stories aren't necessarily in chronological order, so the jumps can be somewhat distracting, and the epilogue is really just another story--I'm not entirely sure why it's labeled as an epilogue. But the stories and themes of determination and hard work are great.

[Brandon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Gable was by far one of the most intense books I have ever read. In this book Gable is a American olympic wrestler and a head coach for the Iowa Hawks. He won 15 NCAA team titles between the years of 1976 and 1997. I chose this book because it had so much to do with wrestling and so many inspiring stories to tell that made me stop and think of how much you can do with your life if you put your heart and mind to it all without giving up. Dan gable was a very hard working, intelligent guy. I love the way the author speaks about Dan in this book he makes it very clear and understandable for the reader to know what kind of guy he was and what he did as a kid. One of my favorite quotes from Dan Gable was "Once you've wrestled, everything else in life is easier." There is one more quote that really inspired me. " The first period is won by the best technician, the second period is won by the kid in the best shape, the third period is won by the kid with the biggest heart."

[Sam]

I thought that this book was very good. It really reminded me of myself because Dan Gable, in the book, was dedicated to wrestling. I was not dedicated to wrestling though even though I wrestle. I was dedicated to learning how to play the bass. There was a lot of things that I couldn't relate to like having a job. Dan's dad got him a job to make him stronger for wrestling! Lifting and training wasn't enough for him. I think that I would be way to lazy to do that. I also learned a lot of lessons from this book like if you work hard, good things will come. He also had a knee injury in the book. Last year in wrestling I popped a blood vessel in my knee from hyper extending it.

[Forrest · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came into this book with high hopes as a college coach and after being blown away by a podcast featuring Dan Gable (Talks at Google). In the end, this book was pretty good. Each chapter is a different short story from Gable’s life and some stories ended up being more impactful and memorable than others.

It’s a fairly short book and I don’t regret reading it, however I won’t go out of my way to recommend it to others.

[Jeremy Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Gable is an amazing human. Stoic and determined, he shares stories of a life spent as the greatest American wrestler to date.

[Michael Barros · Rating 5 out of 5]

This frickin dude is tougher than an old leather boot.

[Kara Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

I only the name Dan Gable from our time in Colorado and the fascination that many people have with him. I was quite amazed with his record and the grit that he had in a very grueling sport. I do think he had a bit of trauma that he didn’t handle as he should but I guess he found a way to channel it so that he could repress it and turn it into greatness. I can see why so many of my friends who are wrestlers and wrestling coaches are a fan of him.

[Augusto Bernardi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed the book and wanted it to be much longer. The book starts with a lot of personal stories of his childhood and early teens which were mostly expected life lessons about hard work and wanting to impress his parents and a history of sorts at the YMCA, and his friendships that pushes him to become a better wrestler. Everything seemed fine and dandy and normal Iowa boy life, right up to the chapter about his sister's murder. Holy shit, what a crushing chapter and more impressively how Gable handled it without sounding absolutely delusional. The murderer was a neighbour of his of the same age that went to the school that has said something of a sexual nature about his sister a few days before. I hadn't ever heard the perspective of a younger sibling of the victim. Clearly remembering his parent's worry, which turned to despair and then months of drinking and fighting. Something that stands out was that the longest car ride home to go back to his sister's body, no words were spoken and the only things he could hear was his mother's crying and the hum of the car. I'm amazed on how Gable handled the "event" and how mature he was without sounding completely delusional and forgiving. He couldn't let the hatred that has consumed his parents consumer him to so he stepped up in order to save his family and get life back on track. This must have been a giant motivational factor in his wrestling career to do his parents proud. He moves onto his wrestling career again where he mentions how focused he was, constantly working out for tournaments and matches and dangerous opponents months away. I particularly found interesting though how he doesn't study opponents at all though and solely focused on what he was going to do. In fact the only time he has done that and it has gotten in his head, he lost his only match in his collegiate wrestling career, with 180 or so matches won. He said that his intense, almost hyperactive energy made him a weird dude and relied on his close friends to bring out his social life and balance his life out. He explains further the lead up to his last match and how he was already being awarded an undefeated streak despite not having wrestled his last match yet and that he had listened to what an opponent had said about him before the match which is something he normally didn't do and that had gotten into his head. He doesn't describe the match at all, along with any other match in his entire career which I thought was a little disappointing not get his perspective on the technical side of wrestling from this legend. Based on the close points, I can only assume that the match was close. What was more amazing to me though was the story that followed his loss though when he walked off the mat into the locker room and his team mate was in the showers instead of the mat ready for his own match. The team mate said he had never wrestled when Dan had lost so he was wanting to give up. That was apparently the first moment in which Dan felt like a coach which lead to his own future career, and he then gave his team mate an encouraging speech which made him wrestle and win. Dan went on to change his training style and train more smart and transitioned his style from folk style to freestyle and went to compete in the world championships in Bulgaria and won and then followed to the Munich Olympics and won gold medal, the highest possible award for wrestling. The quote that really stuck to me that I absolutely loved was:
"I won 181 matches, lost one, and then I got good."
The Munich olympics are obviously not something to simply breeze by without talking about the serious terrorist attacks then, which luckily for Dan happened after he had already won his medal. I didn't get the same impression of ultimate gratitude and success and pride to be American like I had read from Muhammed Ali winning his gold medal. I think he expressed more of the sadness and tragedy of the attacks. Later in the book during his coaching days, Gable name drops some legendary names of wrestling like the Olympic gold medallists Lou and Ed Banach and surprisingly of literature too with the author John Irving BEFORE he was a famous author and just a super fan of wrestling that became friends with Dan and writing an article about him. Scattered throughout the following chapters are multiple stories of significant moments in Dans coaching career that really show how great of a man he is. I guess my biggest takeaway from this book and also that of Dan Gable is that the technicalities and specifics of wrestling are really just extra. What really matters is the foundation not just of wrestling but also as a person which is why Dan was constantly basing his significant moments on positive lessons for his athletes of character and work ethic. He would meet with the athlete's parents to judge their background, encourage a healthy and balanced lifestyle in all aspects of life, and lastly go out of his way to help them out and not give up on them. Truly inspiring for me. Dan was a wrestler and coach at the notorious Iowa team, well known around the world for their forward pressure, aggression and hard work. Dan embodies those qualities and although he never would even imply so, Dan is an ultimate badass. According to him his dream would be to after a hard days of work or training, to collapse in exhaustion because he would know that he had given it all, literally 100% of his effort. A story that links to this perfectly was maybe the amazing story though that hit me the hardest and was one about his daughter. Throughout the book Dan had a few stories about his personal life too of meeting his wife, mother's advice and a few for each of his daughters. One that really stood out was when of his daughters wanted to compete in a race that would qualify her for another race if she could keep up with one of the favourites for the race. Dan thought it was a good idea but he and the rest of his family would not be with them because of a wrestling tournament. So Dan and his wife would have to listen to the race live via phone. The race was close and tense and his daughter almost had won but she ended up collapsing and losing and not qualifying. But Dan said he could not have possibly been any prouder of his daughter because she had given her best. I loved that and it almost made me tear up and want to wave a American flag frantically for some reason. The epilogue of the book talked a little bit more in Dan's work ethic of doing something for 30 days straight and also the 10 000 hours of repetition. He BRIEFLY, EVER SO BRIEFLY talks about technique which I really enjoyed, with the example being that of when he had injured his knee and couldn't shoot for a takedown so he developed his defence to score off of the opponent's shots.

[Brieon Mayfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Wrestling Life is a book about some of the experiences that wrestling legend Dan Gable had. It was written by Dan Gable and Scott Schulte and published by the University of Iowa Press on March 1st, 2016. The book has 172 pages, front to back, and is a book about Dan Gable and his stories about wrestling and his life. It was a very enjoyable book for me as a young wrestler. It also helped give me guidance and a sense of the drive I need to have to be a successful wrestler nationally and internationally.

The book has 26 chapters, each discussing something completely different from the last. It starts talking about when Dan Gable was just a baby in Waterloo, Iowa. It also talks about his toddler years and how he was quite the troublemaker. How wherever he went, he caused a ruckus. His parents put him in the Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) to channel all of his energy to a better place. He played many sports, but wrestling wasn't always his best. When Dan Gable was young, he was a swimmer—even becoming Iowa State Champion in the Backstroke at 11. Even from this age, Dan Gable hated losing and hated the feeling after he lost to his teammate at regionals.

When Dan Gable was in high school, he turned his focus on wrestling and cranked the training up a notch. Even working at a construction site for free just to condition his body for the upcoming wrestling season. He was always wrestling with different teammates on his parents' mat in their basement. If he wasn't doing that, he was probably running or doing
some form of physical activity. He didn't care too much for a social life because he knew his goal, was locked in on it and was also pretty shy. However, he did have some friends that helped him be able to have fun during these years still so that he could still enjoy himself. One thing he did experience that was hard on him was the murder of his sister when he was 15. It hurt, but he had to take that on the nose and keep on going. After winning three state championships in high school and acquiring a 64-match win streak, he moved on to college at Iowa State University.

Dan Gable was dominant at Iowa State, keeping his undefeated streak alive until his very last match, the NCAA finals of his senior year. Thus, ending his 181-match winning streak. Dan Gable says that he lost that match because he was too focused on a short-term goal instead of focusing on the championships. Dan Gable says that the loss was needed and that after that loss is when he became good. The loss was tough on Gable, but he didn't have time to wallow because he had significant tournaments coming up. Dan Gable kept up his rigorous training but knew that he also had to start focusing on wrestling smart and technical. He was already wrestling aggressively, so that wasn't a problem. He began to get his feet wet in freestyle, and that same year he became the freestyle national champion. He kept working hard until he finally made it to the Olympics. All his training paid off when he got the gold medal at the 1972 Munich Olympics in Freestyle and was also not scored upon in the tournament. Even after wrestling, Dan Gable faced more devastating losses with the loss of one of his friends and the loss of the Israeli wrestlers and coaches he respected. He still kept pushing even through these experiences.

Even though Dan Gable was only 23, he wrestled one more tournament and then was done wrestling competitively. The next chapter of his life was going to be coaching and family life. He started off as the assistant coach at the University of Iowa. He later earned the head coaching job at Iowa. He was always on the mat rolling with the wrestlers to help make them better. He applied the same philosophy to coaching that he had as a competitor. Even though Iowa did not have the most skilled guys, he ensured they outworked everybody and quickly became the best. He led them to 15 team titles and had 45 National Champions in his 21-year stint with the school. He always deeply cared for his wrestlers and was engaged in their lives personally. He wasn't just trying to prepare them for the match but also helping them for life. Along the way, he had four daughters with his wife, Kathy. Jenni, Annie, Molly, and Mackenzie. They all grew up around wrestling and still love to watch the sport to this day.

I enjoyed this book very much. Because you always hear about how Dan Gable was so good and the work he put in, but never about the behind-the-scenes. In this book, you get to listen to him talk about a lot of the things that were going on at the time while he was wrestling. What he was thinking and the things that helped motivate him. You also get to hear about his failures and how those affected him on his path to becoming an Olympic champion, and even after when he was coaching. One main takeaway from the book is that there will be many hardships in life because Dan Gable dealt with a lot, but you can never let them break you. The pain may never go away, but you can't let them control your life; you must keep going. It was good for me as a young wrestler to hear about his work ethic and how hard you must work to be as dominant as he was in the sport. It shows the level of dedication that you need to be good in this sport. This book also talks about how caring Dan Gable was, which you could not know unless you knew Dan Gable personally. It gave me insight into those things and philosophies that I can start to use and involve in the way that I wrestle. Overall, I really like this book and hearing about who Dan Gable truly is. Behind all of the accolades, media, and drive, he had to achieve his goals. I recommend this book to all wrestlers out there because it was definitely beneficial to me. I look forward to reading A Wrestling Life 2!

[Brendan · Rating 5 out of 5]

From a wrestlers point of view like myself, you think what it's about because you already know a whole bunch about Gable. Lots of things in this book like what happened with his sister. I also like that he made it so people who can't relate to wrestling can still enjoy this book. My favorite part of this book is when he lost a swimming race and when he came home he was so stubern that his parents made him go shovel the driveway, Then he was so mad he shoveled the whole neighborhood's driveway! Great read for everyone!

[Tyler Stanford · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Wrestling Life is an autobiography about the famous wrestler Dan Gable. Dan Gable started wrestling at a young age and turned into one of the greatest of all time by winning the NCAA national tournament three times, with an almost undefeated record, and winning gold at the Munich Olympics in 1972. Many people have won gold but Gable wrestled a perfect tournament in which no one scored on him. The co-writer Scott Schulte said he formatted the book so that every chapter was a different story, but the stories were chronological in order so the reader can live through his life. A Wrestling Life makes known the amazing career and life of Dan Gable, but it also shares his wrestling wisdom which makes it a good read for wrestlers and other people interested in his life.
The book goes chronologically through his life, starting with Gable as a kid. It describes how he started his career at the YMCA playing all the sports he could. In his younger days, he describes how he takes a lot of losses and learns from them. He says these experiences helped him grow and he never wanted to lose again. Lots of people admire Dan Gable's work ethic. It's easy to see how from a young age he was pushing himself to insane limits. He also experienced a lot of tragedy as a child. Dan Gables's sister was murdered while the rest of his family was on a fishing trip. He talks about the challenges he faced in his personal life, “My parents were going to fail unless I figured out a way to save them” (Gable 28). He used wrestling to help pull his family together because he knew his parents couldn't do it for him. In his college career, he never lost until his very last match, and as you could assume, he was very sad, but again he used it as a fire to push him to a world title the next year, and a gold medal after that. Toward the end of the book, he shows how he used his experience and knowledge of the sport to help train world-class athletes.
Dan Gable is notorious in the wrestling world for his work ethic throughout his wrestling and coaching career. This is really expressed all the way through the book. He is always pushing himself to insane limits. At one point in the book, he shares his dream with the reader, “I wanted to literally work myself so hard that my body collapsed” (Gable 112). He legitimately wanted to pass out from working so hard and tried to do so every chance he got. The book displayed his unbelievable personality and what it takes to be the best wrestler in the world. He uses jokes and comedy throughout the book that helps us connect to his thinking and become more engaged in his stories. His personality is lighthearted and funny and the reader can see that as they read about him telling his stories.
I liked the book, it changed my perspective on wrestling and showed me what it takes to be a world-class wrestler. My favorite part of the book was after the Munich Olympics, one of his teammates got second and was really upset. He asked Gable to help train him for the next Olympics. What this teammate didnt understand was that Dan Gable was training the very next day and when he came to his door that next moring the teammate said he didnt want to. After a big event it is common to take a few weeks off becore resuming training again, but this showed me the crazy dedication Dan Gable has. He worked out every day and hated rest days and I think that is what made him the best wrestler ever. I would recommend this book to everyone but especially wrestlers who might not have achieved their goals or are still working for them and need some guidance. Knowing how to train like the best will improve your wrestling skill.

[Jackson Ver Meer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Gable is one of the best wrestling icons. He has not only won 3 Iowa state high school titles but also 3 NCAA titles he has also won a gold medal. Now that's what you would call a wrestling life. After all of these, Dan went on to be one of the great coaches of all time where he coached at the Hawkeyes.A wrestling life is a great book because you will learn about dan gable life within wrestling.


I enjoy my book because Dan is a great person that I look up to. He is always trying to improve himself in life. My favorite quote is “Once you've wrestled everything in life is easy”. He says he will always try to be the best person he can be on and off the mat . He takes a lot of time with his wrestlers. He will take time with them on and off that mat as he knows wrestling is not only a sport for these kids but a lifestyle. Dan Gable is a great one of the greatest wrestlers ever. He has gone through very many tragedies in his life. But always finds a way to better someone else.

With this book being in chronological order the reader is able to understand Dan's life better. “When I was in middle school I experienced my first ever loss”. Dan's first loss came in the state backstroke to my friend. The order of this book is very crucial to his book so you can understand how Dan has grown through his life. That loss was able to change Dan's life forever. He started to train day in and out to be the best he could be. With this loss I believe it made him as good as what he was at wrestling. He used that as motivation to be the best person he could be not just in sports but in anything.

A wrestling life is a great book because you will learn about Dan Gable life within wrestling. I would recommend this book to anyone interested in wrestling.

[Andrburk20 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Don’t let the title mislead you. You don’t have to be a wrestler to enjoy this book. I picked it up because I am a wrestler from Iowa, as was he, but this book is written in a way that lets just about anyone enjoy it. It might help to be an athlete but that’s not a requirement.

This book is an autobiography that follows the life of Dan Gable, if you don’t know he’s one the greatest wrestlers and coaches of all time. It goes through all of the important experiences in his life that made him the wrestler and person he is today. I enjoyed this book because it gave me inspiration to go out in the offseason and work as hard as possible to be the greatest I can be during the season. I also enjoyed the life lessons secretly being taught throughout the book.

The theme revolves around just being a better person. Respect people that don’t usually get it and especially your opponent. Not only in wrestling but in every other aspect in life. People around you will begin to enjoy your company and want to be around you.

My advice to anyone who wishes to pick this book up is to read between the lines. Dan doesn’t just write these parts of his life to say that he wrote a book, they all have a purpose and a reason. Find those reasons and apply them to your social life, occupation and your athletic career. Also go on YouTube and look up some of Dan Gable’s college or olympic matches. You won’t be disappointed I promise.

[Gabriel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lesson I learned from this book was that no matter what life throws at you, never let it get you down. Even after the loss of his sister, or the loss of a wrestling match, he’d never let his emotions get the best of him. Another lesson I learned is that it’s not all about winning at everything you do. By outworking his competition in practice, Dan Gable was able to achieve so much more than what he set out to do.
What I liked about the book was that it was not only informative, but also very interesting to read. Some chapters would start out present day and end in the past, as well as vice versa. By doing this, it made the story line a bit easier to understand, as far as how Dan Gable got to where. The downside to this method was that it was sometimes hard to follow in terms of context. I’d start out reading about his life as a wrestling coach and end with him winning a college match. Other than that, it was a very enjoyable book to read.
Dan Gable’s style of writing was, by far, the most unique kind I’ve read so far. He was very descriptive in telling about both major and minor events in his life. He had me captivated the moment I picked up the book and started reading. A Wrestling Life is a book I would highly recommend reading, not only for its content, but also for the incredible life it reveals of a seemingly average man.

[Brent Soderstrum · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up in Iowa just north of Iowa State and went to law school at the University of Iowa in the late 1980s during Gable's prime as a coach for the Iowa Hawkeye wrestlers. I even wrestled my junior year in high school after four years of basketball in which I didn't grow an inch and couldn't dribble to save my life. They needed someone to wrestle at my weight so I thought, what the heck, I will give it a shot. Thus, I know how much work wrestling is and what it means in Iowa.

This is a book chock full of stories from Dan Gable's life growing up in Waterloo and becoming an incredible wrestler at Iowa State University, eventually becoming the head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa. The stories tell about Gable's work to become a great wrestler and coach. They also show the work he put into his character to become who he is.

This book will entertain those who don't wrestle or like wrestling. These stories are what shaped the man who is a great person.

[Evan Harkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of short stories from the life of one of the greatest wrestlers of all-time. The stories show just how hard Dan Gable was willing to work to get better, but also the human side of him. His life included tragedies like the rape and murder of 19 year old sister, and the death of a teammate in a car accident just days after the 1972 Olympic Games. I could really tell how he cared for each and every one of the wrestlers he coached, whether they were a National Champion or just a guy trying to crack the Iowa Hawkeye line-up. His leadership style was hard, with high expectations, but he also showed his wrestlers that he cared for them (see the Barry Davis running away story). A must-read for any fan of wrestling.

[Sean H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book does not have one plot. It a collection of stories about all different things. He writes about family, friends, and wrestling. The story is not only about wrestling, but it is a part of every story. I believe that anyone could read and enjoy this book but certain parts would make more sense if you have played a sport or wrestled. Most stories show a lesson that he learned whether he was young or old he still learned from mistakes. His work ethic is very motivating. He worked extremely hard as a wrestler and a coach. He talks about how every second was dedicated to wrestling when he was younger. Overall, anyone can enjoy this book and learn from it.

[David H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read for those who are into everything wrestling. This book really gives you insight into how competitive Gable was in nearly every facet of his life, not just wrestling. Gable was able to accomplish what he did, due to his fanatical obsession with wrestling, it seemed like every waking moment was focused on his wrestling, when friends' would visit he'd invite them down into his basement to work out, when his car got damaged in an accident he'd be more upset over the fact he had to stop his running. I would have liked to hear more on why he didn't become a coach for his Alma mater, ISU. Overall though a great, easy and enjoyable read.

[Joey Trizzino · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of inspiration, determination, teamwork, and the human spirit to keep on going. A Wrestling Life tells the life story of one of wrestling's great Dan Gable. Showing through the right mindset and hard work no matter what is happening in your life you can have success. the book goes through Gable's childhood where is sister was murdered, into his college career where he lost his final match after going undefeated up until that point, to winning the Olympic Gold medal, and finally building one of, not only wrestling's, but one of the greatest sports dynasty as a coach. A great read for not only athletes but anyone who needs an inspiring read.

[Eli Eckerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dan Gable’s A Wrestling Life is a really inspiring book that shows what made him the greatest wrestler and coach of all time. The stories are short and easy to read. My favorite story that stood out to me was when he talked about his final college match, which was his only loss of his collegiate career. Instead of letting this loss crush him, he used it as motivation to work even harder, which eventually led him to win an Olympic gold medal without giving up a single point. I thought this was a very good book because it doesn’t just focus on his success but also the failures that shape who he is. Overall it’s a very inspiring book that I would highly recommend.

[Adrienne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic and inspiring read!

Dan Gable is raw, honest, and motivating in his storytelling. He shares a collection of stories of lessons he learned throughout his life as a wrestler, coach, father, son and friend. Lessons that are universal and can apply to anyone whether or not they’re a wrestler. I’ll be applying many of the lessons he shared to my life especially his “Don’t be a Molly Putz” lesson.

As a wife of a wrestling coach, I’m glad I finally picked up this book. It gave me a greater appreciation for the sport and a new found appreciation for Dan Gable. This book truly is a book for all!
5 stars for me!

[Ron Jensen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was not highly intellectual reading but I enjoyed it a lot, partly because of my deep interest in wrestling, and partly because it was so easy to relate to Dan Gable's life and upbringing, which was so similar to mine in time and place. I was impressed with how single-minded and focused Gable is in every aspect of his life. Very admirable values, totally unconcerned with money, completely fulfilled by his family and his passion for wrestling and competition, whether his own or through the wrestlers he coached.

[Jason Shepherd · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was exactly what I expected it to be: a collection of short recollections intended to reveal much about the psyche of Dan Gable and the personal attributes that have brought him success. This is a must-read for aficionados of the sport of amateur wrestling.

[Caleb Click · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has showed me how you can rise above adversity and continue to be very successful. In this collection of stories from one man’s very storied life we learn about how he overcame great challenges and prevails to become one of the most well known wrestler, and coach off all time.

[Stephen sulik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Would have been more interesting to read about his training from one of the baddest mofos to walk the earth but he was more interested in talking about his mindset. This would be ok if it wasn’t surface level insight.

[Paul Mashack · Rating 4 out of 5]

He lost a star for not mentioning his cameo appearance on Saved by the Bell, when he came to Bayside recruiting Slader to join his Hawkeye wrestling program. Perhaps Gable is saving this actidote for Volume Two.

Stay tuned...

[Matt Daq · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is collection of short stories from Dan gable and it could have been sooooo much better. For example the book is not in chronological order and it covers more of his coaching career than his athletic career.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

good read lots of good short stories.

[Joshua Crowder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very inspiring read.

[Blair Kessler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gable is a grinder and embodies / defines the sport of wrestling.