Maybe it’s the competitive spirit, or maybe it’s the tolerance for pain. For whatever reason, successful wrestlers tend to go on to do big things (for better or for worse.) For example, Donald Rumsfeld, once captain of the Princeton wrestling team, subsequently had a long career in … well, you know.
One local group of wrestlers is getting together to win hearts and minds in the world of business. The Princeton Chapter of the Wrestlers in Business network will hold a spring networking event on Wednesday, April 20 at 6 p.m. at the New Jersey Hospital Association Conference Center, 760 Alexander Road in Princeton. Legendary wrestler Dan Gable will speak at the event. Tickets are $50 for members, $100 for nonmembers. For more information, visit www.wrestlersinbusiness.org.
The event will also honor regional wrestling excellence by recognizing area high school and collegiate wrestlers for their accomplishments this season.
Gable is a household name to anyone who knows the sport of wrestling. As an athlete, Gable married his unparalleled mental toughness to a physical work ethic that was fueled by a laser sharp focus on his goals. His accomplishments include a prep school and collegiate record of 181-1. He was a two-time NCAA champion and a three-time Big Eight champion.
It was at the Summer Olympics in Munich in 1972 that Gable showed the rest of the world what he already knew; he was unstoppable. In those Olympic games Gable won the gold medal without surrendering a single point in any match against any opponent throughout the tournament.
After finishing his wrestling career, Gable became the head wrestling coach at University of Iowa where from 1976 to 1997 his teams won 15 NCAA team titles and compiled a record of 355-21-5. His wrestlers won 45 individual NCAA titles, 152 NCAA All-American honors; in Olympic competition, Gable-coached wrestlers earned four gold, one silver, and three bronze medals.
Gable’s career is chronicled in his new book: “A Wrestling Life, The Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable” available on Amazon.
The Wrestlers in Business Network fosters the growth of wrestler-owned or operated businesses across the nation. The Princeton chapter also supports the Beat the Streets program, which in turn supports youth wrestling programs in Trenton.
