If you're involved in amateur wrestling as an athlete, coach, official or fan, you undoubtedly know the Gable basics. Incredible 181-1 record in high school (Waterloo West, Iowa) and college (Iowa State). Olympic gold medalist at the 1972 Munich Games. Built a dynasty as head coach at the University of Iowa, with 15 NCAA team titles. Goodwill ambassador for wrestling around the world.
However, there's so much more to know about Dan Mack Gable, as readers will discover in the brand-new book, Dan Gable: A Wrestling Life 2, the follow-up to the best-selling A Wrestling Life: The Inspirational Stories of Dan Gable, both published by the University of Iowa Press.
The 411 on A Wrestling Life books
The front inside flap of the just-published A Wrestling Life 2 provides a perspective on the book ... and its subject: "When people think of the celebrated greatness that is Coach Dan Gable, they think of an almost mythic intensity toward wrestling. Gable breathes and bleeds the sport, and faithfully applies lessons learned from both on and off the mat. Expanding upon Gable's first collection of stories, A Wrestling Life 2 goes deeper into the Gable Principles and life events that have shaped the man, the wrestler and the coach."
Two years ago, A Wrestling Life: The Inspirational Stories of Dan Gable, created a sensation not just in the wrestling community, but in the world of sports. That first edition was a unique memoir of the wrestler/coach's life, with each individual chapter addressing a significant element of the Gable story. A Wrestling Life, written by Dan Gable with Scott Schulte, spent two months on The New York Times sports bestseller list.
As they say, you can't have too much of a good thing. Hence the follow-up book, Dan Gable: A Wrestling Life 2. This new edition, written by Dan Gable along with Kyle Klingman, incorporates a similar format that made the first book so popular: the great Gable sharing stories as if he were sitting right beside you.
Klingman comes aboard
Kyle Klingman and Dan GableHow did A Wrestling Life 2 come about?
"The University of Iowa Press decided to create a second edition after positive reaction to the first book and because people wanted more Dan Gable stories after the great response to the first set of stories," Klingman told InterMat. "While the first book was most about his family and his upbringing, readers wanted depth about Dan's athletic and coaching career. Hopefully this book accomplished that."
"Scott Schulte, the first author, was unable to continue work on the second book so the University of Iowa Press needed someone to fill the gap," Klingman continued. "I happened to be at a book signing with Dan Gable in Osage, Iowa, and met Susan Hill Newton of the University of Iowa Press at the book signing. We began a dialogue and she approached me several weeks later about finishing the second book with Dan. She approached Dan about the idea and he was agreeable to bring me on board."
"I am grateful to Susan for providing me this opportunity."
New insights from Dan the Man
Reading A Wrestling Life 2 is like reading a journal that was penned by Dan Gable himself. As with the initial A Wrestling Life book from two years ago, the follow-up book is also written in first-person, as if the legendary coach were speaking (or writing) directly to you, the reader.
While it's safe to say that readers who enjoyed the original A Wrestling Life book will find more to love in A Wrestling Life 2, the new book covers unique ground. The first book provided a you-are-there perspective on Gable's athletic and coaching career, along with a presentation of the major milestones in his childhood and teenage years -- including the murder of his only sibling, Diane, in the Gable home while he and his parents were away on a fishing trip.
The new book seems to place greater emphasis on Gable's career in wrestling -- first, as a wrestler, from as a youngster who excelled at multiple sports but found his calling on the mat, to phenomenal success at Waterloo West (wrestling for Bob Siddens), then at Iowa State (being mentored by yet another coaching giant, Harold Nichols), and on to further success in freestyle, culminating with a gold medal at the Munich Olympics 45 years ago ... then as head wrestling coach at the University of Iowa who took the Hawkeyes to new heights.
Klingman has continued the "Gable voice" presentation in A Wrestling Life 2. This writer was curious as to how this came about so seamlessly. It turns out that the Gable-Klingman collaboration took a number of different forms.
"My role in the book was a mix of many things," Klingman disclosed. "Dan wrote much of the book by hand. Some of the chapters were finished and I filled out the chapter with additional historical content and quotes from his athletes. Some of the chapters I wrote from scratch and Dan would read and make changes to ensure it was similar to his dialect. There were other times when we worked on a chapter together and I would type as Dan spoke."
Dan Gable: A Wrestling Life 2 is so compelling, some fans will devour it in a single reading (akin to binge-watching a favorite TV series) ... yet it incorporates a concise-chapter format that allows readers to pick up the book, read a chapter or two, then return to the book for more tales from the Great Gable. (The chapter construction makes this book especially appealing to young readers who may usually have a short attention span.) Readers of all ages will recognize the wrestling and coaching greats that are the subjects of Dan Gable's storytelling and marvel at the unique insights shared by this giant in the sport.
If you enjoyed the first Gable memoir A Wrestling Life, you'll want to read the follow-up Dan Gable: A Wrestling Life 2. If you haven't read either book, you owe it to yourself to spend some quality time with the compelling stories of Dan Gable contained within both A Wrestling Life (2015) and A Wrestling Life 2 (2017).
Dan Gable: A Wrestling Life 2 -- and its predecessor, A Wrestling Life: The Stories of Dan Gable -- are both available for purchase from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum.
Want to know more about Dan Gable? Check out these InterMat features on the 1970 NCAA finals match between Gable and Larry Owings ... Iowa Icons: Dan Gable documentary DVD ... and Nolan Zavoral's Season on the Mat book which chronicles Gable's last season as Iowa head coach.
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