Hawkeye Wrestling classics

[NM1965]

I've been watching a lot of old Hawkeye videos of duals(Gable era), mostly against OSU and ISU. Awesome stuff by Iowa PBS, and others.

Did you guys know that Jim Heffernan never beat an ISU wrestler? Crazy, right? His brother John worked his way to being All American, too. 

Anyway, I've noticed consistent home cooking by the Iowa referees, not that the Hawkeyes actually needed it.  I've seen lots of dudes I knew back in the day in those videos! Wrestling was way different back then. Lots of collar ties. Lots of riding ankles. I'll post one of the videos here. 

 

[Greenwave]

St. Ed studs

 

John has been coaching at his HS for years.

[MidwestMan]

Now imagine being over 70 and watching all the dynasty changes, creative improvement in technique.

The internet and video are a big part of that advance, although singles, doubles, cradles, and halfs still rule.  I see the most advancement with set ups.  Throw in scramble wrestling.

I can remember seeing so many of the future studs at Jr Nats in Cedar Rapids, back in the day.  I bought a Dan Gable technique book on site and he autographed it.  

Living in north Missouri, we were fortunate to get a lot of the Iowa Public TV wrestling matches, depending on antenna reception.  Back in the good Ole days.

[KCMO2]

5 hours ago, MidwestMan said:

Living in north Missouri, we were fortunate to get a lot of the Iowa Public TV wrestling matches, depending on antenna reception.  Back in the good Ole days.

Where were you at then?

[MidwestMan]

3 hours ago, KCMO2 said:

Where were you at then?

50 miles south of the Mo-Ia state line.

[MPhillips]

43 minutes ago, MidwestMan said:

50 miles south of the Mo-Ia state line.

Is that like purgatory...

[CHROMEBIRD]

11 hours ago, NM1965 said:

I've been watching a lot of old Hawkeye videos of duals(Gable era), mostly against OSU and ISU. Awesome stuff by Iowa PBS, and others.

Did you guys know that Jim Heffernan never beat an ISU wrestler? Crazy, right? His brother John worked his way to being All American, too. 

Anyway, I've noticed consistent home cooking by the Iowa referees, not that the Hawkeyes actually needed it.  I've seen lots of dudes I knew back in the day in those videos! Wrestling was way different back then. Lots of collar ties. Lots of riding ankles. I'll post one of the videos here. 

 

Great find, I love IPTV, and what a dual. This one had everything: loud, rowdy environment, streak on the line, stacked lineups, final deciding match, halo headgear, Kathy Gable hair. How bananas was Carr vs. Kelly at 142? Gibbons & Penrith and KJ & Royce were also insanely fun.

Also why did the cheerleaders look like they were in their 30s?

[MPhillips]

7 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

why did the cheerleaders look like they were in their 30s?

Corn shuckers in the summer...

[NM1965]

The music they played at Hawkeye matches was super, duper lame. The theme from the "Andy Griffith Show", for example. 

[Maxwell Smart]

Ah, the good ole days! Many of the 24-7 posters still remember them like they were yesterday. It was a different time and it was entertaining to see the old style and uniforms. Wrestlers looked physically strong in those singlets.

[Rassling2]

22 hours ago, MidwestMan said:

Now imagine being over 70 and watching all the dynasty changes, creative improvement in technique.

The internet and video are a big part of that advance, although singles, doubles, cradles, and halfs still rule.  I see the most advancement with set ups.  Throw in scramble wrestling.

I can remember seeing so many of the future studs at Jr Nats in Cedar Rapids, back in the day.  I bought a Dan Gable technique book on site and he autographed it.  

Living in north Missouri, we were fortunate to get a lot of the Iowa Public TV wrestling matches, depending on antenna reception.  Back in the good Ole days.

Back in the good ole days we Long Islanders used to get public access tv to most of the Lehigh PA matches. I recall those days vividly.

[MidwestMan]

1 hour ago, Maxwell Smart said:

Ah, the good ole days! Many of the 24-7 posters still remember them like they were yesterday. It was a different time and it was entertaining to see the old style and uniforms. Wrestlers looked physically strong in those singlets.

I'm so old that we actually wore a 3 piece uniform.  Tights first, top that buttoned at bottom, then trunks.  I was damn proud when I finally earned the right to wear that contraption.  Finally my senior year, we went to a two piece.

Practiced on canvas mats with a mat cover.  Talk about mat burns.  The under mats would have spots where the stuffing would separate and leave a gap.  I ended up with my first concussion as a result of a fireman's carry that drilled my head into one of those gaps.  Woke up in ER with a terrible headache and vomiting.  Unfortunately, this wouldn't be my last.  Knowledge about head injuries has advanced tremendously in 50+ years.  Yah think those mats might be a bit of a liability issue today.

The "good ole" wasn't always good.

[NM1965]

13 hours ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

Great find, I love IPTV, and what a dual. This one had everything: loud, rowdy environment, streak on the line, stacked lineups, final deciding match, halo headgear, Kathy Gable hair. How bananas was Carr vs. Kelly at 142? Gibbons & Penrith and KJ & Royce were also insanely fun.

Also why did the cheerleaders look like they were in their 30s?

The quality of the video is surprisingly good. There are a lot of videos from the 80s that look horrible, but the ones off IPBS look very good, like 80s era sitcom level (not home video quality level like many of the old wrestling videos). 

Jesus, those cheerleaders look like women you'd meet at a bar at the age of 35. I'm pretty sure the one in the middle is Kathy Griffin. 

[MidwestMan]

13 hours ago, MPhillips said:

Is that like purgatory...

I grew up in the city, so when I moved to north Missouri 50 years ago, it was kind of a culture shock.

I don't hunt, fish, or play golf.  I'm agnostic and my politics don't always line up.  When people start trying to talk religion to me, I tell them to talk to my wife, she's the Christian in the family.  I just tell people I'm a free/critical thinker and to each their own.

I've never quite fit in, but that's ok.

Speaking of purgatory, I had someone approach me last week, meaning we'll, but prophesizing.  I thanked them for caring about me, but I had grown up with a catholic step father and had gone to catholic school and mass, and had a pentecostal grandmother that lead the church praise band, and spoke in tongues.  Between the sitting, standing, kneeling in mass, and watching people pass out with the "holly spirit" at grandma's church, I came to my own thoughts about spirituality.  But this individual was concerned about my soul and the "heaven and hell" issue.  I looked at him and said, "So,what are your thoughts on purgatory?"  

[NM1965]

23 hours ago, MidwestMan said:

Now imagine being over 70 and watching all the dynasty changes, creative improvement in technique.

The internet and video are a big part of that advance, although singles, doubles, cradles, and halfs still rule.  I see the most advancement with set ups.  Throw in scramble wrestling.

I can remember seeing so many of the future studs at Jr Nats in Cedar Rapids, back in the day.  I bought a Dan Gable technique book on site and he autographed it.  

Living in north Missouri, we were fortunate to get a lot of the Iowa Public TV wrestling matches, depending on antenna reception.  Back in the good Ole days.

I'm 60, and I've seen wrestling change immensely. The basics remain unchanging, but the styles change forever. Scrambling today for example. Nobody would flip under and grab a leg back in the 80s if he was about to be taken down! Today there are kids that if you get in deep on only one of their legs, you are in big trouble! You'd better get both legs, or none! 

Back when I wrestled we had 25-30 match long seasons, give or take, until state. If a guy wrestled 140 matches in HS it was considered a lot. Today these kids wrestle the academic schedule PLUS a busy offseason schedule that can include dozens of matches. A HS kid today can easily wrestle 300 matches in 4 years. These kids today are MORE EXPERIENCED WRESTLERS than 80s wrestlers were. Plus they have access to wrestling coaching online. It's really not a fair comparison, technique wise. 

 

[NM1965]

1 hour ago, MidwestMan said:

I'm so old that we actually wore a 3 piece uniform.  Tights first, top that buttoned at bottom, then trunks.  I was damn proud when I finally earned the right to wear that contraption.  Finally my senior year, we went to a two piece.

Practiced on canvas mats with a mat cover.  Talk about mat burns.  The under mats would have spots where the stuffing would separate and leave a gap.  I ended up with my first concussion as a result of a fireman's carry that drilled my head into one of those gaps.  Woke up in ER with a terrible headache and vomiting.  Unfortunately, this wouldn't be my last.  Knowledge about head injuries has advanced tremendously in 50+ years.  Yah think those mats might be a bit of a liability issue today.

The "good ole" wasn't always good.

Ah, fireman's carry. You don't see that much anymore, eh? I think I saw one last weekend, but I was watching a match from the 90s. Beautiful move, if you hit it perfect you can put the guy right on his back. Or you in the ER, which is almost as good (presumably). I'm glad the 3 piece uniform was gone by the time I started wrestling

Oh yeah, I think MPhillips reference to "purgatory" was related to the movie "Support Your Local Sheriff", which was set in a mining town called Purgatory (state undefined though, I think).  I'm surprised you didn't get the reference, looks like a good date movie from the late 60s!

 

Edited December 27, 2025 by NM1965

[MidwestMan]

32 minutes ago, NM1965 said:

Ah, fireman's carry. You don't see that much anymore, eh? I think I saw one last weekend, but I was watching a match from the 90s. Beautiful move, if you hit it perfect you can put the guy right on his back. Or you in the ER, which is almost as good (presumably). I'm glad the 3 piece uniform was gone by the time I started wrestling

Oh yeah, I think MPhillips reference to "purgatory" was related to the movie "Support Your Local Sheriff", which was set in a mining town called Purgatory (state undefined though, I think).  I'm surprised you didn't get the reference, looks like a good date movie from the late 60s!

 

Went right over my head, and I remember watching the movie.

[Powershouse]

3 hours ago, MidwestMan said:

I'm so old that we actually wore a 3 piece uniform.  Tights first, top that buttoned at bottom, then trunks.  I was damn proud when I finally earned the right to wear that contraption.  Finally my senior year, we went to a two piece.

When I wrestled in hs the varsity had tights and singlets, but the JV had those three piece uniforms. Strong motivation to make the varsity!

[ChickenWing]

2 hours ago, NM1965 said:

Ah, fireman's carry. You don't see that much anymore, eh? I think I saw one last weekend, but I was watching a match from the 90s. Beautiful move, if you hit it perfect you can put the guy right on his back. Or you in the ER, which is almost as good (presumably). 

 

1st period. I remember watching Dieringer hitting this and thinking Fireman's but announcer called it something else. Maybe he's too young to know.

[MidwestMan]

Near arm, far leg (outside fireman)is his bread and butter and what he usually taught at clinics.  In our room we taught both options, near leg fireman's, and far leg fireman's (barrel roll), also a Kelly dump from pulling in the arm when the head got stuffed.

3 hours ago, ChickenWing said:

1st period. I remember watching Dieringer hitting this and thinking Fireman's but announcer called it something else. Maybe he's too young to know.

 

[Gene Mills Fan]

I get funny thoughts in my head watching Brooks. I want to say what a beast but can only say WHY? 

[CHROMEBIRD]

4 hours ago, Powershouse said:

When I wrestled in hs the varsity had tights and singlets, but the JV had those three piece uniforms. Strong motivation to make the varsity!

Hah, in my era varsity got to wear the shiny new thin breathable lycra singlets, and JV had to wear the thick old stretchy poly blend singlets. Our coach switched it for a second and had varsity wear the older singlets but I can't remember why he thought they were better. It didn't last long.