Dan Gable Tells the Story of Signing Chris Campbell at Iowa

What a coooooool story! I knew that Campbell was a beast but I didn't know he was just getting into wrestling the year he won states. In New Jersey no less! That's not exactly easy.
Those are the stories I like the best-- unusual beginnings and bizarre talent.

Chris was dope, and dan is always a win

Wow! What a story. I met Chris at the end of my sophomore year in high school. Very nice man.
Very big guy. I still have his autograph. I love coach Gables stories!!! I met Dan Gable also and he was talking about taking on the mma guys like 8 years ago. What a guy! A man’s man!

Great story. Inspirational !!!

Crazy story.

Sick!

I remember when our teammate Steve Bonsal beat Campbell in the first round of the NCAA's! Campbell couldn't keep up with Steve's crazy funk!!

Dan Gables... one bad ass hombre

I wonder if Chris is still in Westfield area. That's a great town, very nice area.

Chris Campbell taught me the sagging headlock in 1981. Pinned many an opponent with it.

Gable was one of my first sports heros. I even wrestled as a senior because of him. I sucked, but he was terrific.

Chris was a savage met him when I was in high school. Great guy

Chris was unbelievable. I went to a wrestling camp at Iowa State in 1983 that he held. It was unbelievable to see him in action. It was so cool to watch him win the bronze in the olympics years later.

I found it interesting that Campbell is/was a vegetarian.

He was definitely my hero. Gave a speech/ presentation about him when I was in 9th grade (1981) in freshman english class .... saved my money for a pair of Asics Tigers Dan Gable signature wrestling shoes (still have them) ... what a great sport.

Saw his stat final match in high school. Never knew this story!

Mr. Dan , I wrestled with you at Russ houk wrestling camp in pa . I sucked but you were great .

That is a wild story!! Why does it seems like most successful coaches have things like that happen to them? Almost like success just falls into their laps!! A forced speaking engagement ends up turning into a recruitment trip, and the guy ends up winning 2 NCAA championships with you. And with only a year of high school wrestling experience! Wow!

My brother and I listened on a little transistor radio to Dan's final match in the NCAA tournament. We were rooting for him.

When I got out of the army I went back home to the U of Iowa to school right after Chris won the worlds and was training and coaching before he went to law school. I saw him downtown one day and it's hard to put him in perspective in person back then, he had like a 30" waist and a 60" chest.

Could you imagine winning New Jersey states with one year of experience?

My friend Ed Vatch beat Cambell for the Big Ten Championship. At the very end of the match Ed's knee made a horrible POP! He held on and won the match but I think that ended his career.

I remember Chris from High School. Great guy.

hes still reeling from that huge beating from larry owings ,,, the alcohol really got him bad : (

Crazyyyyyyyyy!

Met him at a Wrestling camp in Boston. Huge guy. Got is poster signed. He was World champ. Great story.

Dan Gable didn't want to sign me. He knew I was too good.

One simply does not walk back onto the mat in their late 30s and do so well. It was and remains one of the miraculous wrestling achievements.

He wrestled so well at an advanced age because his body wasn’t broken, and he had the mentality of of a grown man!

mark johnson was a great wrestler, a better coach and an even better person.

Why did gable only do 1 Olympics since he dominated so hard at berlin

Is no one going to mention the pro cut lawn? I could see Gable out on a deer putting in some work.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing. Saw Chris and John Bowlsby compete at Iowa when I was a kid.

One of my greatest youth memories was in 1973 when my father convinced Chris Campbell to come to our house, once a week, for wrestling / coaching. Chris was a senior and I was eleven. He wrestled 168 lbs n I 98 lbs. His body was chiseled from stone n his strength was unconcionable 😊. Mostly though he was one of the nicest, coolest, dudes I had ever met.

If you don't know the Story on what happened to hi Sister when he was a kid. Its sad, and probably what made him the Mat Monster he is and was...

Lost all respect for Gable when he accepted that award from the low-IQ traitor, Donald Trump. Dolly Parton refused the same award from Trump, showing she's a better "man" than Gable ever was.

Chris Campbell was one of my camp counselors at BU wrestling Camp, summer 1988. Had Chris and Nate Carr working with me directly for 2 days.

I won the states and placed in New Englands the following year and credit them and Jim Beckham (also went to his camp summer 1988)

How lucky was I. Post Olympic trials and Carl Adams got these future Olympians to teach!!

Campbell came to our high school wrestling banquet in Ames Iowa once . Hes a scary and very talented dude!!

Love to hear Gable reminisce like this. I can still remember Gable’s great Iowa State team coming into Grace Hall to wrestle Lehigh. Gable was either a Junior or a Senior. Several other NCAA champs on that team.

James hetfield