ABBOTT BLOG: Matside thoughts from the historic Grapple on the Gridiron
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by Gary Abbott, USA Wrestling
Sammy Brooks of Iowa, celebrating a big win at the Grapple on the Gridiron, could not find words to describe his experience competing in the football stadium. Photo by Mark Lundy.
Leaning on the goal post in the end zone of Kinnick Stadium, watching Iowa wrestle Oklahoma State in front of more than 42,000 fans, the first thought that came to mind was “surreal.”
It was hard to believe it was really happening. After a lifetime in wrestling, having attended major wrestling events around the nation and across the world, this was something almost unreal, out of this world.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t easily describe the experience. Sammy Brooks, the Iowa 184-pounder whose technical fall win made him the big hero of the day, said he could not find words to describe what it was like to wrestle in a football stadium in front of the largest crowd in wrestling history. He said it was “unbelievable.” Different journalists asked him the same question again and again, and Sammy still couldn’t find the right way to explain it all.
The second thought that came to my mind was “blessed.” It seems like God must love wrestling. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I packed sweatshirts and gloves and winter hats, concerned about how cold it might be in Iowa in mid-November. The sun came out and warmed things up, and halfway through the dual, I had to take off my jacket because I had gotten too warm.
The next thought was to tell people “congratulations.” Congratulations to Tom Brands and his Hawkeye staff for coming up with the idea. Congratulations to John Smith and his Cowboy team for taking on the challenge and having the right attitude about competing. Congratulations to the Iowa administration for not only agreeing on hosting the event, but helping promote it so well. Congratulations to the fans who came out to try something new, and helped make history by being there in force. And, of course, congratulations to the wrestling community for supporting this event and believing in their sport.
Longtime Iowa wrestling PA announcer Phil Haddy asked people in the crowd to cheer if they were attending their first Iowa wrestling match, and a healthy number of people called out. There were people there who were not hard-core wrestling fans, who came to check it out. These two talented teams put on a good show. We most certainly have found some new wrestling fans because of the success of the Grapple on the Gridiron.
How many people are 42,287 fans? Iowa coach Tom Brands was right when he talked about seeing very little concrete, just a sea of black shirts and jackets. The seats in the end zone were packed, and there were people down both sides of the stadium, with only a few empty seats up in the far corners. The only place that had no fans was in the far end zone all the way on the other end.
It was a fun few days here in Iowa, working with an NBC crew that was doing a series of feature videos for the U.S. Olympic Committee. They were recognizing Iowa City as the hometown of Olympic wrestling in our nation, and two full television crews came out to do interviews with athletes, coaches, community leaders and fans about the culture of wrestling there. The producers liked the idea of coming this weekend, with hopes that the Grapple on the Gridiron would help add to their story.
On Friday, we took them to a 6:00 a.m. practice of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, and they did interviews with top Olympic contenders Brent Metcalf and Tony Ramos, plus Iowa coaches Tom and Terry Brands. They also had a visit with current Hawkeye lightweight star Thomas Gilman. In the afternoon, they went out to Dan Gable’s house and filmed a ton, getting a personal tour of the amazing memorabilia that Gable has displayed from his lifetime of wrestling excellence. Gable also coached some of his grandkids and local neighbor kids on some wrestling technique, showing moves on the grass outside his home. (Gable has been teaching these kids once a week this fall). They also did an extensive Gable interview in his workout shed behind the house. Friday night, they attended a pep rally downtown, where Gable fired up the crowd and the Iowa spirit squad performed. After that, they squeezed in a lengthy interview with Josh Schamberger, who runs the local Convention and Visitors Bureau and is a big leader with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
Saturday morning, we attended a tailgate hosted by the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, which attracted a large crowd of wrestling fans who were starting their socializing at 6:30 a.m. in the large parking lot outside of Kinnick Stadium. The NBC crew interviewed a bunch of Hawkeye wrestling fans, and had a nice chat with Olympic champion Randy Lewis. They also enjoyed a nice hot breakfast provided to the fans there.
I thought I had a lot to write about from the two days helping the NBC crew. However, the actual Grapple on the Gridiron event itself was such a big deal, something that eclipsed everything we had done all weekend. It was really that special. I have seen some great wrestling outdoors before, including a number of Beat the Streets events in Times Square. But the large crowd and the spirit in Kinnick today was something I had not experienced before.
Both head coaches, Tom Brands and John Smith, said that the Grapple on the Gridiron had exceeded their expectations for the event. I agree. It was that kind of day. It was something never seen before in wrestling.
Here’s hope that this kind of event can be repeated in the future, not only in Iowa, but one other campuses. Iowa has set the bar very high. Can somebody else take this great idea and also run with it?
Leaning on the goal post in the end zone of Kinnick Stadium, watching Iowa wrestle Oklahoma State in front of more than 42,000 fans, the first thought that came to mind was “surreal.”
It was hard to believe it was really happening. After a lifetime in wrestling, having attended major wrestling events around the nation and across the world, this was something almost unreal, out of this world.
I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t easily describe the experience. Sammy Brooks, the Iowa 184-pounder whose technical fall win made him the big hero of the day, said he could not find words to describe what it was like to wrestle in a football stadium in front of the largest crowd in wrestling history. He said it was “unbelievable.” Different journalists asked him the same question again and again, and Sammy still couldn’t find the right way to explain it all.
The second thought that came to my mind was “blessed.” It seems like God must love wrestling. The weather was absolutely beautiful. I packed sweatshirts and gloves and winter hats, concerned about how cold it might be in Iowa in mid-November. The sun came out and warmed things up, and halfway through the dual, I had to take off my jacket because I had gotten too warm.
The next thought was to tell people “congratulations.” Congratulations to Tom Brands and his Hawkeye staff for coming up with the idea. Congratulations to John Smith and his Cowboy team for taking on the challenge and having the right attitude about competing. Congratulations to the Iowa administration for not only agreeing on hosting the event, but helping promote it so well. Congratulations to the fans who came out to try something new, and helped make history by being there in force. And, of course, congratulations to the wrestling community for supporting this event and believing in their sport.
Longtime Iowa wrestling PA announcer Phil Haddy asked people in the crowd to cheer if they were attending their first Iowa wrestling match, and a healthy number of people called out. There were people there who were not hard-core wrestling fans, who came to check it out. These two talented teams put on a good show. We most certainly have found some new wrestling fans because of the success of the Grapple on the Gridiron.
How many people are 42,287 fans? Iowa coach Tom Brands was right when he talked about seeing very little concrete, just a sea of black shirts and jackets. The seats in the end zone were packed, and there were people down both sides of the stadium, with only a few empty seats up in the far corners. The only place that had no fans was in the far end zone all the way on the other end.
It was a fun few days here in Iowa, working with an NBC crew that was doing a series of feature videos for the U.S. Olympic Committee. They were recognizing Iowa City as the hometown of Olympic wrestling in our nation, and two full television crews came out to do interviews with athletes, coaches, community leaders and fans about the culture of wrestling there. The producers liked the idea of coming this weekend, with hopes that the Grapple on the Gridiron would help add to their story.
On Friday, we took them to a 6:00 a.m. practice of the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, and they did interviews with top Olympic contenders Brent Metcalf and Tony Ramos, plus Iowa coaches Tom and Terry Brands. They also had a visit with current Hawkeye lightweight star Thomas Gilman. In the afternoon, they went out to Dan Gable’s house and filmed a ton, getting a personal tour of the amazing memorabilia that Gable has displayed from his lifetime of wrestling excellence. Gable also coached some of his grandkids and local neighbor kids on some wrestling technique, showing moves on the grass outside his home. (Gable has been teaching these kids once a week this fall). They also did an extensive Gable interview in his workout shed behind the house. Friday night, they attended a pep rally downtown, where Gable fired up the crowd and the Iowa spirit squad performed. After that, they squeezed in a lengthy interview with Josh Schamberger, who runs the local Convention and Visitors Bureau and is a big leader with the Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
Saturday morning, we attended a tailgate hosted by the Hawkeye Wrestling Club, which attracted a large crowd of wrestling fans who were starting their socializing at 6:30 a.m. in the large parking lot outside of Kinnick Stadium. The NBC crew interviewed a bunch of Hawkeye wrestling fans, and had a nice chat with Olympic champion Randy Lewis. They also enjoyed a nice hot breakfast provided to the fans there.
I thought I had a lot to write about from the two days helping the NBC crew. However, the actual Grapple on the Gridiron event itself was such a big deal, something that eclipsed everything we had done all weekend. It was really that special. I have seen some great wrestling outdoors before, including a number of Beat the Streets events in Times Square. But the large crowd and the spirit in Kinnick today was something I had not experienced before.
Both head coaches, Tom Brands and John Smith, said that the Grapple on the Gridiron had exceeded their expectations for the event. I agree. It was that kind of day. It was something never seen before in wrestling.
Here’s hope that this kind of event can be repeated in the future, not only in Iowa, but one other campuses. Iowa has set the bar very high. Can somebody else take this great idea and also run with it?
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