When Dan Gable came to Iowa City in 1972, he had a vision of excellence that was contagious. He spent time fostering relationships, honing athletes skills, and sharing his passion for wrestling with everyone he interacted with. Athletes, fans, and donors all knew exactly what the Hawkeyes were setting out to do... dominate.
And they did.
Gable's teams won everything... dang-near everytime. His record as a coach was 355-21-5 between 1976-1997 (21 years). He coached 152 All-Americans, 45 national champions, 106 B1G champions, and his teams won 21 straight B1G championships and 15 NCAA titles.
In order to elevate to the highest levels year-in, and year-out, Gable knew he needed support. So at the very beginning of his coaching career he recruited the best wingman anyone could find – Roy Carver.
Carver was the sole contributor to the University of Iowa wrestling team and the then newly founded Hawkeye Wrestling Club for nearly a decade prior to his death in 1981. Together they build the foundation for the biggest wrestling empire in the United States and arguably the world.
To date, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club has celebrated 17 World Medalists, 6 World Champions, 20 Olympians, 11 Olympic Medalists, and 5 Olympic Champions! Carver’s impact was enormous and is still being felt today by Hawkeye grapplers.
Over the past 50 years, hundreds of athletes have benefited from Carver’s contributions and Gable’s vision. Two of those athletes were Tom Brands and Terry Brands, the current torch bearers of the University of Iowa Wrestling program and Hawkeye Wrestling Club.
When they took over the program in 2006, the Hawkeye Wrestling Club funds were depleted. With less than $10k in the bank, Tom and Terry set out to leave it better than they found it, in a big way. Not only in the bank, but also on the mat! That hunger to be the best is a catalyst for the Brands’ everyday. Now more than ever, they need your support to be the very best. For the past 17 years, the Brands brothers have coached the Hawkeyes to a 265-25-1 record, 4 NCAA and 6 B1G team titles, crowning 13 NCAA champions, 25 B1G Champions, and 100 All-Americans.
After tireless work by the leadership of our program, the HWC is best positioned to transform athletes’ lives by providing them with the best training environment, coaching, and teammates the world has to offer.
And with you, we will get back to the top of the wrestling world in perpetuity.
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