Excerpts

Book Excerpt 1:

Bobby Douglas didn’t hesitate to pass on his vast wrestling knowledge to Dan Gable.

“Some of the best moves I learned in wrestling, Bobby Douglas taught me,” Gable said. “He taught me a knee tap, which you could counter a shot with. He showed me how to snap a guy down. One of the things that really helped me is when he taught me ways to score from front headlocks – go-behinds and moves like that.”

As Gable prepared for the 1971 Worlds and 1972 Olympics, Douglas continually pumped him up.

“There is no way they can beat you,” Douglas told Gable, “because they can’t keep up with you.”

“I was pretty confident already,” Gable said. “Bobby helped groom me to beat the best guys in the World. He was giving me the confirmation I really needed to make it real.”

Gable went on to become one of the most iconic figures in the history of wrestling.

Gable coached the Iowa Hawkeyes to an amazing 15 NCAA titles. He was the head coach for the 1984 U.S. Olympic team that won seven gold medals in freestyle wrestling in Los Angeles.

“Bobby Douglas had a tremendous impact on me,” Gable said. “Probably more than he knows.”

* * *

Book Excerpt 2:

Bobby Douglas said going unbeaten through four years of college wasn’t really a consideration when Cael Sanderson came to Iowa State.

“There are so many things that can go wrong – not to mention the fact that nobody had ever done it,” Douglas said. “It’s extremely tough to do. You can get hurt, you can get sick, you can have a bad day, you can get caught … there are just so many things that can go wrong. Not to mention all the pressure that builds the more you keep winning.”

Sanderson’s unbeaten quest attracted media attention that was unprecedented for an amateur wrestler. Sports Illustrated, ESPN, USA Today and other major media outlets were tracking Sanderson’s historic journey.

Sanderson recalls a conversation he had with Douglas during his senior year.

“If you want the pressure to go away,” Douglas told his star pupil, “all you have to do is go lose. You created the pressure, now you have to deal with it.”

That put a smile on Sanderson’s face.

“Coach Douglas put it all in perspective,” Sanderson said. “He showed me that pressure was a good thing. The pressure was there because I was doing something good. I wanted the pressure after that.”

* * *

Book Excerpt 3:

The first Christmas after his grandfather died was one that Douglas will never forget.

Eight-year-old Bobby Douglas woke up early that morning. He jumped out of bed and ran excitedly into the next room.

Unlike previous years, there was no Christmas tree and no presents. And no Santa Claus. He later learned his grandfather had dressed up as Santa in previous years during the holidays.

Douglas walked slowly back to an adjacent room, crawled back into bed and began to cry.

“We didn’t have any money,” Douglas said. “We were lucky to have food. I didn’t get any Christmas presents after that.”

* * *

Book Excerpt 4:

Arizona State’s Mike Davies was named team captain his junior season in 1987, but was struggling. He had lost 7 of 10 matches when the team returned home in January from the Virginia Duals.

After the team arrived back home, Douglas called Davies.

The conversation became heated – so heated that Davies said something he still regrets.

“The pressure got to me and I was wrestling terrible. It was the lowest point in my career,” Davies said. “We got into a shouting match on the phone. I was really, really mad and I called him a nigger.”

Douglas yelled back at Davies.

“You’re supposed to be our captain,” Douglas said. “You’re supposed to be our leader.”

“Well, I quit,” Davies said as he slammed down the phone and hung up on Douglas.

Forty-five minutes later, Douglas showed up at Davies’ door.

“C’mon, let’s go sit in my car and talk,” Douglas said.

“No, get out of here,” Davies fired back. “I don’t want to talk to you.”

As Douglas turned and started walking to his car, Davies had second thoughts. He followed Douglas into his vehicle.

“I can help you get your season turned around,” Douglas said calmly as they sat in the car. “Do you have faith in me?”

A few seconds of silence followed.

“Yes, I do have faith in you,” Davies said as he broke down and started crying. “I’m sorry for what I said.”

“Mike, don’t worry about it,” Douglas responded. “I know that wasn’t you.”

Davies walked into the wrestling room the next day, and his fortunes immediately started to change.

“Coach Douglas became a father figure to me at that point,” Davies said. “I knew he cared about me as a person and I knew he wanted to help me on and off the mat. That was a huge turning point in my career.”

Davies would lose just four matches in his final year and a half at Arizona State. He led Arizona State to the 1988 NCAA title.