The Night Dan Gable Was Nearly Invisible

Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty ImagesI began wrestling in Upstate New York at the age of seven. I still remember what I wore to my first practice: a red Masters of the Universe muscle-tank with He-Man front and center.

Come to think about it, there’s a lot I remember from my life as a wrestler; most of it having to do with the people I met and wrestled.

My school was in New York’s Section 4, the Binghamton-centric district that produced four-time national champ Kyle Dake and former UFC Champion Jon Jones. Wrestling was as big of a deal in that section as it was in any part of the country — Iowa included.

As a wrestler on the mat, I was average. But my knowledge of the sport — including its…