Gabe Dean Where Should I Go Together to Love Again

This story previously appeared in our 2016-17 winter sports supplement. To view the supplement, click here.

"Recognize opportunity," reads the Latin inscription on Gabe Dean'southward necklace that he e'er keeps close by his side. The two-fourth dimension NCAA national champion and 3 fourth dimension all-American has used these 2 words equally a guide throughout his journey to the top of the collegiate wrestling earth. Now a senior applied economic science and direction major and the heavy favorite to win a third sequent national title in March, Dean's route is far from over.

Midwestern Memories

Gabriel Curtis Dean was built-in in Eastern Michigan and spent the first few years of his life in a rural home equally one of 3 children. As a young male child, he enjoyed running around outside, going line-fishing with his begetter and playing video games at domicile — just like whatever other kid.

"My mom actually tried to put me into tap dancing when I was footling, just it lasted well-nigh a solar day," Dean said. "There was a part of this one dance where I didn't like what I had to do, so I but walked out correct in the centre of the dance, and that was it."

Dancing may not have been a good fit, so Dean'southward father came upward with a dissimilar program for him. David Dean wrestled for Minnesota where he won two Large 10 championships and was a national runner-up, going on to coach at Michigan Land for 13 years. At first, Gabe did non care much for his father's livelihood, merely that soon changed when he got to experience it firsthand.

"He would bring me and my brother up to the wrestling room, and nosotros would run around on the mats and play with the guys on the [MSU] team," he said. "They were our function models growing up."

In one case he finally entered the sport at the age of nine, Gabe's wrestling career got off to a crude start at a small local tournament.

"I got caput-locked and pinned by a girl," he said.  "I acted similar I was paralyzed on the mat because I was so distraught."

From that signal on, wrestling was always ane of his activities, but the passion he holds today took some time to make it.

"My true passion was always football game. Fifty-fifty when I was a kid I loved football," Dean said, who also played baseball and basketball. On multiple occasions, Dean almost walked out on wrestling like he did on tap dancing.

"I actually tried to quit wrestling several times every bit a kid, but [my parents] would ever bribe me dorsum into it with water ice cream or stuff like that," he said.

Still, Dean's parents never forced wrestling on him — something he is very thankful for.

"I of the things I've really appreciated is my parents never pushed me to do anything," he said.  "Sure, my dad was a petty manipulative with wrestling like by bringing me to practices and all that, but they let me do what I wanted and enjoy my childhood, and they loved me unconditionally no matter what."

Next Cease: Lowell, Mich.

When Dean was going into the sixth course, his family moved west to Lowell, a boondocks of about four,000. Every bit Dean and his siblings grew up, their begetter left his job at Michigan State to spend more time with his family. At Lowell High School, he became head wrestling omnibus, where Gabe's uncle was already the head football coach.

Going into high school, Dean kept his focus on football game. The then-freshman played quarterback on his junior varsity team and developed his natural ability throughout the season. As a sophomore, Dean was eager to earn a spot on the varsity team, but standing in the way was a senior quarterback who had taken the starting gig.

"They were working me at safety — trying to observe me a position — and a week before the start game, we were having a scrimmage, and the QB broke his collarbone," Dean said. "I was the next in line."

While Dean was going to get that starting gig at the position he was virtually prepared for, the position came with force per unit area. In that small-scale town of Lowell, around 8,000 to 9,000 people would come up out for a Friday game, tailgating included.

"Information technology was pretty terrifying. It's ane of those Friday-dark-lights towns," he said.

Dean took it all in stride though, winning seven out of his showtime eight games and ultimately leading his team all the style to a country championship. Dean led the team to two second place finishes in his junior and senior years.

At the same time, Dean was also wrestling for his begetter throughout his time in loftier school. Although he humbly remarked that he was "non as successful nor specially dominant in wrestling," Dean withal went on to win the land championships at his weight form during his junior year.

Nevertheless, it was his football career Gabe wanted to have to the next level, not his wrestling one.

The summer before his senior yr, Dean attended what he thought was a football game camp at Georgia Tech, simply as information technology turned out, the camp was a scouting combine. This was Dean'southward large chance to testify off his talent and win the attending of some Division I programs, but information technology did non go anything like he had imagined it would.

"I was there for maybe xx minutes, and they told me that I was too small and that I could never exist successful every bit a Division I quarterback," said the five-pes-10 Dean.  "That's when I was said, y'all know, I don't like the way in which your destiny lies in the hands of a lot of other people in football, and in wrestling it's in your easily, you lot control your own destiny in the sport"

"I really had a bad taste in my mouth about that whole situation, they were pretty rude to me," he continued. "Just you know what — one door closes and some other one opens, and I decided to commit to wrestling."

Wrestling Takes Center Stage

Although he had been more passionate virtually football game, Dean was really receiving more attention from wrestling programs. He was recruited by Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota — perchance because of family ties — but was non on the listing of the nation's top 100 high school wrestlers. A nationally renowned program like Cornell seemed out of accomplish.

Simply then, "out of nowhere Cornell comes knocking on my door, and I'thou not going to lie to yous I didn't fifty-fifty know where Cornell was," he said. Head coach Rob Koll and his associate Damion Hahn came to visit Dean and immediately hit it off with him and his family unit. Koll invited Dean back to Ithaca for a bout of the schoolhouse and the wrestling middle, and the loftier school senior was non going to have a pass on that.

"I was playing in a football, and after it ended I literally walked into my auto in my pads and we collection out there," Dean said.

Dean — who always valued academics — savage in love with the school'south campus and was impressed by the wrestling team, and so he knew Cornell was the place for him. He committed right on the spot during that visit.

"At Cornell, you lot get to wrestle at one of the best programs in the country, and you go to go to schoolhouse at one of the best universities in the country, so that seemed like a clear win-win," he said. "Cornell definitely took a risk on me, only it worked out."

Dean later learned why Cornell came to be interested in him.

"The first time I saw Gabe was at a national tournament, and he was wrestling the No. ane ranked guy in the country, who was being recruited very heavily by a lot of schools," Hahn said, who has developed a close relationship with Dean. "I remember watching this young scrappy child get the kickoff takedown on the No. ane ranked guy, and my optics lit up … Gabe concluded upwards losing by a technical fall but he never stopped wrestling. I thought to myself, this child is a fighter, and I knew he had serious potential."

After committing to Cornell, Dean deferred his admission for a twelvemonth and took classes at a local customs higher, a relatively common practice for future Cornell wrestlers referred to as "greyness shirting." During that year, Dean — who was not allowed to train at Cornell — spent much of his time honing his skills at an Olympic training heart. He was as well heavily aided by sometime Cornell wrestler and national champion Cam Simaz '12 who still lived in the area.

"Cam took me in, and he actually taught me how to exist successful at the Division I level," Dean said. "When you come up into higher, it doesn't matter how good you were in loftier school, you're going to go the crap kicked out of you, and Cam taught me how to deal with that."

Dean's grey shirt year got off to a crude starting time at an open tournament when he lost his commencement 2 matches and was eliminated. He called his father and told him he wanted to give up the sport, but he was told he had to cease out the year and see what happened.

"After that phone call, I figured if I accept to finish this twelvemonth, I'm gonna do the best that I can," Dean said. "I worked as hard as I possibly could from that bespeak on."

Dean finished out the year with some limited success, but never won a tournament. His goal every bit a freshman was simply to proceeds a spot on the squad's starting lineup.

Donning the Carnelian and White

Upon arrival at Cornell, Dean defeated the then-current starter at 184 in practice to win the spot, and during the course of that season, he compiled a series of major upsets which put his name in the chat of top wrestlers in the nation.

He won the esteemed Cliff Peachy Invitational in Las Vegas and took down the national No. 1 and defending NCAA champion Ed Ruth at a major tournament in Tennessee — who pinned him earlier in the yr.

"Before I walked out there [to face Ed Ruth] I remember saying to myself I don't care how bad he beats me, I'chiliad non getting pinned again," Dean said. "He was a much better athlete than me, but I was gonna brand him earn it … I went out there, and I wrestled that way and won."

Dean went on to take tertiary in the NCAA championships, losing to Ruth in another rematch, merely he exceeded his goal of making the starting lineup many months prior.

Over the summer, Dean made the U.S. U-20 National squad where he won a bronze medal in Republic of croatia. After two seniors graduated, Dean came into his sophomore year as the national No. 1 at 184.

He suffered a setback at the same Las Vegas tournament he had won the year before by losing twice in the aforementioned day, but he overcame it and went on to finish the yr 43-ii, never losing over again en route to his start NCAA title. Dean won nearly every accolade you could that season, but remembers that year for its difficulties, rather than its bright spots.

"My whole sophomore year was tough for me," he said. "My values were in the incorrect place … I valued winning manner likewise much. Information technology was probably the longest, virtually stressful year of my life."

Even so, he withal remembers some of his amend moments, particularly his starting time win.

"Winning the first one was awesome. It was truly a surreal moment," Dean said.  "I mean when I was a kid my dad would say you're this close to being 1 of the best wrestlers in the state, and I just thought he was full of crap … Afterwards I won the first one I remember seeing my dad and hugging him and just proverb, 'Hey, you were right.'"

Still, Dean's goal that summer was to modify his means: to larn to be but as successful while doing things the right fashion.

Inferior Year: Wrestling the Right Way

"I came into my junior year, and I said I don't intendance if I win some other national title or not, just I'yard going to exercise it the right way," Dean said. "The right fashion for me meant realizing that it'south not simply about winning or losing. Information technology'south near your motivation and your effort and going out there and trying to be fun to sentry for the fans."

Preparation became a cardinal part of Dean's life. He took pride in eating right, training right, studying right and winning right. He received communication from Cornell Athletics' nutritionist Clint Wattenberg on how to eat the right way and now eats an extremely good for you diet.

"I consume a very strict nutrition — very clean, lots of vegetables and proteins and lots of carbs," Dean said. "But I always treat myself afterwards a long weekend. I'll come habitation and go to Purity for a fiddling ice cream."

Dean's routine for cutting weight — many wrestlers' biggest gripe — is consistent and effective. He has information technology down to an exact scientific discipline and hardly fifty-fifty minds it.

"Cutting weight isn't really that bad if you know the right way to do it," he says.

Overall, his work ethic is one of the keys to his success, and he knows it.

"I will say that my piece of work ethic and my bulldoze have gone a long mode in getting me to where I am. This sport is blue collar," he said. "And the all-time athletes don't e'er win, so you've got to piece of work hard."

"The tireless work ethic he has was the deciding gene in most of his matches.  He would outwork and out-wrestle anyone who stepped on the mat," coach Hahn said.  "That has continued to abound while he has developed his style of wrestling."

Dean was unstoppable his junior season. He lost simply ane match the unabridged year — which he ultimately avenged — and won his second consecutive national championship at 184. Dean as well earned showtime team all-America honors for the third straight flavour.

"That 2nd championship was the best one because I did it the right style," he said.

The Quest for One More

This season, Dean seems to accept gotten even better. He is currently ranked No. one, is 23-0 with 17 pins and is a leading candidate to win the Hodges Trophy, which recognizes the best overall wrestler in the country — regardless of weight class.

As an overall team, Cornell is non too shabby either, ranked in the top 10 and the favorite to win its conference — the EIWA — for the 11th straight year.  Dean is well enlightened of the fact that he could not have washed information technology on his ain.

"To become where I am today I've needed overwhelming love and back up from my family, my friends, my teammates and my coaching staff. As the maxim goes, 'one human's trash is some other man's treasure,'" he said. "At Georgia Tech I was nothing to them, merely Cornell saw opportunity in me, and I'grand very lucky they did."

Dean repeatedly stresses the importance of the support he received from his coaches and the way in which they believed in him. At Cornell, he has benefited from the whole staff, simply especially from Hahn.

"I'k really really close with Damion — we spend a ton of fourth dimension together," he said. "In that location are 3 men to whom I really credit who I am today: one'south my father, one's my grandfather and the other is Damion Hahn. He's been a huge influence on my life."

Hahn also had extremely high praise for Dean, who has practically get another member of his family.

"Gabe and I accept a very close relationship. Nosotros have a common respect and bond with 1 some other that has grown during his time here at Cornell," Hahn said. "Gabe is very close with my family, and my children look upwards to him and human activity like he's their big blood brother … Gabe is a nifty child, and I'm so thankful that I've had the opportunity to passenger vehicle him and to have him equally a part of our life."

Dean has tremendous respect for his head coach Rob Koll likewise, although the two are not quite as shut outside of the wrestling room.

"Information technology's nifty to see someone like Gabe achieve such success because he does everything right," Koll said. "He is the perfect role model for our current and time to come wrestlers."

Throughout his wrestling career, Dean has achieved virtually everything there is to attain. He has also earned Bookish all-America honors for his commitment to his classwork. Despite all the rewards, he knows at that place is much more than to his life than what is in his trophy case.

"If you put your values in all the accolades, you're not going to be the happiest guy," Dean said. "Someday we're gonna have to quit sports, and if all your value is wrapped up in how successful you lot were, and then you're really not seeing the bigger picture in life."

"As proud as I am of winning national titles and becoming an all-American, I truly am more proud of the relationships I've built at Cornell and people I've gotten to know and the things that I've learned from my family," he continued. "Those things I will conduct with me for the rest of my life."

Dean'due south goals from here on out include winning a team trophy —top four in the nation — for Cornell and to make the Olympics in 4 years. "After that, I'll just see where life takes me," he said.

While his futurity may not exist certain, yous can count on Gabe Dean for one matter — the same thing that got him past that one summer day on the Georgia Tech football game field all the way to taking a chance on wrestling and becoming a national champion at Cornell: he'll always recognize opportunity.

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Source: https://cornellsun.com/2017/02/08/wrestling-the-right-way-the-rise-of-cornells-two-time-ncaa-champion-gabe-dean/

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