Gable recognition highlights third annual FryFest
Posted on 21. Apr, 2011 by admin in Iowa Football
By Brendan Stiles
HawkeyeDrive.com
CORALVILLE, Iowa — Details surrounding the third annual FryFest planned for Sept. 2 were revealed Thursday morning during a press conference held at the Marriott Coralville Hotel and Conference Center.
Former Iowa wrestling head coach Dan Gable will be honored during this year’s event with a program happening called “Dan Gable: This Is Your Life,” which will be emceed by Iowa sports information director Phil Haddy. It will be a two-hour event from 12-2 p.m., that afternoon and will be a ticketed event as only 1,000 fans will be allowed into the Marriott’s Coral Ballroom.
Gable, who coached Iowa to 15 national championships and won the gold medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, Germany, described this honor as humbling and remains appreciative of not only his friendship with Fry to this day, but the respect they shared for each other’s programs while they were both coaching.
“Any time you can rub shoulders with someone who is winning and excelling, it helps you a little bit,” Gable said. “He worked closely with the wrestling. He wanted to know all about what we were doing to be successful, and with that in mind, he already understood success and wanted to go to that championship level.
“…When you take a football team, or a team that hasn’t won for 17-18 years and you start taking them to the top, then that’s who you want to be associated with.”
Other things scheduled to take place at this year’s FryFest include a tribute to the 1986 Iowa field hockey team that won a national championship, and a 75th reunion for The Scottish Highlanders, which were initially formed in 1936. FryFest will continue to have its tradeshow and plans to include both a tailgate row and a kids’ zone for the 2011 event.
No musical guest was announced at the press conference, but it was revealed that the musical guest(s) would be country. An announcement on the musical performances is expected on May 13.
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