2008 Woodie Awards
Hawkeyes champs again
Ryan Young - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 3/24/08 Section: Sports
There, Iowa left with just one champion, three All-Americans, and a shoddy eighth-place finish - its worst placing at the national tournament since 1972.
During his stay in St. Louis, Brands had repeatedly said the influence of legendary former Hawkeye head coach Dan Gable was alive in his team.
And while the way in which Iowa secured its 21st national title by the end of the second day of competition seemingly justifies the program's return to its dynastic roots, Brands stayed mum on the subject when pressed by media after the finals.
"That's not for me to decide," the second-year coach said. "I feel good about the program."
Gable assessed the idea of a resurgence, though. Decked out in Iowa apparel, the wrestling icon put the Hawkeyes' championship into perspective.
"This is just a first win in a long time," he said. "Time will tell. It's very possible, especially with a guy who probably thinks like I do. I mean, he's probably not thinking he just won the championship. He's probably thinking, 'there are eight more weight classes I can win.' If he's thinking that way, then they have a good shot at being very, very competitive for a long time."
Gable noted that last season's outcome created several questions and caused significant unrest both in the wrestling program and among its supporters.
Faith in Brands and his methods didn't appear until Perry began his rise to the top.
"It took all the way up to Perry winning the Big Tens before really good things happened. And then, he won the nationals," Gable said. "All of a sudden, you're starting to see some team rewards right now. That's key.
"I can give [Brands] some really good advice: He needs to take some time away from a lot of people right now, evaluate and plan for the future."
Iowa received its national title to a roar of cheers and applause, though most of the crowd had dispersed from the arena by then. Mostly Hawkeye followers bunched in their own corner of the concourse were those that stayed to witness the end of an eight-year wait.
Several wrestlers flashed beaming smiles as they gathered atop the raised center stage for an official group photo. In the front row, Perry and Metcalf kneeled in the center, each with a hand on the team trophy positioned between them.
Later, Perry took the trophy in hand, walked toward the Iowa fans, and raised it up to them, seemingly as a toast to thank them for their loyalty during the Hawkeyes near decade-long title drought.
When asked where the Hawkeyes will go following their championships season, Brands said the first place is back to school.
"We have to get to class on Monday," he said. "I'm serious when I say that. I mean, really that's the next step."
E-mail DI reporter Ryan Young at:
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu
During his stay in St. Louis, Brands had repeatedly said the influence of legendary former Hawkeye head coach Dan Gable was alive in his team.
And while the way in which Iowa secured its 21st national title by the end of the second day of competition seemingly justifies the program's return to its dynastic roots, Brands stayed mum on the subject when pressed by media after the finals.
"That's not for me to decide," the second-year coach said. "I feel good about the program."
Gable assessed the idea of a resurgence, though. Decked out in Iowa apparel, the wrestling icon put the Hawkeyes' championship into perspective.
"This is just a first win in a long time," he said. "Time will tell. It's very possible, especially with a guy who probably thinks like I do. I mean, he's probably not thinking he just won the championship. He's probably thinking, 'there are eight more weight classes I can win.' If he's thinking that way, then they have a good shot at being very, very competitive for a long time."
Gable noted that last season's outcome created several questions and caused significant unrest both in the wrestling program and among its supporters.
Faith in Brands and his methods didn't appear until Perry began his rise to the top.
"It took all the way up to Perry winning the Big Tens before really good things happened. And then, he won the nationals," Gable said. "All of a sudden, you're starting to see some team rewards right now. That's key.
"I can give [Brands] some really good advice: He needs to take some time away from a lot of people right now, evaluate and plan for the future."
Iowa received its national title to a roar of cheers and applause, though most of the crowd had dispersed from the arena by then. Mostly Hawkeye followers bunched in their own corner of the concourse were those that stayed to witness the end of an eight-year wait.
Several wrestlers flashed beaming smiles as they gathered atop the raised center stage for an official group photo. In the front row, Perry and Metcalf kneeled in the center, each with a hand on the team trophy positioned between them.
Later, Perry took the trophy in hand, walked toward the Iowa fans, and raised it up to them, seemingly as a toast to thank them for their loyalty during the Hawkeyes near decade-long title drought.
When asked where the Hawkeyes will go following their championships season, Brands said the first place is back to school.
"We have to get to class on Monday," he said. "I'm serious when I say that. I mean, really that's the next step."
E-mail DI reporter Ryan Young at:
ryan-c-young@uiowa.edu
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