The following is an interview that W.I.N. Editor Mike Finn conducted with Larry Owings, who upset Dan Gable in the 1970 NCAA tournament. Owings, a 56-year-old retired teacher, currently lives in Aurora, Ore.

Q What was your vision of Dan Gable before the 1970 NCAAs?
A I had wrestled Dan Gable before when I was a senior in high school, I wrestled him in the Olympic Trials tournament in Iowa and he was already a national champion. I like to think I did pretty good against him, a high school senior competing against an NCAA champion. I had him on his back but I ended up losing.
I thought the match was close enough that with two years of college wrestling that I had as much chance of winning as he did. In my own mind, I thought I could beat him.

Q Did you prepare for Gable any differently than you did with anyone else?
A No, I didn’t do anything different. I always stepped up my workout routine a notch. I wanted to win an NCAA championship and I pinned my way through the bracket just as he did on the other side. My opponents were the third and fifth seeds and his were four and fifth.
I pinned mine a little faster and I liked to think that I did a little bit better than he did and maybe it was just time for Dan Gable to lose.
I don’t believe there was anyone in the world who could have beaten me that night. I was in top physical condition and I was in top mental condition, too. I refused to give into any points any time he had me in trouble during the match and I refused to go.

Q In the first period, after Gable scored a takedown to lead 2-0, it looked like you fell on your back for a second. What there concern about giving up back points?
A That was my move. I did a sit out and turned. He stopped me momentarily, but it wasn’t enough time for nearfall points. He also took me down on my own move. Going through the match, there were a lot of points that he scored on takedowns that I got overly offensive and aggressive and didn’t do enough defensive. It was more or less easy score points for him.
My first takedown was a single-arm spin through in the first round. It was the same move that I tried to do on him before he scored points. I did it on one side to him and just as I stepped in for a leg trip was the same time he stepped forward for a single leg.

Q Talk about the second period when you scored an escape and immediately tallied a takedown to lead 6-2.
A I started the second period down, which was where I always wanted to be. I liked to be on top in the third period. I got my escape, then came back for my favorite move, which was a fireman’s carry. I started on one side of the mat and went clear to the other side. I had to use all my superhuman strength, what I didn’t have. It was as much strength and energy as I’ve ever used any match prior to that.

Q Gable was then penalized for stalling or fleeing the match. What happened there?
A I had a bar arm on him and a couple pinning holds and he kept going out of bounds. The ref (Paschal Perry) finally penalized him for going out of bounds.

Q Leading 7-2, Gable tallied a reversal and takedown to cut the margin to 8-6 after two periods. What were your thoughts then?
A I was trying pinning holds and got too high. If I would have played it smart and tough and held back, I would I wasn’t known as being the smartest wrestler. I was known for being an aggressive pinning-style wrestler. He built up quite a bit of riding time as well.

Q To start the third period, Gable scored a reversal, then built up over two minutes of riding time that would have given him two more points after the match. You scored an escape to lead 9-8, but then came the deciding takedown that put Gable on his back with about 30 seconds left. Talk about that move.
A I was trying to work his head down. In the third period, when a person gets tired, you want to work them down. If you can get them down, you can usually get around behind them and score points.
My other option was to go for a near cradle. I shot in to make him sprawl back and I then I got his head and he came up. I really wanted a near cradle but I couldn’t get it. I was able to grab underneath his leg with both hands and I did a kind of a sweep, which I had never done previously or after. It was a once in a lifetime kind of move. When he did, he went right down on his butt and I feel on top of him with a whizzer and held him and pressed him within two inches of the mat going for the pin. When I did that, I got my weight going a little too high and he was able to scramble out of it.

Q Were you aware of Gable’s riding time advantage and were you aware of how the scoring was going?
A I was not cognizant of the riding time. I never worried about a score in the match, whether I’m ahead 18-1 or 1-0. I was always working hard for the pin. I knew that I was ahead because I knew that I had held him there a long enough to score the two nearfall points, far enough to win.
For once in a match, I stalled. I was in on his legs on the edge of the mat and I thought I’m just going to sit here. If he tried anything, I was just going to go out of bounds.

Q What was the noise like in Northwestern’s gym, where the NCAA were held?
A You would not have believed the noise. It was phenomenal like the roar for Roman gladiators. The referee had to be within two feet of us and had to yell in order for us to hear. We could not hear the whistle. We could hear nothing. After I won, the roar went on and on and the tournament just stopped for about ten minutes. People were in shock and saying, ‘Did you see what happened?’
(ABC-TV) wanted to interview me after the match but I was huffing and puffing so bad that I could keep my eyes open or think straight.

Q Where to you rank the victory among the NCAA’s all-time upsets?
A I haven’t watched all of the matches, but from others have told me, it was the biggest of all time.

Q Did you consider it an upset?
A No because I thought I was going to win.

Q How many other people thought you were going to win?
A There was probably on 1-2-3 people who thought I had a chance. One was myself. One was my brother, John, who lived in California teaching and I think Dan Gable may have thought that., I heard stories later that for the first time he had scouting me wrestling because he heard how I had cut weight to meet him. I think I had him a little bit worried

Q How often are you asked about the match, which took place nearly 37 years ago.
A Not a year goes by that I don’t talk to somebody

Q How you ever talked to Gable about the match?
A Last year, when I went to the NCAA, I saw Dan Gable sitting in the same section that we were. I went down and said hi to him. It was a little bit later in the tournament that he actually came up with his daughter and introduced her to me. He sat down and talked to me for a while. We just sat down and talked like two old wrestlers. I don’t hate Dan Gable. I never have. I think he is a tremendous coach and a tremendous competitor. He’s deserved everything that he’s earned. I always believe a loss helps a guy become better. Perhaps it did with Dan.