Waterloo’s most-recent NCAA wrestling champion is being honored by his hometown today.

Mayor Buck Clark is planning to read a proclamation at the start of tonight's city council meeting declaring today (Monday, April 6, 2015) as "Gadson Strong Day" in Waterloo. The city council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m.

As part of the recognition, a reception will be held at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum in Waterloo at 6 p.m. This event is free and open to the public.

Gadson won state wrestling championships for Waterloo East High School in 2009 and 2010, after placing third in 2008. He went on to compete for Iowa State University where he was a three-time All-American and a three-time Big 12 Conference champion.

Gadson won the 197-pound individual title at the 2015 NCAA Championships last month (Click Here For Video), becoming the 13th wrestler from a Waterloo high school to become a Division I national champion. He is also the second Division I NCAA wrestling champion from Waterloo East High School. The first Division I NCAA champion from Waterloo East was Bill Dotson, who won both the Division II and Division I NCAA wrestling tournament in 1963.

“I’m proud of Kyven and his historic achievement,” said Dotson. “It feels good to have another NCAA champion from Waterloo East High School. I’m glad his historic achievement will be recognized in such a significant fashion.”

Gadson's father, Willie, coached Waterloo East from 2004-2012. Willie passed away after a year-long battle with cancer on March 10, 2013.

Willie Gadson earned All-American honors and Big Eight Conference championships for Iowa State in 1975 and 1976. He was also an assistant wrestling coach for the Cyclones from 1979-1982.

“Kyven is a great addition to the impressive list of Division I NCAA wrestling champions from Waterloo,” said museum namesake Dan Gable. “He made many very proud, but none more than his deceased father, Willie, who himself was a championship wrestler and coach.

"Kyven serves as an example for local future champions to step up to this level of performance. After all, there is a wrestling museum in downtown Waterloo that can’t just live off the past.”

National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum
Photo By: Elwin Huffman - Waterloo Broadcasting
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Some of the state's best-known names in wrestling are scheduled to attend tonight's reception at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. The scheduled speakers include Jim Miller, Kevin Jackson, Gable and Gadson.

Miller is a Waterloo East graduate who won Division II NCAA championships for UNI in 1974 and 1975. He coached Wartburg to 10 Division III NCAA wrestling championships.

Jackson is the current head wrestling coach at Iowa State. He won an Olympic gold medal in 1992 and World Championships in 1991 and 1995.

Gable, a Waterloo West High School graduate, was a two-time NCAA champion for Iowa State (1968-69) and an Olympic gold medalist in 1972. He also coached Iowa to 15 NCAA team titles between 1976 and 1997.

Schedule of events:

5:30 p.m. – Gadson Strong Day proclamation read aloud at the Waterloo City Council meeting.

6:00 p.m. – Ice cream social at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum

6:30 p.m. – Program at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Dan Gable Museum. Speakers include Jim Miller, Kevin Jackson, Dan Gable and Kyven Gadson.

 

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