Olympic champions Gable, Cross to serve as color commentators for major wrestling broadcasts in Janu

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Gary Abbott (USA Wrestling)
01/12/2001


A pair of Olympic freestyle wrestling gold medalists, Dan Gable and Kendall Cross, will serve as color commentators for major college wrestling broadcasts held in January, announced USA Sports Broadcasting. Both will be working with veteran USA Wrestling play-by-play announcer Larry Nugent on the shows.    Gable will serve on the broadcast team for the NWCA National Duals, set for Penn State Univ. in State College, Pa. on January 20-21.     The NWCA National Duals is the annual national dual meet championships for college wrestling, featuring 16 top teams from across the United States. The top four ranked teams in the nation, and eight of the top 10, will be in the tournament this year.     This event will be on FOX Sports Chicago, and nationally via digital cable and Direct TV, on two occasions. The first airing is Tuesday, Jan. 30  at 7:30 p.m. CST. The second airing is Wednesday, Jan. 31 at 12:00 midnight CST.     The competition will also be cybercast on the internet on TheCyberMat.com, the premium service for TheMat.com.    Cross will serve on the broadcast team for the NWCA All-Star Classic, set for Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa, on January 29.     This annual spectacular features the best athletes in each weight class in college wrestling competing in challenge matches. This event often determines the No. 1 individual ranking in the nation at each weight class.     This event will be aired on FOX Sports Chicago, and nationally via digital cable and Direct TV, on Tuesday, Feb. 6  at 7:30 p.m. CST. Another airing is expected, and will be announced when available. The competition will also be cybercast on the internet on TheCyberMat.com, the premium service for TheMat.com.    Gable was an Olympic gold medalist at the 1972 Munich Olympics at 149.75 pounds, receiving international acclaim for his dominance and work ethic. He was also a 1971 World Champion. A two-time NCAA champion at Iowa State, Gable had one of the most outstanding folkstyle careers in history, losing only one match in his high school and college careers. He went on to become the greatest college coach of all time, winning 15 NCAA team titles as head coach at the Univ. of Iowa. Gable served as co-head coach for the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, and was head coach of the 1980 and 1984 Olympic teams.    Cross won an Olympic gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics at 125.5 pounds. He was also sixth at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, Spain. He won a gold medal at the 1997 World Cup, and claimed three U.S. National freestyle titles. Cross was a 1989 NCAA Champion for Oklahoma State Univ.    USA Sports Broadcasting is the broadcast division of USA Wrestling, and produces major wrestling events and other sports events for television and the internet. For updated broadcast information, visit TheMat.com, the official web page of the Amateur Wrestling Alliance.