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Dan Gable
“Commitment to Excellence” Open The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh will be hosting the 4th annual Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Open on Saturday January 13th, 2007 in the Kolf Sports Center Field house. The tournament is open to any and all participants who wish to compete. Proceeds will benefit the Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Endowment fund, created to save the wrestling program at UWO from being dropped in the spring of 2003. Nearing the conclusion of the 2002-2003 season, UWO administration informed Wrestling Administrator Larry Marchionda and Coaches Nick Matiash and Mike DeRoehn of their decision to eliminate the wrestling program due to budget constraints. The Titans were devastated. Marchionda states, “ We really thought we were going to be pinned there at first, then Dan Gable called and asked what he could do to help”. This clearly showed Dan’s commitment to the sport as a whole, and helped the Titans fight off their back. With a renewed sense of vigor, the coaches and administration worked together to create The Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Endowment fund to fortify and secure the wrestling program at UW-Oshkosh. A total of $200,000 must be raised to ensure the programs safety and be financially supportive. In March of 2003, Gable gave a moving speech at the UWO Wrestling Rally fundraiser, where all proceeds benefited the endowment fund. In 2004, the first annual Dan Gable Open was held with participants from all levels competing. In 2005, the tournament exploded with outstanding competition from teams such as Wisconsin, Central Michigan, Michigan, Augsburg, Purdue, UW-Parkside, UW-Lacrosse, Upper Iowa and many more. In 2006, the tournament continued to grow with tenacious competitors including current #1 Missouri. Numerous small fundraisers have taken place in the meantime to continue building the endowment. The Titans will now host the 4th Annual Dan Gable Open with hopes to raise an even larger amount and achieve their financial goals. The tournament was also created to fill the void left by the Northern Open. “We hope this event will become one of the largest events in collegiate wrestling, and revive the outstanding competitiveness of the great Northern Open” DeRoehn said. Informational letters were sent to many of the top teams across the country in all divisions. “The wrestling community certainly can’t afford to lose another program. If we can build the numbers of this tournament as large as we’d like to, it would be of huge assistance to us, and wrestling as a whole. Even if teams just send a few redshirts, it will be a tremendous help,” said Marchionda. If you or members of your team would like more information on the Dan Gable Open, the “Commitment to Excellence” fund, or the current status of the Titan wrestling program, please call 920-424-1201 or email deroehnm@uwosh.edu. Please read the enclosed letter from Dan Gable regarding the 2007 Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Open. Letter From Dan Gable (download in MS Word) Dear Fellow Coaches and Colleagues, I hope you are off to a great start this season. I’m sure you’re as eager as I am to see another outstanding season of collegiate wrestling. One of the items I am most excited to watch unfold is the development of the many new programs added at the college level across the nation. In addition, a number of prestigious programs have been reinstated such as Bucknell University and Binghamton University. That brings me to the purpose of this letter. As you may have read, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh was in grave danger of having their program eliminated just a few seasons ago. Like wrestlers do, we joined together as a team and fought back to find a solution to overcome this horrible dilemma. In working with the administration, we were able to create the Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Endowment Fund. This was developed to fortify and secure the wrestling program at UWO, in case of any future financial tribulations. One of the main fundraisers that supports the Endowment is the annual Dan Gable “Commitment to Excellence” Open. This year’s tournament will take place on Saturday January 13th, 2007. All proceeds from the event go toward building the fund and keep wrestling going strong at UW-Oshkosh. This is an exceptional opportunity for your team to see top-flight competition while helping to save and support wrestling at the collegiate level. I am challenging you to make an effort to attend this event. In doing so, you are showing your support of maintaining wrestling at the college level and providing an opportunity for young wrestlers of the future to participate in the sport we love. If you need more information on the event, please contact UWO Head Wrestling Coach Mike DeRoehn and/or Wrestling Administrator Larry Marchionda at 920-424-1201 or email deroehnm@uwosh.edu. I wish your team a healthy and prosperous season and hope to see you attend the 2007 Dan Gable Open. Yours in Wrestling,
Dan Gable
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