Three reasons why wrestling is so ingrained in the culture of Iowa

On Nov. 19 in Iowa City, nearly 15,000 people gathered to watch the No. 3 Iowa wrestling program take on No. 16 Oregon State.

Busch Lights, Carver Cones and other merchandise were flying off the shelves at Carver-Hawkeye Arena.

In the 174-pound match, true freshman Gabe Arnold darted onto the mat with flames scorching the air around him as the fans let out raucous applause. A standing ovation for the debut of a big-time recruit from Iowa City High made a ton of sense, but a deeper look revealed something more.

The area code 229 is written squarely on his shoes, representing his true hometown of Albany, Georgia. Arnold's family grew up supporting the University of Missouri, with his father and cousin wrestling for the Tigers. His grandmother lived just down the street from the university.

In his post-match press conference after rolling to a 4-2 win, he praised the strong wrestling community he is now a part of.

"I'm glad and proud to be a part of this culture and this history," Arnold said.

Iowa has deep roots in wrestling. Iowans' passion for the sport exceeds that of any other state. But why? How did wrestling become so entrenched in the culture of Iowa? The Register explored that question this summer , and here are a few answers:

More: How blue-collar living and the advent of IPTV made wrestling so popular in Iowa

1. A blue-collar nature

Iowa is known broadly as a leader in agriculture, so it should come as no surprise that wrestling in the state is deeply rooted in that.

Wrestling pioneers Martin "Farmer" Burns and Frank Gotch were born and raised in Iowa during the late 1800s and early 1900s. The two "catch" wrestlers, one of the original forms of the sport that later inspired folkstyle, got their strength from long hours on the farm.

When you study wrestlers from that era up until now, you'll find story after story of wrestlers from backgrounds of hard work in blue-collar jobs like farming. That physical labor transformed them into great athletes, while also inspiring them to make a name for themselves.

"That is the start," Iowa associate head coach Terry Brands said. "Work ethic is the common denominator between running a great blue-collar business, running a blue-collar company or being a great blue-collar worker. In wrestling, the way you are successful is it requires dedication, it requires work ethic, it requires discipline, it requires all of those things that go into success at any level."

2. Icons and a long track record of success

Tom Peckham. Dan Gable. Cael Sanderson. Tom and Terry Brands. Mark Ironside. Jeff McGinness. Joe and Jim Gibbons. Spencer Lee.

The list of wrestling icons who made their mark in the state of Iowa goes on and on. Even in a year when its most accomplished program, the University of Iowa men's team, failed to secure a trophy, Iowa State's David Carr and Northern Iowa's Parker Keckeisen cemented their names in Iowa wrestling lore with national championships. The Iowa women's program produced a national team title and six individual champions.

In total, Iowa's three largest collegiate programs have produced 41 Olympic wrestlers, 176 NCAA Division I national champions and numerous other prestigious honors. To this day, the string of teams Gable coached at Iowa from 1978-86 still holds the longest streak of team titles in NCAA wrestling history. Only Oklahoma State (34) holds more titles than the Hawkeyes (24) all time. Iowa (men and women), Iowa State and Northern Iowa have combined to produce 34 national team titles.

On the high school level, Iowa's state boys wrestling tournament has been a consistent sellout for decades, and girls wrestling is growing at lightning speed after becoming officially sanctioned just a couple of years ago.

Since Burns, there has never been a time when the state didn't have one of the most iconic names on the wrestling circuit. It is a result of each of these wrestlers passing down generations of knowledge as mentors, like Burns to Gotch and Gable to the Brands brothers.

The state of Iowa has a tradition of winning big nationally and producing some of the sport's all-time best. The three men's programs, along with the Iowa women, remain some of the best teams the sport has to offer on the collegiate level. As a result, Iowans follow the sport intently.

3. Iowa Public Television

Perhaps the most important piece of the puzzle is Iowa Public Television.

Beginning in 1972, Iowa Public Television began broadcasting high school wrestling duals, followed by collegiate duals in 1976. In a time when only a handful of channels were available to the public, it turned wrestling's biggest names into superstars across the state.

It helps that in 1972, Dan Gable secured an Olympic gold medal. That put an exclamation mark on a career of national titles at Iowa State and state titles at Waterloo West. Those accomplishments solidified his status as the sport's biggest icon in front of TV audiences even before becoming head coach of the Hawkeyes.

When IPTV began broadcasting Hawkeye duals in the late 1970s and early 1980s, it had its superstar figure to draw fans in even more.

"It just blew up," former IPTV producer Doug Brooker said. "People loved it and people just came to expect if there's a big meet in Iowa, it was going to be on public television."

More: Read the Register's full report on how wrestling became so big in the state of Iowa

Eli McKown covers high school sports and wrestling for the Des Moines Register. Contact him at Emckown@gannett.com . Follow him on Twitter at @EMcKown23

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Three reasons why wrestling is so ingrained in the culture of Iowa