Iowa State vs Oklahoma State used to be the biggest college wrestling rivalry in America. And it was red hot on February 9, 1968, in Stillwater, Oklahoma. 

Cyclone sophomore sensation Dan Gable entered the college scene for the first time, since freshmen weren’t allowed to compete for the team. His inaugural trip to Stillwater for a dual was one he’ll never forget. 

Oklahoma State eked out a 15-14 win over Iowa State on January 12 in Ames, so the Cyclones had revenge on their minds. Unfortunately for Gable and the Cyclones, the hometown referee had other plans. 

Hot Rivalry! Iowa State and Oklahoma State at the NCAA Championships: 1965-1973

Gable said this about the dual in his book “A Wrestling Life 2: More Inspiring Stories of Dan Gable.”

“I was the third wrestler up when I faced off against Ray Murphy at 137 pounds. Ray was a good wrestler who became an All-American later that year and an NCAA tournament runner-up the following year. I wrestled hard and won 6-5, but when the match was over, instead of raising my hand, the referee raised both our hands. He said the score was 6-6. The coaches got in an argument, and, finally, after a long discussion, the referee came back out and only raised my hand. I got a one-point win, though I don’t recall any of his five points actually being scored.

“Points kept being given in favor of Oklahoma State throughout the entire dual. We lost 23-5, and I was the only wrestler to win that night. Jason Smith of Iowa State and Bob Drebenstedt of Oklahoma State tied at 167 pounds. 

“The crowd that night apologized to us as they were leaving, and the city of Stillwater, Oklahoma, actually sent an apology that was published in the “Des Moines Register,” saying that the officiating was not appropriate and that the referee made many bad calls.

"The crowd that night apologized to us as they were leaving..." -- Dan Gable

“Years later, I became pretty good friends with Oklahoma State head wrestling coach Myron Roderick, and he told me that the referee owed him some money at the time, and he thinks the guy was trying to pay him off with wrestling points, so he would take some of the debt away.”

Well, Gable was right, the apology letter to the “Des Moines Register” exists, and you can read the entire thing below, along with a box score from the dual. 

It’s another example of how fragile history can be. Gable won 181 straight matches through high school and college before losing his final match to Larry Owings at the 1970 NCAA Championships. His legacy looks different today if he tied Murphy during a dual. 

The letter was addressed to then-Iowa State head coach Harold Nichols, and the Des Moines Register published it on February 16, 1968. Everything below is from the "Des Moines Register," including the last sentence in italics.

AMES, IA. — What happened in the Iowa State-Oklahoma State wrestling meet dropped by the Cyclones, 23-5?

Recently, Coach Harold Nichols received a letter from the managing editor and sports editor of the Stillwater News-Press about the meet. It read:

“We in Stillwater are proud of our great wrestling team at O.S.U. as you would imagine. We have followed them long enough to realize that officials often tend to favor the home team, whether it be at O.S.U. or Iowa State. But the two of us who are signing this letter wish to express our embarrassment over the officiating at Friday night’s match…

“We can’t understand how this thing happened. We know that Coach Roderick, being the outstanding man that he is, would not expect, nor want such things to happen.

“We find it hard to believe that the calls were deliberate attempts to win for O.S.U., but hope they were judgment errors.

“Although only two of us are signing this note, there are many red faces in this town, not only from the embarrassment over the officiating, but from outright angriness.

“Congratulations to you and your fine team, not only for your winning record this year, but for your conduct Friday. Most of us agreed that we would not have stopped, as you did, with your protest, but would have pulled our team off the mat.

“Again, accept our apologies for this unfortunate incident. The best of luck in the Big Eight and N.C.A.A.”

— Lee Bell, Managing Editor
— Jack Vermeire, Sports Editor, Stillwater, Okla., News-Press

The protest came in a match Gary Wallman lost, 2-0, when the official awarded a two-point predicament when Wallman rolled through on his back in trying to effect the reversal. 

Nichols demanded that the action be stopped — and it was — so he could talk to the referee. 

In partisan Stillwater there was not a single boo when Nichols voiced his protest.

Oklahoma State 23, Iowa State 5 - February 9, 1968 (Stillwater, Oklahoma)
123: Dwayne Keller (OSU) over Bill Krum (ISU), 21-9
130: Dennis Crowe (OSU) over Gary Wallman (ISU), 2-0
137: Dan Gable (ISU) over Ray Murphy (OSU), 6-5
145: Kat Suzuki (OSU) over Dale Bahr (ISU), 4-3
152: Parker Sneed (OSU) over Dave Martin (ISU), 7-1
160: Jerry Stone (OSU) over Reg Wicks (ISU), 2-1
167: Bob Drebenstedt (OSU) tied Jason Smith (ISU), 1-1
177: Fred Fozzard (OSU) over Don Buzzard (ISU), 6-3
HWT: John Ward (OSU) over Jim Duschen (ISU), 3-2