News and information about the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum

On June 10, 2008, the Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum suffered unimaginable damage during what has been labeled “The Flood of the Century.” The entire downtown area of Waterloo was completely submerged and the museum was hit as hard as any business in the area. One clean up crew that had worked after the Katrina disaster said our business was as hard hit as any business he saw in New Orleans.

We estimate it could take as much as $400,000 to replace the walls, the carpeting, the furnishings, the phone system, and to build display units all around the building. The entire basement flooded to the ceiling and all the gift shop inventory (books, posters, videos, trading cards sets, apparel, etc.) were ruined. In addition, thousands of pieces of memorabilia and historical items were lost forever.

Our staff is convinced that the history of Mankind's Oldest Sport needs to be protected and showcased to ensure that wrestling has a future. We are committed to rebuilding this invaluable resource (the museum and its research center) but cannot do it without the help of the wrestling community.

The museum is a not-for-profit organization that takes its mission very seriously and is very frugal in the way it does business. However, the fact that we did not have flood insurance means that we have to secure grants and go to the wrestling community for support.

Anyone wishing to help in the restoration of the museum should contact Kent Sesker at (319) 233-0745 or kent@wrestlingmuseum.org