Joe Gibbons: An Iowa Wrestling Legend

Joe Gibbons and Iowa high school wrestling are as closely intertwined as Tiger Woods and golf.

Joe Gibbons is a legendary figure in Iowa wrestling, boasting an unparalleled record of achievement. The Gibbons name rings loudly across the wrestling community in Iowa, and Joe Gibbons is a huge reason why. He’s one of just 12 Cyclones to be a four-time or more Division I NCAA All-American.

The Gibbons brothers each got involved in wrestling at a young age - a sport that shaped their lives for years to come. It started when their father, Bill Gibbons, entered his two oldest sons, Jim and Tim Gibbons, in a tournament in fourth grade. Soon, his two other sons, Joe and Jeff Gibbons, followed suit.

Among the four brothers, their competitive careers spanned until the late 1980s, with them becoming one of the most decorated families in Ames High School and Iowa State wrestling history. And, at the 2014 Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame ceremony, the Gibbons family will add another accolade, as it will be honored with the Family Legacy award.

The values the brothers learned while wrestling have been applied to their everyday lives. Now that he has a family of his own, Jeff Gibbons said he is passing down these lessons to his children to help the next generation of Gibbons succeed.

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Here's a look at his remarkable journey:

High School Career

He burst onto the high school wrestling scene by capturing the 98-pound state title as a freshman at Waterloo Columbus. In an early display of resilience, he avenged the only two losses of his season by defeating Tim Schultz of Charles City in the finals.

Following a family move to Ames, Gibbons added two more state titles to his résumé, winning the 126-pound crown as a junior with a 23-3 mark and closing out his prep career with a flawless 28-0 season to secure the 132-pound title. By winning his fourth state championship in 1981, Joe became one of the rare wrestlers in Iowa history to achieve that feat.

Joe’s dominance extended well beyond folkstyle wrestling. Over the course of his high school years, he amassed a total of 12 state titles, adding four Iowa state freestyle championships and four Greco-Roman state titles to his decorated résumé.

Named the nation’s No.

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High School Accomplishments

• Ames HS & Waterloo Columbus HS
• 4X State Champion in Folkstyle Wrestling: First wrestler to win 4 titles in Class 3A.
• 4X State Freestyle Champion
• 4X State Greco Champion
• 12 State Championships: The only wrestler in Iowa history to achieve this feat.
• Gibbons Brothers Legacy: In 11 State Tournament appearances, the Gibbons brothers won 10 championships and 1 runner-up, with a combined record of 40-1.
• 4X United States Wrestling Federation (USWF) All-American
• 2X USWF National Champion (1980, 1981)
• 1981 USWF Outstanding Wrestler
• 1981 Captain of the Scholastic Wrestling News Dream Team

Collegiate Career at Iowa State University

Continuing his storied career at Iowa State University, Joe made an immediate impact by winning the renowned Midlands Championships at 126 pounds as a freshman an accomplishment rarely achieved by college newcomers. That same season, he placed fourth at the NCAA Championships.

As a sophomore, wrestling up at 142 pounds, he again finished fourth nationally. His junior campaign proved historic, as Joe compiled a remarkable 53-3 record, a single-season wins record at Iowa State that still stands, and captured the NCAA title at 134 pounds.

He capped off his collegiate career by placing third at nationals as a senior and claimed two Big Eight Conference titles along the way. Joe also took pride in being the last NCAA champion coached by the legendary Harold Nichols at Iowa State.

His lone NCAA title came as a junior in 1985, when he went 50-3 at 142 pounds to clinch the top spot on the podium. If high school accomplishments were considered, Gibbons would be much higher on the list. But his college career is still one of the greatest in Iowa history with two fourth-place finishes at NCAAs as a freshman and sophomore, a title as a junior and a third-place finish as a senior.

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Collegiate Achievements

• 4X Division 1 All-American (1982, 1984, 1985, 1986)
• 1982 Amateur Wrestling News National Freshman of the Year
• 2X Big Eight Champion
• 1985 NCAA Champion
• Single-Season Record Holder for Wins at Iowa State University (50 Wins)
• Midlands Wrestling Tournament Champion as a True Freshman (1981)

Coaching and Beyond

Following his competitive career, Joe gave back to the sport by serving as an assistant coach under his brother Jim at Iowa State.

Coaching Career

• Assistant Coach at Iowa State University (1987-1992)
• Assistant Coach for the 1987 NCAA Championship Team

Additional Achievements

• Education:
  • Bachelor’s Degree in Business Marketing, Iowa State University
  • Master’s Degree in Business Management, Iowa State University
• Media Contributions:
  • Broadcaster for Several Years:
    • Iowa State Tournament on Iowa Public Television
    • College Wrestling on IPTV
    • Big 10 Wrestling Championship on the Big 10 Network
    • Big 12 Wrestling Championship on Fox Sports
  • Produced Instructional Wrestling Videos for Panasonic and Iowa HS Coaches & Officials Meetings
• Hall of Fame Inductions:
  • Ames HS Sports Hall of Fame
  • Battle of Waterloo Hall of Fame
  • Iowa State University Hall of Fame
  • Iowa Wrestling Hall of Fame in Cresco, Iowa
  • Dan Gable Wrestling Museum - Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame
• Current Activities:
  • Coaching Authorization (2022)
  • Volunteer Wrestling Coach at Johnston HS
  • Owner & Operator of 5 Culver’s Restaurants in the Greater Des Moines Area
  • Owner of Cyclone Cattle Company, raising championship purebred longhorns on a ranch outside of Des Moines

The Gibbons Family Legacy

The Gibbons family will receive the Family Legacy Award. Bill and Bea Gibbons had four sons-Jim, Joe, Jeff, and Tim-who wrestled.

Their oldest son, Jim, was a three-time state wrestling champion for Ames High School (1975-77). He was a three-time All-American (1980-82) for Iowa State, which included an individual NCAA championship in 1981. Jim was the head wrestling coach at Iowa State from 1986 through 1992.

Jeff was a state champion for Ames High School in 1983 and 1984, and a second place finisher in 1982. He was a two-time All-American for Iowa State, placing third at the 1987 NCAA tournament and sixth at the 1988 NCAA tournament.

Tim was a state champion for Ames in 1976.

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