History

Former ISU wrestler Kyven Gadson asked his dad if he wanted to put on his ISU wrestling robe one last time.

Willie Gadson wrestled at Iowa State in 1975 and 1976, after transferring from Nassau Community College in New York. He earned All-America honors in both seasons he wrestled at Iowa State.

Willie spent time as an assistant coach at Iowa State before he moved on to be the head coach at Eastern Michigan. Willie led the team to its only MAC Championship in school history.

In 2004, Willie began coaching at Waterloo East High School in Waterloo, Iowa. Willie coached Kyven to two undefeated seasons in high school.

Willie was battling stage IV bone and lung cancer in 2013. He was at home in hospice care when Kyven asked his dad if he wanted to put on his wrestling robe one last time before they brought him to the hospital.

“Before he passed away, I asked him if he wanted to put on his robe,” Kyven said. “We were about to take him to the hospital, and I was like, “Dad, do you want to put on the robe?” Because [ISU wrestling] was something he was really prideful about. We put him in his robe, and that was the last thing he had on before they changed him.”

Willie battled cancer for a year until he passed away on March 10, 2013.

Eleven days after his father’s passing Kyven donned his father’s robe at the NCAA Championships in Des Moines.

It was a very emotionally charged moment for Kyven. Growing up, Willie wouldn’t let Kyven wear his robe. After Willie’s passing, Kyven’s mom, Augusta, gifted the robe to Kyven with a few adjustments.

“Willie” was embroidered on the right sleeve, and “Kyven” was embroidered on the left sleeve. “Gadson Legacy” is embroidered right under the big block “Iowa State” lettering on the back of the robe.

“To be honest, I don’t remember a lot from then,” Kyven said. “I was basically emotionally hijacked at that point with everything. [Wearing the robe] was a really good feeling — it was a prideful feeling. This is something I’ve wanted to do for my whole life.

“That robe has a little bit of a swagger to it.”

Ever since Kyven wore his dad’s robe, ISU coach Kevin Jackson has wanted to bring the robes back.

Bringing back the ISU wrestling robes would be more than just a cool thing for the guys to wear as they get introduced. It would remind fans of the rich wrestling history at Iowa State.

“Those were great times, and that’s what we are trying to get back to as a program,” Kyven said.

Design

Legendary coach Harold Nichols coached at Iowa State from 1954-1985 and led the Cyclones to six NCAA Championships.

He introduced the wrestling robe to Iowa State. Along with coaching, Nichols also owned his own fabric company in Ames, where he made the robes for his teams.

Willie’s robe was made out of wool, made up of the classic ISU cardinal color and gold trim and lettering.

If Iowa State brings back the robe, the guys in Iowa State’s wrestling room aren’t short on design ideas.

While Jackson’s and Kyven’s robes are similar, Earl Hall’s ideas are definitely the most different.

Jackson wants to keep the robe as classic as possible. He wants the cardinal color with cardinal trim. The only gold on the robe would be the belt and the lettering.

“We need the cardinal color,” Jackson said. “The cardinal color is hard to produce.”

Jackson would like to use the retro “I” logo on the front left breast and “Iowa State” in big block lettering across the back. The only way to get your name on the robe would be to win a national championship.

As for material, he would like a terrycloth robe.

Kyven would also like a cardinal-colored robe. However, he wants gold trim to go along with a gold belt and gold lettering.

He wants the current “I-State” logo on the front left breast. The back would be the same as Jackson’s with “Iowa State” in block lettering.

Kyven would like to see the wrestler’s name appear on the back of the belt in cardinal lettering. He’s thinking a silk robe would be the most comfortable.

“I wouldn’t want to warm up in it,” Kyven said. “I just want to put it on after getting the warm-up in, and then you just feel good. You get to walk out for handshakes and you have it on and you’re feeling yourself, just a little bit of extra swagger and confidence.”

Hall has the most radical design ideas. He originally wanted a black robe with gold trim, but that color combination comes with inherent issues — like being the colors of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

“I like black and gold, but Jackson’s like, ‘We can’t do black and gold,’” Hall said.

Hall amended the design, but he still wants black. Hall’s design is a black robe with cardinal trim and lettering.

Like Kyven, Hall wants the “I-State” logo on the front left breast. He wants “Iowa State” in the big block lettering on the back and under that he wants the wrestler’s name and nickname in big block lettering.

“I like the block lettering,” Hall said. “I want it to be nice and big so everybody can see it. I’ll put ‘Early Man’ on the back of it and let them know I’m here to win.”

He also wants a silk robe.

One thing they all agreed on is a hood.

“I definitely want to bring [the robes] back with a little different twist,” Jackson said. “Maybe put a hood on them and make it a current robe that’s going to be good for our fans to see. Bring back some old memories. I’d absolutely love to bring back the robes.”

The only thing holding up ISU wrestling is they can’t find a company to produce the robes.

“If you’re aware of any company out there that can produce a cardinal robe with a hood, let me know and we’ll invest some money in your company,” Jackson said.

The robes could happen as early as next season, if they can find a company to make them.