By Pat Harty

IOWA CITY, Iowa – After having called out Hawkeye fans for crossing the line with their criticism of Iowa quarterback Spencer Petras, it seems only fair to point out when they do something classy and positive.

I wasn’t there to see it, unfortunately, but have watched video and have spoken to several people who were in Carver-Hawkeye Arena this past Friday night when Iowa fans gave Minnesota heavyweight wrestler Gable Steveson a standing ovation.

Steveson, the nation’s No. 1 heavyweight wrestler, and an Olympic gold medalist, beat No. 5 Tony Cassioppi 17-7 for Minnesota’s highlight in a 22-10 road loss to No. 1 Iowa in the Big Ten dual meet opener for both teams.

Many in the crowd gave Steveson a standing ovation after his match. He responded with a thumbs up gesture.

Steveson then showed his appreciation on Twitter.

“Iowa!! I appreciate the love y’all gave me tonight. Carver has always been my favorite spot to wrestle. Glad you all enjoyed the show!”

There isn’t a more intense or competitive fan base than Iowa wrestling fans. They are consumed by the sport and by winning.

But they also recognize sustained greatness, and a legend in the making, and that describes Gable Steveson, whose is named after a legend.

Steveson’s mother named him Gable Dan Steveson after 1972 Olympic gold medalist and former Iowa wrestling coach Dan Gable, and Gable Steveson is living up to that name in spectacular fashion with a 70-2 record as a college wrestler.

Cassioppi was no match for Steveson despite being one of the top heavyweights in the country.

Steveson’s dominance over Cassioppi at that moment, coupled with everything else that Steveson has accomplished caused a spontaneous reaction from Iowa fans that was very cool according to those who witnessed it.

Of course, it helps that Iowa was in control of the match, but still, to give an opponent a standing ovation after having just watched him dismantle your heavyweight wrestler shows great sportsmanship and class.

You would hope that Minnesota fans would do the same for Spencer Lee under a similar circumstance.

Lee was attempting to become Iowa’s first four-time individual national champion before deciding about two weeks ago to shut it down in order to have surgery on both knees.

He has won three consecutive national titles at 125 pounds, and he prevailed last year despite having a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

You would like to think that Gopher fans would stop chanting “we hate Iowa” just long enough recognize Lee under the same circumstance should it ever happen.

Lee and Steveson are widely regarded as the top two collegiate wrestlers in the nation. They were both named co-recipients of the 2021 Hodge Award, which goes to the nation’s most outstanding college wrestler.

The fact that Lee competes when healthy at the lightest weight, while Steveson competes at the heaviest weight shows that dominance can come in all sizes.

Gable Steveson is a rare and special talent and that’s why he received a rare standing ovation from a rival fan base.

He is currently signed to the WWE and is considered a future star in that thriving business.

Iowa and Minnesota are your classic border rivals, energized by a strong dislike for each other that has turned ugly at times over the years.

But none of that mattered for those brief few moments when individual greatness took center stage.

Wrestling is a grueling sport that requires great strength, sacrifice, commitment and toughness.

And when somebody wrestles as well as Gable Steveson does, it deserves respect and recognition, even from a fan base that mostly despises you.