Sport: Wrestling
Born: December 19, 1986
Town: Branchville, New Jersey
David Zabriskie was born December 19, 1986 in Branchville, NJ. Strong and agile, Dave got into wrestling in grade school as a member of the Branchville Bombers youth wrestling club. In 2001, Dave enrolled at High Point Regional High School, where he hoped to continue improving as a member of coach John Gardner’s Wildcats varsity. He spent his freshman year on the JV and went 15–5 as a varsity sophomore—a so-so season that end with an opening-round loss in the district tournament.
Gardner let Dave know that success was within his grasp. He would have to become obsessive about improving his technique and strength. Dave embraced this challenge and was transformed, adding 25 pounds of raw muscle. He finished #6 in the state as a junior in 2004 and won the state championship in 2005 as a senior. He lost only eight matches in his final two years.
Dave’s high-school matches were marked by explosive displays of power and tended to end quickly. He stood just a shade under six feet and tipped the scales at 215 pounds. This elevated him to the top of many college recruiting lists and he ended up accepting a scholarship to Iowa State, where he trained under legendary coach Cal Sanderson.
The Cyclones red-shirted Dave his first year with the team. The following season, as a rookie, he helped Iowa State win its first Big 12 championship in 25 years. Dave defeated Jared Rosholt of Oklahoma State—who significantly outweighed him—in the finals of the conference tournament. At the NCAA Championships he finished one win short of earning All-America honors. As a sophomore in 2007–08, Dave faced Rosholt in the Big 12 tournament finals and lost, but Iowa State defended its conference championship and he was named an All-American for the first time.
Dave was nearly unbeatable as a junior in dual meets and captured his second Big 12 title after defeating Missouri’s Mark Ellis in the finals, as the Cyclones pulled off a three-peat. Dave was the odds-on favorite to win the NCAA championship but lost to Konrad Dudziak of Duke in the semis. He was an All-American pick for the second year in a row.
Dave was an All-American for the third time as a senior, when he fashioned a 26–2 record for new coach Kevin Jackson. He won his third Big 12 title and finally ran the table at the NCAA championships. Dave defeated Ellis in the quarterfinals, Dudziak in the semis, and then Rosholt in the finals, 3–2. It was the 10th and final time the two had faced each other on the collegiate level.
After graduating with a Finance degree, Dave remained in Iowa and competed for the Cyclone Wrestling Club with an eye on the 2012 Olympics. He qualified for the Olympic Trials but finished sixth. His matches were close and he left feeling that he might have blown a golden opportunity. Dave moved closer to home and competed for the Lehigh Valley Wrestling Club, across the river from his hometown. In 2013, he was a member of the US team at the Pan American Games in Panama, where he won a bronze medal.
As Dave approached his 30s, he began to experience the nagging injuries that come from a decade of relentless competition. A slot in the 2016 Olympics seemed increasingly remote, so he decided it was time to move into the coaching ranks. The popularity of MMA created demand for coaches with high-level wrestling experience and Dave took a job with Elevation Fight Team in Denver. He had actually worked as a coach and technical advisor several years earlier on the film Foxcatcher. Dave played real-life wrestler Dan Chaid and worked with Channing Tatum on match choreography. Around the same time, Dave was invited to try out for the Cleveland Browns as a linebacker, but did not make the team.
In 2019, Dave became an assistant coach at Division-II Colorado School of Mines in Golden, Colorado. He helped send four wrestlers to the NCAA championships in his first season.