WATERLOO - Former U.S. Rep. Jim Leach, former pro wrestling champion Brock Lesnar and five U.S. Olympic gold medal wrestlers, including University of Iowa wrestling coach Tom Brands and Waterloo-born Iowa wrestling legend Dan Gable are scheduled to be on hand as special guests for the grand opening weekend of Gable's namesake wrestling museum Saturday Feb. 17 and Sunday Feb. 18.

The Dan Gable International Wrestling Institute and Museum, at 303 Jefferson St. in downtown Waterloo, will hold grand opening activities next weekend with guests on hand from 1 to 2 p.m. Feb. 17, with a 1:30 p.m. ribbon cutting Feb. 17 and again from 1 to 3 p.m. Feb. 18.

Mayor Tim Hurley will cut the ribbon for the museum, which was moved from Newton this near and renamed for Gable, the former West Waterloo and Iowa State wrestler who won a gold medal at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, West Germany and who coached the University of Iowa to 15 NCAA national team championships, including an all-sport-tying nine in a row.

He is now a Hawkeye assistant under Brands, who competed for him and won his own Olympic gold medal in 1996.

Leach, the 14-term former U.S. congressman, was a state high school wrestling champion from Davenport and is a member of the Glen Brand Wrestling Hall of Fame of Iowa.

Another headline special guest is Lesnar, a former NCAA national champion for the University of Minnesota, who became World Wrestling Entertainment Inc. heavyweight champion in 2002, at that time the youngest WWE champion at age 25. He is also a former New Japan world heavyweight wrestling champion.

Also attending will be retired U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Ken Leuer, former director of the U.S. Army Ranger museum in Virginia and a 1958 NCAA national wrestling champion from the University of Iowa.

Other wrestling champions scheduled to attend are:

--Ben Peterson, who won a gold medal alongside Gable at the 1972 Olympics and was a two-time NCAA national champion at Iowa State.

--Bill Smith, 1952 Olympic champion and two time NCAA champion from the University of Northern Iowa.

--Doug Blubaugh, 1960 Olympic champion and former NCAA champion from Oklahoma State.

--Brad Rheingans, two-time Olympian, trainer of professional wrestling stars and a former AWA tag team champion and member of the George Tragos/Lou Thesz Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame at the museum.

The musem will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 17 and 18. Admission is $5 for adults and $3 for students.

More information may be obtained by calling the museum, (319) 233-0745.

Contact Pat Kinney at (319) 291-1484 or Pat.Kinney@wcfcourier.com.