By this point, everyone has a Gary Abbott story. My favorite was at the 2019 World Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan.

Several members of the U.S. delegation experienced some sort of bug, and, halfway through the tournament, it got Gary. I saw him in the bathroom with a handful of paper towels when I asked what happened. He puked on press row and was about to clean up his mess. 

Gary vomited three times and never left the tournament. He powered through like a Jordan Burroughs double-leg takedown. 

I moved as far away from Gary as possible, hoping to avoid his fate. I held my breath if he was near. I used paper towels to open doors. I didn’t make eye contact. I tried everything. 

Well, it didn’t work. I got sick the next day and puked three times — just like Gary. 

Only I returned to the hotel to recover. Andy Hamilton, Trackwrestling’s content manager at the time (this was at the peak of the Track vs Flo wars), said Gary defeated me 3-3 on criteria since he kept working through the session, and I did not. 

There’s a strong chance we used “BarfingGary1” as a password for one of our Trackwrestling accounts when we returned home. 

This was quintessential Gary Abbott. Nothing would ever stand in the way of getting the job done — even if you have to sacrifice your health to make it happen. There’s a reason USA Wrestling’s executive director, Rich Bender, calls Abbott the hardest working man in wrestling, and Gary always proved it. 

Gary is calling it a career after 37 ½ years as USA Wrestling’s director of communications. He covered the Olympics, World Championships, NCAA Championships, youth tournaments, beach wrestling, and everything in between. 

His greatest legacy will be the advancement of women’s wrestling. There were times when Abbott was the lone voice for a sport that was working to find its place. 

Bender was an intern at USA Wrestling in 1988 when he was asked to make a presentation to the board of directors about sending a women’s team to the 1989 World Championships. The presentation must have worked since the first U.S. women’s World team competed the following year.

He credits Abbott for the presentation and for his groundbreaking women’s wrestling coverage. 

“Few, if anyone, has had a bigger impact on the promotion of women’s wrestling than Gary Abbott,” Bender said. “He’s long been a bulldog on the idea of women having the same opportunities as men. Gary doesn’t jump to the front for credit, and he doesn’t worry about his name in print anywhere. He’s more worried about doing everything in his power to illuminate women and their participation in our sport. 

“It’s his innate desire to do a good job for wrestling. Gary has long subscribed to the idea that the involvement of women’s wrestling does nothing but make the sport better. He’s long been the hardest-working guy in wrestling. He’s the first one in the arena and the last one to leave at every single event. There are few more knowledgeable about women’s wrestling than him.”

Abbott doesn’t seek credit, but he received plenty of it at this year’s U.S. Open. Andy Hamilton (who currently works for Flo) created an American flag shirt with Gary’s picture on it. Select media members — including everyone at Flo — and USA Wrestling staff wore the shirts for two straight days. 

The shirts were the talk of the tournament, and several people rightly asked, “Where do I get one?” People are still wearing the shirts, and USA Wrestling’s new communication director Richard Immel says photographers can replace those gaudy vests if they wear the Abbott shirt while taking pictures matside. 

Gary’s departure on Wednesday, October 1, leaves a void that no one can fill. He was a constant presence in media rooms and mix zones, and on press row. Gary earned every ounce of credit by showing up over and over and over again. 

There's only one Gary Abbott — and wrestling is better because of him. 

Gary Abbott wore a Gary Abbott shirt at the 2025 US Open in Las Vegas