Erwin Klein

Erwin Klein (June 6, 1938 - September 30, 1992)^[1][2] was a male table tennis player from the United States, who four times US Open Table Tennis Singles Champion.^[3][4] His nickname was Chubby.^[5] He won a gold medal in the Mixed Doubles event at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1956.^[6]

Erwin Klein
Full name	Erwin Klein
Nationality	American
Born	(1938-06-06)6 June 1938
Died	30 September 1992(1992-09-30) (aged 54) Los Angeles, California
Medal record Men's table tennis Representing  United States World Championships 1956 Tokyo Mixed

Biography

Klein lived in Los Angeles and was Jewish.^[7][8] He attended Fairfax High School, UCLA and Cal-Berkeley.^[5][9]

He was Southern California men's champion at the age of 11.^[10] Klein won the U.S. National Boys 15-under Championship (at age 13) and the respective age groups at age 16, 17, and 18.^[9] At age 18, he also won the National Juniors title, and the National Men's Singles and Doubles Championships.^[9] In 1955, he and Richard Bergmann won the U.S. Open Table Tennis Men's Doubles Championship.^[7]

In 1956, he, 17 years old, and Leah Neuberger won the World Table Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship in Tokyo.^[7][11] was a four-time US Open Table Tennis Singles Champion. In 1956 and 1961, he was the U.S. singles champion.^[9][12] In both 1964 and 1965, he won the U.S. Open Table Tennis Men's Singles Championship, and he and Bernard Bukiet won the U.S. Open Table Tennis Men's Doubles Championship.^[9][7][13]

In 1973, he was a member of the United States table tennis team that competed against China.^[9]

In 1990, Klein was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.^[9]

He was shot to death in Los Angeles by a business partner in an argument on September 30, 1992. The shooter then killed himself.^[14]