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]

References

1. Profiles. Erwin Klein teamusa.org
2. "Erwin Klein in US, Social Security Death Index". Fold3. Retrieved 2024-03-15.
3. "USA Table Tennis Magazine (2014 Winter)". Issuu.
4. Communications, Emmis (July 11, 1998). Los Angeles Magazine. Emmis Communications – via Google Books.
5. "Boys' Life". Boy Scouts of America, Inc. January 11, 1956 – via Google Books.
6. "ITTF_Database". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04.
7. Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. KTAV Publishing House. 2008. ISBN 9781602800137 – via Google Books.
8. "CHAMP OF THE CHOP AND LOOP". Sports Illustrated.
9. "Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame". scjewishsportshof.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2020-07-31.
10. "Cream of the Table Tennis Set". The New York Times. March 21, 1972.
11. "SCOREBOARD". Sports Illustrated.
    - "Leah Thall-Neuberger". International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
    - "THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Results" (PDF). Table Tennis. 14 (8): 4. May 1956. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2020-08-11.
12. Lipsyte, Robert M. (April 21, 1962). "Miles, 36, Takes Pro Table Tennis From Klein, 3 to 2; Miles' Defense Impressive Expert but Dull". The New York Times.
13. "Table Tennis Champ". The Daily Banner. January 3, 1966. p. 6 – via Indiana State Library.
14. "Erwin Klein". United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on April 5, 2015.