Erwin Klein Explained

Erwin Klein
Fullname:Erwin Klein
Nationality:American
Birth Date:6 June 1938
Death Place:Los Angeles, California

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]

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]

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052436/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/USATT/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Erwin-Klein Profiles. Erwin Klein
  2. Web site: Erwin Klein in US, Social Security Death Index . 2024-03-15 . Fold3 . en-US.
  3. Web site: USA Table Tennis Magazine (2014 Winter). Issuu.
  4. Book: Communications, Emmis. Los Angeles Magazine. July 11, 1998. Emmis Communications. Google Books.
  5. Web site: Boys' Life. January 11, 1956. Boy Scouts of America, Inc.. Google Books.
  6. Web site: ITTF_Database. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040537/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=3659. 2016-03-04.
  7. Book: Day by Day in Jewish Sports History. 9781602800137. 2008. KTAV Publishing House. Google Books.
  8. CHAMP OF THE CHOP AND LOOP. Sports Illustrated .
  9. Web site: Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. scjewishsportshof.com. 2020-07-31. 2021-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150315/https://scjewishsportshof.com/klein-erwin.html. dead.
  10. News: Cream of the Table Tennis Set. The New York Times. March 21, 1972.
  11. SCOREBOARD. Sports Illustrated.
    - Web site: Leah Thall-Neuberger. International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
    - THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Results. Table Tennis. 14. May 1956. 8. 4. 2020-08-11. 2021-05-12. https://web.archive.org/web/20210512134459/https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/etta_website/magazine-archive/1955-56/tt_issue119.pdf. dead.
  12. News: Miles, 36, Takes Pro Table Tennis From Klein, 3 to 2; Miles' Defense Impressive Expert but Dull. Robert M.. Lipsyte. The New York Times. April 21, 1962.
  13. News: Table Tennis Champ. The Daily Banner. January 3, 1966. 6. Indiana State Library.
  14. Web site: Erwin Klein. https://web.archive.org/web/20150405010853/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/History/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Erwin-Klein. dead. April 5, 2015. United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee.