Erwin Klein
{{Short description|American table tennis player (1938–1992)}}
{{Infobox table tennis player
| name = Erwin Klein
| image =
| imagesize =
| caption =
| fullname = Erwin Klein
| nationality = American
| playingstyle =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1938|6|6|df=y}}
| birth_place =
| death_date = {{Death date and age|1992|9|30|1938|6|6|df=y}}
| death_place = Los Angeles, California
| height =
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| medaltemplates =
{{MedalSport | Men's table tennis}}
{{MedalCountry | {{USA}} }}
{{MedalCompetition | World Championships}}
{{MedalGold | 1956 Tokyo | Mixed}}
|}}
Erwin Klein (June 6, 1938 - September 30, 1992)[https://web.archive.org/web/20131203052436/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/USATT/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Erwin-Klein Profiles. Erwin Klein] teamusa.org{{Cite web |title=Erwin Klein in US, Social Security Death Index |url=https://www.fold3.com/record/79091171/erwin-klein-us-social-security-death-index |access-date=2024-03-15 |website=Fold3 |language=en-US}} was a male table tennis player from the United States, who four times US Open Table Tennis Singles Champion.{{Cite web|url=https://issuu.com/tabletennisnow/docs/emagwinter14|title=USA Table Tennis Magazine (2014 Winter)|website=Issuu|date=9 February 2014 }}{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cF8EAAAAMBAJ&q=erwin+klein+%22table+tennis%22+fairfax&pg=PA86|title=Los Angeles Magazine|first=Emmis|last=Communications|date=July 11, 1998|publisher=Emmis Communications|via=Google Books}} His nickname was Chubby.{{Cite web|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=biVS179K0A0C&q=erwin+klein+table+tennis&pg=PA23|title=Boys' Life|date=January 11, 1956|publisher=Boy Scouts of America, Inc.|via=Google Books}} He won a gold medal in the Mixed Doubles event at the World Table Tennis Championships in 1956.{{cite web| url = http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=3659| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160304040537/http://www.ittf.com/ittf_stats/All_events3.asp?ID=3659| archive-date = 2016-03-04| title = ITTF_Database}}
Biography
Klein lived in Los Angeles and was Jewish.{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aOTWUl-9LQoC&dq=erwin+klein+table+tennis&pg=PA80|isbn=9781602800137|title=Day by Day in Jewish Sports History|year=2008|publisher=KTAV Publishing House|via=Google Books}}{{Cite magazine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1964/05/11/champ-of-the-chop-and-loop|title=CHAMP OF THE CHOP AND LOOP|first=|last=|magazine=Sports Illustrated }} He attended Fairfax High School, UCLA and Cal-Berkeley.{{Cite web|url=https://scjewishsportshof.com/klein-erwin.html|title=Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame|website=scjewishsportshof.com|access-date=2020-07-31|archive-date=2021-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512150315/https://scjewishsportshof.com/klein-erwin.html|url-status=dead}}
He was Southern California men's champion at the age of 11.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1972/03/21/archives/cream-of-the-table-tennis-set.html|title=Cream of the Table Tennis Set|newspaper=The New York Times|date=March 21, 1972}} Klein won the U.S. National Boys 15-under Championship (at age 13) and the respective age groups at age 16, 17, and 18. At age 18, he also won the National Juniors title, and the National Men's Singles and Doubles Championships. In 1955, he and Richard Bergmann won the U.S. Open Table Tennis Men's Doubles Championship.
In 1956, he, 17 years old, and Leah Neuberger won the World Table Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship in Tokyo.{{Cite magazine|url=https://vault.si.com/vault/1956/04/23/scoreboard|title=SCOREBOARD|first=|last=|magazine=Sports Illustrated}}
- {{Cite web|url=http://www.jewishsports.net/BioPages/LeahThall-Neuberger.htm|title=Leah Thall-Neuberger|website=International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame}}
- {{cite journal|url=https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/etta_website/magazine-archive/1955-56/tt_issue119.pdf|journal=Table Tennis|volume=14|date=May 1956|number=8|title=THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS - Results|page=4|access-date=2020-08-11|archive-date=2021-05-12|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210512134459/https://tabletennisengland.co.uk/etta_website/magazine-archive/1955-56/tt_issue119.pdf|url-status=dead}} was a four-time US Open Table Tennis Singles Champion. In 1956 and 1961, he was the U.S. singles champion.{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/04/21/archives/miles-36-takes-pro-table-tennis-from-klein-3-to-2-miles-defense.html|title=Miles, 36, Takes Pro Table Tennis From Klein, 3 to 2; Miles' Defense Impressive Expert but Dull|first=Robert M.|last=Lipsyte|newspaper=The New York Times|date=April 21, 1962}} 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.{{Cite news|url=https://newspapers.library.in.gov/?a=d&d=TDB19660103-01.1.6&e=-------en-20--1--txt-txIN-------|title=Table Tennis Champ|work=The Daily Banner|date= January 3, 1966|page=6|via=Indiana State Library}}
In 1973, he was a member of the United States table tennis team that competed against China.
In 1990, Klein was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
He was shot to death in Los Angeles by a business partner in an argument on September 30, 1992. The shooter then killed himself.{{cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/History/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Erwin-Klein|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405010853/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Table-Tennis/History/Hall-of-Fame/Profiles/Erwin-Klein|url-status=dead|archive-date=April 5, 2015|title=Erwin Klein|publisher=United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{Footer World Champions Table Tennis Doubles Mixed}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klein, Erwin}}
Category:American male table tennis players
Category:Place of birth missing
Category:Deaths by firearm in California
Category:20th-century American sportsmen
{{US-tabletennis-bio-stub}}