Henry Wittenberg

From 1995 to 2015, Yeshiva University annually held a wrestling tournament for Yeshiva high schools across the country named in his honor. However, Yeshiva University cancelled their wrestling program in 2015, and the tournament is now hosted by the Yeshiva Wrestling Association at The Frisch School in Paramus, NJ. Wittenberg was inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame and Museum on March 21, 1993, recognizing his gold medal-winning performances at the 1950 Maccabiah Games (in heavyweight freestyle) and the 1953 Maccabiah Games.

Wittenberg was the first inductee to the CCNY Alumni Varsity Association Hall of Fame. He was elected into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 1977.

Wittenberg coached the collegiate level wrestlers at Yeshiva University and City College of New York from 1967 to 1980. Additionally, he coached the 1968 Olympic team in Mexico City. Also, he wrote a best-selling book titled Isometric Exercises. It has been through five printings.

Four years later, in 1952, Wittenberg competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki as the returning champion. He once again reached the final match of the Olympics. This time he lost the match, receiving the silver medal. He became the first American wrestler since 1908 to earn two Olympic medals.

In 1948, Wittenberg entered the 1948 Summer Olympics in London. He was wrestling at the weight class 191.5 pounds. In the semifinals, he tore muscle tendons in his chest. His coach did not want him to wrestle in the finals, but Wittenberg was stubborn and wrestled anyway. He ended up winning the gold medal match. When he returned to the Bronx, he received a hero's welcome.

Wittenberg competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics, where he earned an Olympic gold medal in freestyle wrestling in the light heavyweight division. He earned an Olympic silver medal at the 1952 Summer Olympics.

Henry Wittenberg was born in Jersey City, New Jersey. He became an excellent wrestler despite not wrestling at Jersey City's William L. Dickinson High School, where he instead swam and played chess. As a student at City College of New York he did not even consider himself athletic. However, the wrestling coach, Joe Sapora, introduced him to the sport. By his junior year of college, he was placing in prestigious college tournaments. After college, Wittenberg entered eight AAU tournaments. He won all eight of them. In the AAU tournaments he did not lose a match. He wrestled over 300 matches in a row and did not lose a single one. Wittenberg was the co-captain of the CCNY wrestling team together with Stanley Graze in 1939.

Henry Wittenberg (September 18, 1918 – March 9, 2010) was an American wrestler and Olympic champion in freestyle wrestling. He won two Olympic medals and was the first American wrestler after 1908 to achieve this feat. Wittenberg at one point in his career had wrestled 300 matches without losing. He later taught wrestling at Yeshiva University and City College of New York for thirteen years. In 1977, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.