Henry Wittenberg

In Memory of Henry Wittenberg

Henry Wittenberg was born in New Jersey in 1918 and didn't get involved in competitive wrestling until his sophomore year in College at CCNY. He placed third in the 165 lb weight class as a junior, and as a senior, he finished second at 175 lbs. In 1940 he won his first national title at 191 lbs and would go on to win seven more titles over the next twelve years.

Since World War II forced the cancellation of the 1940 and 1944 Olympics,
Wittenberg was denied his opportunity to wrestle on the biggest world stage in his physical prime. During the war he taught hand-to-hand combat in the troops and when his service ended, Wittenberg entered the NYC police force.

He remained dedicated to wrestling and won a gold medal at the 1948 London Olympics and later a Silver at the 1952 Helsinki games. Henry also participated in the first-ever Maccabiah games in the newly formed State of Israel, from which he took home the gold. At one point in his career, Wittenberg had an astounding streak of over 300 consecutive wins.

In 1959, Henry Wittenberg came to Yeshiva University to coach the
Maccabees. He coached at YU until 1967, when he returned to
CCNY as a Physical Education instructor.

Henry Wittenberg passed away on March 9, 2010.

Yeshiva University annually presents the Henry Wittenberg award to a wrestler
who best reflects the values associated with this remarkable man.