Erwin Klein

Klein lived in Los Angeles, and was Jewish.[6][7] He attended Fairfax High School, UCLA, and Cal-Berkeley.[4][8]

He was Southern California men's champion at the age of 11.[9] Klein won the U.S. National Boys 15-under Championship (at age 13) and the respective age groups at age 16, 17, and 18.[8] At age 18, he also won the National Juniors title, and the National Men's Singles and Doubles Championships.[8] In 1955 he and Richard Bergmann won the U.S. Open Table Tennis Men's Doubles Championship.[6]

In 1956 he, 17 years old, and Leah Neuberger won the World Table Tennis Mixed Doubles Championship in Tokyo.[10][11][6][12] was a four-time US Open Table Tennis Singles Champion. In 1956 and 1961 he was the U.S. singles champion.[8][13] 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.[8][14][6]

In 1973, he was a member of the United States table tennis team that competed against China.[8]

In 1990 Klein was inducted into the Southern California Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.[8]

He was shot to death in Los Angeles by a business partner in an argument on September 30, 1992.[15] The shooter then killed himself.[15]