May 22, 2008
A pair of former Trojans--swimming great Lenny Krayzelburg and football All-American and NFL Hall of Famer Ron Mix--will be inducted into the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame Museum at the 16th annual induction ceremony on June 8 at 10:30 a.m. at The Suffolk Jewish Community Center in Commack, New York.
Krayzelburg and Mix are part of an 8-member class of 2008 inductees, along with sports media personalities Sam Rosen and Tony Kornheiser, Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, Olympic fencing champion Daniel Bukantz, Tennessee men's basketball head coach Bruce Pearl and legendary St. John's basketball player Hy Gotkin.
Krayzelburg was voted 1999 and 2000's USA Swimmer of the Year while captivating the whole world at the 2000 Summer Olympics, capturing three gold medals for the United States. A 9-time All-American at USC (1996-98), he captured an NCAA individual title in 1997 in the 200-yard backstroke and he set school records in both backstroke specialties and both medley relays. After the Olympics, the 11-time U.S. National Champion and world record holder established the Lenny Krayzelburg Foundation to work with youth and child welfare organizations to educate and involve youth in local swimming-based opportunities. In July 2005, the Russian native opened two swim schools operating out of the Jewish Community Center system in Los Angeles.
One of USC's great offensive tackles, Mix earned All-American first team honors in 1959. He lettered for 3 seasons (1957-59) and captained the 1959 Trojans. He was known as one of the strongest and smartest offensive linemen of his time. A first round pro draft pick, he then starred professionally for 11 years, mostly with the Chargers (1960-69), then with the Raiders (1971). The 9-time All-Pro was a member of the Chargers' 1963 AFL championship squad. In 1979, he was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, one of the first AFL players so honored. After his playing career, he became a lawyer.
"Our inductees and honorees truly exemplify what the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame is all about," said Lynne Kramer, chairman of the Hall of Fame. "In their own way, each one of them have overcome adversities, challenged stereotypes and blazed a trail for others to follow. We hope by honoring these Jewish men and women for their accomplishments we can show young Jews that there are no limits for them."
