Tony Klebetz - Spring Valley -1938
Spring Valley strongman Tony Klebetz made his mark on Rockland County with pioneering efforts in the field events. A multiple champion and record-setter, Mr. Klebetz’s long tosses in the shot put and discus and leaps in the high jump were hard to beat at the time and held up longer than most.
Mr. Klebetz was part of a rich tradition of high-caliber throwers for the Tigers, stretching from Howard Parker Talman and Lester Lepori to Klebetz, Benson Bercovitz, Marvin Branche and Jerry Rubenfeld, Rockland County record-holders all in the shot put. In fact, from 1912 to 1964, a Spring Valley Tiger held the County shot-put record for all but one year. Talk about domination. The Spring Valley track teams of Mr. Klebetz’s era were contenders most every year, thanks to the expert guidance of Coach Herb Thompson, whose squads won six Rockland County championships and finished second three times during his reign from 1930 to 1942.
A strapping 6-footer, Mr. Klebetz’s numerous mighty efforts established him as a thrower to be taken very seriously, if not feared. He first set the Rockland County shot put record with a 44-foot toss at the Rockland County meet in June of 1937 at Tallman Mountain State Park, breaking the mark of 43-1 1/2 set by Spring Valley’s Lepori in 1932.
Later that summer, Mr. Klebetz placed a strong third in an August gathering at Newburgh that pulled in formidable squads from the host, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Middletown, Port Jervis, the Rockland Athletic Association from Nyack and the Valkyries Athletic Association from Spring Valley, which was supervised in the summer by Thompson, the Spring Valley coach.
Back on the scholastic scene in 1938, Mr. Klebetz popped a 47-4 3/4 at the Rockland County championships in June at Markham Field in Haverstraw, breaking his own County mark by more than three feet. He had recorded a superior mark of 48-1 3/4 in May to win the Newburgh Relays, but it could not count as a County record since the rules of the day specified that County records could only be set at the County meet. He also scored victories in the John Secor American Legion Meet high school division (46-1) and unlimited class (45-8 3/4), and took a runner-up spot at the Metropolitan AAU Championships.
Mr. Klebetz’s shot put best endured as Rockland County's record for 16 years.
Like most weight men, Mr. Klebetz also scored big points in the discus throw and took home medals from that event. A runner-up at the Rockland County meet as a freshman, he owned the event his junior (114-8) and senior (118-11 1/2) years with meet records in both contests. The 1938 American Legion meet also found him on the top step with platter wins of 113-0 in the high school division and 118-0 in the open group.
An accomplished high jumper, Mr. Klebetz must have excited Coach Thompson to no end during his freshman campaign when he followed up his second place in the discus throw with an equally impressive 5-7 vertical launch to take second in the Rockland County meet. He kept going up and won the high jump at the County meet his senior year. His 5-9 at a Valkyries A.A. meet was good for third and he matched that height for a runner-up at the American Legion meet's open division.
Track & field was not the only sport at which Mr. Klebetz excelled. He was chosen to the 1938 All-County basketball team for his prowess on the hardwood.
Mr. Klebetz discontinued athletic competition after high school, choosing to enter the workforce as was the norm during that era. He made a living as a tool and diemaker at the Zamax Manufacturing Co. in Belleville, N.J. A native of New York City, he lived in Spring Valley for 30 years before moving to Thiells, where he resided with his wife, Kathryn, for 10 years. They had no children. Mr. Klebetz died of a heart condition in 1974 at age 54.
Mr. Klebetz was part of a rich tradition of high-caliber throwers for the Tigers, stretching from Howard Parker Talman and Lester Lepori to Klebetz, Benson Bercovitz, Marvin Branche and Jerry Rubenfeld, Rockland County record-holders all in the shot put. In fact, from 1912 to 1964, a Spring Valley Tiger held the County shot-put record for all but one year. Talk about domination. The Spring Valley track teams of Mr. Klebetz’s era were contenders most every year, thanks to the expert guidance of Coach Herb Thompson, whose squads won six Rockland County championships and finished second three times during his reign from 1930 to 1942.
A strapping 6-footer, Mr. Klebetz’s numerous mighty efforts established him as a thrower to be taken very seriously, if not feared. He first set the Rockland County shot put record with a 44-foot toss at the Rockland County meet in June of 1937 at Tallman Mountain State Park, breaking the mark of 43-1 1/2 set by Spring Valley’s Lepori in 1932.
Later that summer, Mr. Klebetz placed a strong third in an August gathering at Newburgh that pulled in formidable squads from the host, Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Middletown, Port Jervis, the Rockland Athletic Association from Nyack and the Valkyries Athletic Association from Spring Valley, which was supervised in the summer by Thompson, the Spring Valley coach.
Back on the scholastic scene in 1938, Mr. Klebetz popped a 47-4 3/4 at the Rockland County championships in June at Markham Field in Haverstraw, breaking his own County mark by more than three feet. He had recorded a superior mark of 48-1 3/4 in May to win the Newburgh Relays, but it could not count as a County record since the rules of the day specified that County records could only be set at the County meet. He also scored victories in the John Secor American Legion Meet high school division (46-1) and unlimited class (45-8 3/4), and took a runner-up spot at the Metropolitan AAU Championships.
Mr. Klebetz’s shot put best endured as Rockland County's record for 16 years.
Like most weight men, Mr. Klebetz also scored big points in the discus throw and took home medals from that event. A runner-up at the Rockland County meet as a freshman, he owned the event his junior (114-8) and senior (118-11 1/2) years with meet records in both contests. The 1938 American Legion meet also found him on the top step with platter wins of 113-0 in the high school division and 118-0 in the open group.
An accomplished high jumper, Mr. Klebetz must have excited Coach Thompson to no end during his freshman campaign when he followed up his second place in the discus throw with an equally impressive 5-7 vertical launch to take second in the Rockland County meet. He kept going up and won the high jump at the County meet his senior year. His 5-9 at a Valkyries A.A. meet was good for third and he matched that height for a runner-up at the American Legion meet's open division.
Track & field was not the only sport at which Mr. Klebetz excelled. He was chosen to the 1938 All-County basketball team for his prowess on the hardwood.
Mr. Klebetz discontinued athletic competition after high school, choosing to enter the workforce as was the norm during that era. He made a living as a tool and diemaker at the Zamax Manufacturing Co. in Belleville, N.J. A native of New York City, he lived in Spring Valley for 30 years before moving to Thiells, where he resided with his wife, Kathryn, for 10 years. They had no children. Mr. Klebetz died of a heart condition in 1974 at age 54.