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Bernard Lepkofker

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Bernard Lepkofker
Personal information
NationalityAmerican
DiedMarch 17, 2014
Home townBrooklyn, New York
OccupationJudoka
Sport
SportJudo
Achievements and titles
Regional finals New York Judo gold medal (1965)
National finalstwo silver medals and three bronze medals in the US National Championships
Profile at external databases
JudoInside.com48093
Updated on 15 August 2022

Bernard Lepkofker (d. March 17, 2014) was a competitive judoka from Brooklyn, New York, in the United States.[1][2] He was a two-time gold medalist at the Maccabiah Games in Israel, won a New York Judo gold medal, and twice won silver medals in the US national championships.

Early life

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Lepkofker was raised in a Jewish orphanage, the Pride of Judea Children's Home, and was Jewish.[3][4] He attended Thomas Jefferson High School,[5] with an initial goal to attend Dayton University.[6] Lepkofker earned a basketball scholarship for college, attending the University of Rio Grande in Ohio, but left after two years.[7]

Judo career

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Lepkofker joined the Air Force, and did basic training at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Wyoming.[3] While in the Air Force he learned judo while stationed in Japan, training at the Kodokan school.[7][3]

Lepkofker won two silver medals and three bronze medals in the US National Championships during the years 1968, 1974, 1975, 1978, and 1979.[8] In the 1968 National Championships, he lost to future Olympic bronze medalist Allan Coage.[9] Lepkofker was the 1965 New York Judo Gold Medalist.[10]

Lepkofker was the champion of the 1965 Maccabiah Games in Israel, and a competitor in the 1969 Maccabiah Games.[11][12] At the 1973 Maccabiah Games, he won a gold medal in the heavyweight competition.[13] He also unsuccessfully attempted to make the US Olympic Team.[14]

Lepkofker stood 6'4 and weighed 240 lbs in his prime.[12] He was also one half of the Judo Twins with his brother, Robert Lepkofker.[12] He was a member of the New York Athletic Club.[15]

Personal life

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Lepkofker was a Korean War veteran.[16] He and his brother opened up a judo school in Brooklyn, the American Kodokan Judo School, and upon gaining popularity they appeared on The Johnny Carson Show.[7]

Lepkofker died on March 17, 2014.[16]

References

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  1. ^ "Judo Expert Has His Pupils Flipping". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Women's sports and Judo". Jstandard. Archived from the original on March 18, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  3. ^ a b c "Oceanside judo pro teaches self-defense". Herald Community Newspapers.
  4. ^ "Growing Judo" (PDF). Usja-judo.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 5, 2016. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  5. ^ "They Take Heed". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. January 11, 1952. p. 18. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  6. ^ "1952" (PDF). Brooklyn Eagle. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  7. ^ a b c Costello, Alex (February 26, 2009). "Oceanside judo pro teaches self-defense". Long Island Herald. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  8. ^ "Bernard Lepkofker, Judoka". Judoinside.com. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  9. ^ "September 1968". Black Belt. September 1968. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  10. ^ "July 1965". Black Belt. July 1965. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  11. ^ "United States Maccabiah Team in Israel"
  12. ^ a b c Friedland, Stan (2007). The Judo Twins. ISBN 9781463482893. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  13. ^ "U. S., ISRAEL WIN 12 MEDALS EACH". The New York Times. July 11, 1973.
  14. ^ "November 1972". Black Belt. November 1972. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
  15. ^ "Issuu". The Winged Foot Magazine by New York Athletic Club.
  16. ^ a b "R8/9, Very Short Notice - Bernard Lepkofker, USAF, Korean War Era Veteran". Patriot Guard Riders of NY. March 21, 2014. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
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