When Leon Grundstein was cut from the baseball team in the final round of tryouts his sophomore year of high school, he decided to finish the spring season on the track team.
It turned out to be a serendipitous move that led the longtime SJCC member to a successful track career at the University of Michigan and beyond—and his induction into the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania in May. “I was convinced the track coach and the baseball coach had a conspiracy to get me on the track team,” Leon said with a laugh. But maybe it was just the push he needed. “I thanked the baseball coach for not putting me on the team in my induction speech.”
Throughout his track career, Leon thrived in the high-energy, competitive environment, especially big competitions. “I loved the pageantry of the events, the energy, the competition, the trash-talking with your frenemies,” he said. “There’s nothing like being in front of a crowd of 50,000 people to motivate you to run well.”
Leon’s successful three years on the track team at his Pittsburgh high school provided him with the opportunity to run at the University of Michigan. In 1968, he finished third in the 300-yard dash at the Big Ten Indoor Track Championships, with a time that placed him ninth in the country. Outdoors, he finished second in the conference championships in the 220-yard dash. In 1969, he competed in the NCAA/United States Track & Field Federation (USTFF) outdoor national championships. When he graduated that year, he had the second-fastest time in school history in the 300-yard dash and the third-fastest time in the 220-yard dash.
Later that summer, Leon competed at the World Maccabiah Games in Israel as part of the U.S. track team, winning gold in the 4×400 relay. In 1973, he returned to win bronze in the 400 meter and anchor the gold medal-winning 4×400 relay.
Alan Mallinger, secretary of the Jewish Sports Hall of Fame of Western Pennsylvania, said they were thrilled to add Leon to their hallowed halls. “He has an impressive bio: a local track star in Pittsburgh, the Big Ten, Maccabiah, it doesn’t get much better than that,” Alan said. “He’s a worthy addition.”
When Leon found out in January that he would be inducted, he felt honored. “It felt really nice to be recognized for my accomplishments,” he said. “It’s especially meaningful to be acknowledged within the Jewish family.”
Leon and his wife, Marion Schwartz, traveled to Pittsburgh for the May ceremony. Leon was one of three athletes inducted this year, and Marion was proud he had a chance to share his accomplishments. “He flies under the radar and doesn’t like to talk about himself much, so it was really wonderful to see him honored like this,” she said.
Since moving to Seattle in 1978, Leon has been part of the SJCC community—and of course, the first thing that drew him in was sports. “Joining the J helped me integrate into the community as a newcomer, and sports was a great vehicle for that,” he said. Over the years his family has stayed involved; his daughter attended our Early Childhood School and Marion has worked at the Welcome Desk and J Café for years. Leon has played a lot of softball and basketball here, served on the board, volunteered to help when the J hosted 1,000 Jewish teens for the JCC Maccabi Games in 1997, and can often be seen working out in the Fitness Center. “It’s the place to go for community,” he said.
Mazel tov to Leon on this marvelous accomplishment!
