*BEN BISHOP, Lehigh ’34 earned the NCAA Outstanding Wrestler Award in 1934 as Lehigh’s second national champion.  A PA native, he was captain as freshman and senior.  Ben skipped the 1932 NCAAs in Indiana to win National AAUs in Madison Square Garden, beating the Navy’s best post-grad and a top European.  He placed third at the Olympic Trials behind an NCAA 1^st and 3^rd.

      Ben was undefeated in duals his final two seasons.  His sole EIWA loss was the ’33 finals to Princeton’s “Hody” Hooker, which Ben avenged twice in ’34 by fall. In Bishop’s first Nationals he lost to Alan Kelley (NCAA 1,1, Oklahoma State) and Foy Stout of Southwest Oklahoma (2,3).  Ben’s undefeated senior year featured more revenge -- pinning Stout in the finals to earn OW. In the semis, Bishop beat 1936 Olympic champ, Frank Lewis, Oklahoma State (NCAA 2,1), with the only takedown. At the Olympic Trials, Bishop again placed third but became the alternate. 

      Ben’s brother, Dick ’36 was EIWA 1^st and NCAA 4^th. Ben Bishop, Jr was All-Ivy and Cornell captain in 1970 and grandson Ben IV wrestled for Lehigh. Granddad’s first job was sales trainee with Bethlehem Steel, a major WW II munitions provider. Bishop retired as VP, Sales and died at age 94 in Bethlehem.