Induction Graduation Sport Type

2016 1967 Track & Field Athlete

A 1967 graduate of Rye Neck, Ken Dietz was a four-year varsity track and field athlete who specialized in the shot put and discus.  He was a three time league and section champion in both events, while setting and breaking his own records in each throughout his high school career.  In his junior and senior years, he also held the Section I record in the discus throw, and as a senior he broke the New York State record in that same event. His efforts culminated in his senior year with earning a gold medal in the discus at the New York State Track and Field Championships. Rye Neck’s 1967 Male Athlete of the Year was a Con Ed award winner and was also honored in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.” 

Ken continued his illustrious track and field career at the University of Pennsylvania where he made an immediate impact. He was undefeated in the discus throw in the Ivy League for his four year career, breaking the U Penn record in discus multiple times.  Ken was the Heptagonal Games (which included all the ivy league schools, plus Army and Navy) champion in the discus for three consecutive years.  In those same years, he also competed  in the NCAA championships and was a finalist in 1969.  That same year, he also won the gold in the discus throw in the Maccabiah Games in Israel.  A first team All-Ivy League and All-East honoree his sophomore, junior and senior years, Ken was inducted into the University of Pennsylvania Hall of Fame in 2008.