Roger S. Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame
Lieberman, Mike
Mike Lieberman
- Induction:
- 2004
- Class:
- 1975
One of Lehigh greatest examples of “most improved” as an athlete, Mike Lieberman climbed his way to the top of the wrestling mountain, which culminated in the 1975 national championship as a junior - after failing to qualify his first two seasons.
“There was no greater driving force in my career than Michael,” said Mike’s brother Mark, who is also a member of the Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame. “He won an NCAA title when I was a freshman and that was my aspiration throughout my time at Lehigh and that is what drove me to the top. Michael was an outstanding athlete with incredible gifts and talents and he worked extremely hard to achieve everything that he did.”
Mike Lieberman, who was a team captain during one of Lehigh’s greatest eras, was the first-ever Midland's placer (along with Mark) for Lehigh, as he placed fourth on two separate occasions. In 1975, Lieberman won his first and only national championship, as he defeated one of the toughest competitors that Lehigh had ever faced in future World and two-time NCAA Champion, Chris Campbell by a score of 5-4. Lieberman trailed in the championship match 4-0 and scored the winning takedown with only 59 seconds remaining. Despite suffering a cracked vertebrae at midseason, Lieberman reach the 1976 NCAA semis with a string of 37 straight victories as a senior, settling for a third-place finish. His career record on the mat was 66-17-1, including a combined 46-3 mark in his junior and senior seasons. Lieberman was an EIWA champion twice at 177 pounds.
“I am both delighted and honored with the news of my election into the Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame,” Lieberman said. “I am humbled to join an elite group of former student-athletes who are already members of the Hall. These men and women are accomplished on the athletic field, in the classroom and in their careers. At the same time, I know there are many great Lehigh alums who are most deserving of this honor and have yet to be elected. I feel fortunate to have been considered, nominated and chosen.”
Lieberman earned his degree from Lehigh in marketing and management in 1976 and started out working for Bethlehem Steel, when he entered the loop sales program. He then went on to work for Mack Trucks Incorporated in Hickory, North Carolina where he served as the company's general manager. Lieberman then came back to the Lehigh Valley and began working for what is now the oldest integrated advertising agency in the valley, L-A Advertising (formerly Lieberman-Appalucci). He served as owner and CEO of the company.
Lieberman has been active in Lehigh Valley community, having served on the board of directors for St. Luke's Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem, United Way of the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and the Allentown Art Museum, and a trustee of DeSales University.
Lieberman and his wife Molly have four children, Blair, Brooke, Maura and Paige.
“There was no greater driving force in my career than Michael,” said Mike’s brother Mark, who is also a member of the Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame. “He won an NCAA title when I was a freshman and that was my aspiration throughout my time at Lehigh and that is what drove me to the top. Michael was an outstanding athlete with incredible gifts and talents and he worked extremely hard to achieve everything that he did.”
Mike Lieberman, who was a team captain during one of Lehigh’s greatest eras, was the first-ever Midland's placer (along with Mark) for Lehigh, as he placed fourth on two separate occasions. In 1975, Lieberman won his first and only national championship, as he defeated one of the toughest competitors that Lehigh had ever faced in future World and two-time NCAA Champion, Chris Campbell by a score of 5-4. Lieberman trailed in the championship match 4-0 and scored the winning takedown with only 59 seconds remaining. Despite suffering a cracked vertebrae at midseason, Lieberman reach the 1976 NCAA semis with a string of 37 straight victories as a senior, settling for a third-place finish. His career record on the mat was 66-17-1, including a combined 46-3 mark in his junior and senior seasons. Lieberman was an EIWA champion twice at 177 pounds.
“I am both delighted and honored with the news of my election into the Penske/Lehigh Athletics Hall of Fame,” Lieberman said. “I am humbled to join an elite group of former student-athletes who are already members of the Hall. These men and women are accomplished on the athletic field, in the classroom and in their careers. At the same time, I know there are many great Lehigh alums who are most deserving of this honor and have yet to be elected. I feel fortunate to have been considered, nominated and chosen.”
Lieberman earned his degree from Lehigh in marketing and management in 1976 and started out working for Bethlehem Steel, when he entered the loop sales program. He then went on to work for Mack Trucks Incorporated in Hickory, North Carolina where he served as the company's general manager. Lieberman then came back to the Lehigh Valley and began working for what is now the oldest integrated advertising agency in the valley, L-A Advertising (formerly Lieberman-Appalucci). He served as owner and CEO of the company.
Lieberman has been active in Lehigh Valley community, having served on the board of directors for St. Luke's Hospital, the Boys & Girls Club of Bethlehem, United Way of the Lehigh Valley, the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation and the Allentown Art Museum, and a trustee of DeSales University.
Lieberman and his wife Molly have four children, Blair, Brooke, Maura and Paige.
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