Courtesy of Christian Lillieroos
Ladies and gentlemen, Table Tennis Hall of Famers, future national team members, esteemed guests, and fellow table tennis enthusiasts.
It is with great honor and immense pride that we gather here today to induct a true legend of our beloved sport into the United States Table Tennis Hall of Fame. As we reflect on the remarkable career of Stellan Bengtsson, we are reminded of the profound impact he has had on the world of table tennis.
Stellan’s journey to greatness began as a young prodigy in Falkenberg, Sweden. He started to play at the age of 6 years old, and 66 years later he is still playing and coaching, as a testament to that Table Tennis is a true life long sport, or what Stellan would say to everyone here “you are not the only crazy ones”.
He was the first Swedish player who went abroad to train in Japan where he stayed for 4 months to train with Ichiro Ogimura 1969-70. That lead to the remarkable feat at the tender age of 18, in the year 1971, he achieved what many could only dream of – he claimed the World Men’s Singles title in Nagoya, Japan, as the youngest ever Men’s singles World champion.
This Is his connection to the famous Ping Pong diplomacy. Every reunion Stellan is a topic of discussion. This historic victory not only made him the first Swede to achieve such a feat but also solidified his place among the pantheon of table tennis legends. Not many people can say that they had a serve named after them and a drill named after the club they grow up playing in. The Bengtsson serve (now todays TV commentators calls it the lollipop serve) and the footwork drill Falkenbergaren.
Throughout his illustrious playing career, Stellan Bengtsson dazzled audiences with his exceptional skill, agility, and strategic prowess on the table. His achievements, including numerous European and World Championships titles, are a testament to his unwavering dedication and unparalleled talent. A personal memory that stands out; in the World championships 1981 he reached the semifinal and was asked in an interview, “were you better in 1971 when you won the Gold. The answer was, “I would have beaten myself 21-10”, that was just proof of how much the sport evolves over time.
However, Stellan’s contributions to our sport extend far beyond his accomplishments as a player. He met the love of his life during a World championships and later fellow Hall of Famer Angelita Rosal Bengtsson became his wife and they have 2 twin boys together. Angie was of course the main reason for Stellan to eventually move to San Diego, CA USA, and the duo Stellangie was born.
Following his retirement from competitive play, he seamlessly transitioned into coaching, where his impact was nothing short of transformative. He coached the Swedish men’s national team with the generation that created many World champions. He coached the Danish national team, the Quatar national team and for today’s presentation the most important, the US National PTT team for 4 years from 2012 to 2016. He coached the team at the Toronto Para Pan American games where the team won 2 Gold medals and many other medals.
His dedication to nurturing talent and fostering inclusivity in table tennis, particularly in the para division, has left an indelible mark on the sport. He had a great personal relationship as a coach and friend with the late Hall of Famer Mike Demsey right when he moved to San Diego in 2006 until his untimely departure.
Stellan Bengtsson’s coaching philosophy, centers on teamwork, resilience, and sportsmanship, continues to inspire generations of athletes around the world.
He coached a young Jimmy Butler in Sweden that turned his game around to international greatness, where Jimmy learned what dedication and hard work really meant if you are going to make it to the top. His commitment to promoting the values of our sport – integrity, camaraderie, and excellence – serves as a beacon for all who follow in his footsteps.
Every time he has a chance to show honesty he takes it. If a server at a restaurant forgets to charge for something he always points it out as an opportunity to show honesty. After he came to USA he dedicated his time to work with young aspiring USA athletes like; Ted Li who won the U-13, U-15 and U-17 year old national championships. Teddy Tran who won the U-15 and U-17 year national championships. DJ Alto who at a young age of 15 already got a 2600 USATT rating, and was winning over many national team members at the time. He still has many long standing yearly traditions to hold weekly training camps in different parts of the country, where he comes back about the same time each year and hold weekly training camps, and all the players loves it.
In 2021 he was asked by his old student and 4 times World champion Jorgen Persson who is the Swedish national team head coach, to help coach the Swedish team at the 2021 Houston World championships in singles and doubles. His assignment was to help mainly two players; the troubled young temperamental, but all so talented Truls Maregard, and Christian Karlsson. Truls came into the World championships world ranked at 77. He finished with a silver medal in Men’s singles.
Stellan took his game to a totally different level by making Truls control his temper, and made him focus at a totally different level, and he made the breakthrough that later this year gave him two Olympic Silver medals in Men’s singles and Men’s team. Christian Karlson in the same 2021 World championship won Gold in Men’s doubles, and this summer, he won an Olympic silver in the Men’s team together with Truls. 1 gold & 1 silver at the Houston World championships, not bad for a USA coach.
Today, as we honor Stellan Bengtsson’s remarkable contributions to table tennis, let us also celebrate the man behind the accolades – a humble, passionate individual whose love for the game knows no bounds. Stellan’s presence in the Hall of Fame is a testament to his enduring legacy and his unwavering dedication to the sport he holds dear. In 2021 he was inducted to the Swedish Table Tennis Hall of Fame, and today he is inducted to the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame.
In closing, let us extend our heartfelt congratulations to Stellan Bengtsson on this well-deserved induction into the Hall of Fame. May his remarkable achievements continue to inspire and uplift all who share his passion for table tennis.
The message was sent out to the Table Tennis world about Stellan’s induction. Many people did thank you videos and we will now see a few of them. All videos will be posted on the US Table Tennis Hall of Fame Facebook page and other social media accounts, and on our website.
Stellan could not be here today but he sent us a video, that we will now see.
Thank you.