Ki Whang Kim and the Taekwondo Hall of Fame

Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim has more students in the Taekwondo Hall of Fame than any other instructor.

Great Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim

Great Grandmaster Ki Whang Kim was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2009 under the title Lifetime Achievement.

Grandmaster Albert Cheeks

Grandmaster Albert Cheeks was inducted in the 2007 ceremony under the title Outstanding Pioneer Taekwondo Player.

Grandmaster Michael Warren was inducted in the 2007 ceremony. He won an individual silver medal at the 1973 World Taekwondo Championships in Korea, and won Henry Cho’s All American Open on four different occasions.

Grandmaster Mitchell Bobrow

Grandmaster Mitchell Bobrow was nicknamed “Boy Wonder” by Black Belt magazine in 1967. He fought Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, Ron Marchini, Toyotaro Miyazaki, Thomas La Puppet Carroll and Bill “Superfoot” Wallace during the “golden era” of martial arts in the United States. Bobrow was a personal friend of Bruce Lee, who was often seen on the sidelines when Bobrow competed. Black Belt magazine yearbook rated Bobrow as a top ten fighter in the world throughout the 60s, and Karate Illustrated magazine placed him #1 in 1969 above Chuck Norris, Joe Lewis, and Bill Wallace. Bobrow was the youngest fighter ever to be ranked a Top Ten fighter by Black Belt Magazine and still holds that honor. Bobrow was inducted into the inaugural Taekwondo Hall of Fame as Best Fighter of the 60s and served as honorary chairman of the event. In 2009 he was selected as a Technical Advisor for the Taekwondo Hall of Fame. He represented the United States Team in Tokyo in the First World Karate Championships World Karate Federation held at the Budokan. He was Grand Champion at the 1969 All American Open Championship at Madison Square Garden, American Invitational Tournament of Champions, Marine Corps Champion, International Heavyweight Champion and Universal Open Champion. Bobrow was the founder of the first chartered karate club in the United States at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School in 1966 and graduated from George Washington University.

George Spiro Thanos

In 1975, Thanos ran and taught at the Tae Kwon Do Moo Duk Kwan of America, Inc. in association with the Kim Studio of Karate in Myrtle Beach, SC. He was the Grand Champion at the All American Open Championships at Madison Square Garden in 1975. During this time, he was inducted into the Professional Karate Association as part of the original crew of 50 exceptional martial artists of the realm. In 1976, Traditional Tae Kwon Do Magazine awarded Thanos the world rating in the Light Heavyweight Division. Master Ki Whang Kim awarded Thanos a 7th degree Black Belt in 1992. In 2009, Thanos was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame and celebrated for his “reliance on not any one style of attack in his arsenal but an array of sweeps, punches, round and back kicks while integrating them into a continuous fury.”

Grandmaster Gerard E. Robbins

Grandmaster Gerard E. Robbins was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame in 2015 under the title Lifetime Achievement Award.

Wendell A. Goins, MD

Wendell A. Goins was a student of Ki Whang Kim and he was inducted into the Taekwondo Hall of Fame as an Outstanding Instructor.

Grandmaster Neil Ehrlich

Grandmaster Neil Ehrich is one of the numerous champions from Kim Studio, which reigned supreme in traditional point system tournaments in the Eastern United States during the 60’s through early 70’s.

Ricky Feizbakhsh

Ricky Feizbakhsh is considered Ki Whang Kim’s last champion. At 15, he started competing in the Black Belt Men’s Adult Division and won two Grand Championships competitions in his first year in Free Sparring. He also won the Forms Grand Championships. In the late 90’s, Ricky competed in 23 tournaments. Out of a possible 46 Grand Championships trophies, he won 44. Throughout his martial arts career, Ricky has won over 150 martial arts tournaments. Ricky now runs his own Taekwondo school, KenZen-Do Karate & Foxhall Wellness in Chevy Chase, Maryland.