Mike Flicker, Class of 1958

In the 50th anniversary year since his undefeated senior season, Mike Flicker has wrestled his way into the Sports Hall of Fame, pinning down his spot as one of the finest grapplers to ever take to the Peddie mats.

A day student from nearby Roosevelt, Flicker began his academic career at Peddie in 1951. Selected as the Valedictory speaker for the annual Junior School Commencement in 1953, Flicker demonstrated early in his Peddie life that he would represent the school with distinction. In his seven years at the school, this honors student consistently ranked at the top of his class.

Flicker proved to be just as reliable on the wrestling mat and completed an unblemished freshman campaign, capturing the state championship at 106 pounds. The May 1955 Chronicle highlighted that both Flicker and Peddie Sports Hall of Famer, George Entin ’56, both finished that season “without tasting defeat.” Flicker followed his spectacular debut with a third-place finish at the 1956 state meet at 120 pounds. Selected as the sole team captain in his junior year, the all-state wrestler moved up to 138 pounds where he was the state runner-up in his weight class.

As the senior captain of the ’58 squad, Flicker provided the perfect bookend to his Peddie athletic career by once again finishing undefeated and untied on his journey to capture the state prep crown at 138 pounds. Flicker led Head Coach Robert Tifft’s grapplers to 10 wins that year against only one defeat.

Peddie News sportswriter and editor-in-chief Mort “Skip” Goldfein called Mike Flicker “a great athlete and scholar.” A versatile student-athlete, Flicker started in the outfield for the varsity baseball team and earned a varsity letter in football his senior year before graduating from Peddie and wrestling for the Bulldogs of Yale University.