Young Bob burst onto the high school track scene in early 1949 when, as a 15-year-old sophomore, he led Latin School to its first ever City of Boston Championship in the, then, 41 year history of the Regimentals. He set two Regimental records and equaled another in the process. Over the next three years, Bob won countless City, State and New England individual championships in Track and Field. He also starred on the gridiron. Rittenburg was an all-City of Boston running back in his 1950 senior season and was a two-way back on Coach Charlie Fitzgerald’s undefeated and “best ever” 1949 Purple and White pigskin varsity. The highlight of Bob’s interscholastic track career came at the 1951 AAU High School Indoor Nationals in Madison Square Garden. He captured gold medals in both the High Jump and the 60 Yard High Hurdles. In doing so, Rittenburg became the first Massachusetts schoolboy track athlete ever to win two events same High School Nationals meet. Mr. Rittenburg moved on to Harvard, where he was a four-time All-Ivy and All-Heptagonal selection in the hurdles and long jump. He capped his collegiate career on May 21, 1955, when he scored an incredible 26 points in an upset win over Yale.
Class: 1951 Inducted: 2007