Miguel de Capriles

Miguel deCapriles’ renown comes principally from his being the leading administrator of fencing in the U.S. for half a century. Emigrating to the States from Mexico in 1920, he began fencing while a student at NYU, but only achieved success after his 1927 graduation. Starting in 1930 he won 10 individual national titles and was a member of 12 national championship teams. Besides his Olympic medals, deCapriles had the distinction of being the first American to preside at an Olympic final when he was the president of jury at the individual sabre final at Berlin in 1936. He held a variety of AFLA posts until 1949, when he was elected president of that organization, holding office until 1953. In 1960 he was elected president of the Federacion International d’Escrime (FIE), becoming the first non-European to hold that post. In 1975, for his many contributions to amateur sport, he was named a recipient of the newly created Olympic Order. Miguel deCapriles spent nearly his entire professional career as a faculty member and administrator at New York University. Beginning as a professor of economics, he was later a law professor, dean of the law school, and eventually vice-president of the university. In 1975 he retired but then joined the faculty at Hastings College of Law in San Francisco. His brother, Jose, competed at three Olympic Games and his wife, Dorothy, was women’s intercollegiate foil champion in 1932.