USA Wrestling supporter Ken Honig mixes zest for life with a spirit of giving back

Ken Honig, one of the most generous supporters of USA Wrestling’s athletes and programs, lives his life with passion. It is not only evident in his adventurous activities all over the world, but also in his commitment to giving back to others.

Let’s start with his passion for wrestling, something that was part of his life growing up, as well as his connection with the sport as a successful adult.

“I was always a very physical kid. And I enjoyed fighting, tussling around and I liked what I saw with the sport, just mano-a-mano, one-on-one. It’s just part of my makeup. I also played rugby for eight years. I like physicality,” said Honig.

His top memories of wrestling go back to the bonds he created with his teammates, based upon shared sacrifices and a collective commitment to excellence.

“Primarily my friends, co-athletes and I were struggling together. It is the wrestler’s lament of having to suffer in quiet anonymity. And to explain to everyone why you're not eating, to have your grandmother screaming at you at Thanksgiving time at the beginning of season. But it is just the cohesion that was created with other wrestlers on my team because we all knew what each other were going through. It's hard to explain it to a non-wrestler,” said Honig.

That bond extends to the athletes he competed against, as well as all other wrestlers who chose to challenge themselves in the sport.

“Wrestlers speak a common language in a lot of ways. That's kind of the reason why it's a tight group. It's a family most of the time. Even when you have someone you battled over the years, many years later, you guys can still communicate because of the mutual respect thing,” he said.

Honig had many challenges during his childhood and young adult life, the kind of things that could have set a person back. Instead, Honig chose to use those negative experiences as a way to improve himself and make a difference in the world on a daily basis.

“There was so much negativity. There was so much poverty, there was so much physical and emotional abuse. There was just so much of everything that I thought, ‘This isn't right. There's got to be another way. There has to be a different way to live your life. This is terrible. This is sad. This is miserable.’ And, I eventually left home at 15 and never looked back,” said Honig.

To call Honig a self-made man is an understatement. He put himself through college at USC by working jobs while also attending classes. He became a major success in real estate, which allowed him to retire at a very young age. His involvement with wrestling was a key building block to becoming a success in the business world and in life.

“It was just so evident at a young age. That if it is to be, it's up to me, just as simple as that. I don't mind using these old quotes and cliches because they work. They're appropriate. And nearly everything I put into wrestling, I received back. It really just reinforced the idea of don't complain and don't explain, just get it done,” said Honig.

As part of his life journey, Honig has travelled the world seeking adventures, testing himself both physically and mentally, while having enriching experiences that few people have ever done. One such example is his climbing of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France.

“I was climbing Mount Blanc in the French Alps. And after I came down the summit, I also came down with pneumonia. And I went back to Paris and checked into my hotel. And the security guard there said, ‘I know you were climbing. You must be athletic.’ I said, ‘No, maybe, maybe not.’ He asked, ‘Would you like to climb the Eiffel Tower?’ I asked when, and he said tomorrow. Try climbing with pneumonia. I don't need to be asked twice to do something that amazing. And it was amazing. And since then, I've probably done it 15 times. I brought the USA Wrestling flag up there and hung university banners up there,” he said.

Part of the reason he has been very active climbing the Eiffel Tower is his respect and friendship with the people he gets to share the experience with. Honig has been very generous in supporting them.

“The firemen in Paris are military. So, they're vastly underpaid. It was an opportunity for me to help them out as well. Financially, it was buying them gear that they couldn't afford. We created a whole weightlifting room, with lots of gear. It was really easy to help out these guys. They took care of me. Rappelling off the Eiffel Tower was an amazing thing. You know, you're not afraid of dying. The biggest fear is getting embarrassed. People are standing there watching you. Are you afraid? No, but if I fall, I'm going to be hugely embarrassed. So doing that was amazing, hanging out with the guys, They're tough guys. And they're fun. They're physical, hardworking guys, and they love their job, otherwise they'd get out of the military,” he said.

Honig’s unique adventures are done all over the world, and something he has shared with his family and close friends. Name the adventure: rock climbing, scuba diving, playing rugby, exploring the catacombs and much, much more, and Ken Honig has sought it out.  

“Every day, I wake up focusing on what am I going to do today? What good thing am I going to do today? What are we doing? What are we looking forward to? What are we planning that week? My son is the light of my life. He's 20. He's been traveling with me since he was four. Took him to Nicaragua, rented a helicopter and flew over the coast looking for property in Dubai. He has been going to Fiji with me since he was five. We have an island out there and developed a personal resort out there. So, he's been traveling with me forever,” said Honig.

This is all a part of Honig’s life philosophy, centered around mixing adventure with a commitment to others.

“As I explained to my son, the person with the most memories at the end wins. So, for me, I'm creating personal memories. My existing life is the antithesis of my young life. I'm just doing the exact opposite of what I witnessed, if that makes sense to you. My life is very exciting to other people. To me, it's just my life. I've been doing it so long,” said Honig.

Giving back to others goes all the way back to his childhood, something that felt natural to him growing up.

“I started giving money away as a kid. I grew up in a very tough environment, but I knew that there's always someone that has it worse than you. Through my jobs, even as a kid, I would help out at the YMCA. They’d have a donation bucket, and I’d help out with the March of Dimes, juvenile diabetes, different things that were presented to me as opportunities. I thought this was a great idea, you know, $5 or $10, whatever I had at the time. I just felt it was incumbent upon me an obligation to give back from the very, very beginning,” he said.

Wrestling is just one of the many causes that Honig has supported over the years. He has made donations to numerous Div. I wrestling programs, and supported the costs to save the wrestling program at his high school. He has rebuilt a wrestling training center for the Israeli National Wrestling Team and led fundraising efforts for the program. Honig has also been a frequent contributor to USA Wrestling, selecting different projects to support that make a difference in many different ways.

One such program came in 2008, when Honig provided personal financial bonuses to U.S. wrestlers who won medals at the Beijing Olympics in China: gold medalist Henry Cejudo and bronze medalists Randi Miller and Adam Wheeler. This was additional money beyond what they received from the USOPC, USA Wrestling and others. For Honig, it was all about helping the athletes advance themselves and grow moving forward.

“The first thing Henry said, when he's running around the mat with the American flag, after he won the gold medal is ‘I'm rich.’ But he never had that kind of money before. It made a huge impact on his life. And I continue to mentor Henry and get him involved in other opportunities to monetize his name. I was just dangling a carrot in front of them, letting them know there's a lot of opportunity out there. This is not the end, Henry, this is just the beginning,” said Honig.

Honig gives a large portion of his money each year to charity, selecting specific things which he believes can make the most difference for others. One of those included hosting a Bar Mitzvah celebration for Holocaust survivors in Orange County and San Diego County in California. It was a huge success and met the goals he had set for his investment.

“There's approximately 300 remaining survivors from the Holocaust in Orange County and San Diego County. I was thinking last time I was in Jerusalem that I don't think these people, while they're hiding and running and dying, ever had a chance for that rite of passage. But we hosted a big celebration and 100 people committed to it. You know, these guys are 85 to 105 years old. It was amazing. Everyone was crying. I had them invite their kids, grandkids and great grandkids. So, there were over 300 people there at the event. It was very formal, really nicely catered. All of the recipients received really nice gifts. There's some nice music. Everyone else was far more impressed with what I did than I was. I just don't pat myself on the back. It was just something I wanted to do. And once I decided I wanted to do it, it was already done in my mind,” he said.

Honig has high hopes for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team in wrestling in their quest for glory in Paris.

“I'm optimistic. I was at the 2017 Worlds in Paris, and then the 2022 and 2023 Worlds in Serbia. We won all three of those. We look pretty strong. We look good. There are new young guys who are good. And if we can be consistent, we can do well. I'm talking about a team victory. Right? I'm all for that and whatever I can do to help us achieve that,” he said.

With wrestling, he is pleased when his efforts make a specific difference in the lives of the athletes involved.

“I'm not enamored with the direction our society is headed in. So, the only way I can counter the negativity I witness out there is by creating good to offset the evil. I'm trying to do this in regards to wrestling. I'm trying to take boys and turn them into good men. That's my entire goal is to create winners and champions in life who go on and pay it back and pay it forward. I don't remember who wins or loses, but I do get excited for someone getting a gold medal. It's amazing. But it's even more amazing to watch them develop as a man, to have great families and to do more than just average with their lives,” he said.

It all goes back to that spirit of making a difference and living life with gusto.

“There's been a lot of pain in my life. I use the word incumbent. It's incumbent upon me to offset the pain and negativity by doing as many positive, good things as I can do. I'm just telling you how it is. It's the truth. I have to create an immense amount of goodness, to offset the painful moments in my life,” said Honig.