By Frederick Churchville, News Correspondent

Judah Friedlander pointed to his hat, a red and white trucker’s cap littered with small metallic dots on the front, and told the audience about how he won it in a martial arts competition in Korea. He said by rule, the title “World Champion” is to be written on the cap in the language of the country where the contest was held; however, the glimmering dots adorning the front of his prize did not resemble the characters that make up the Korean language.

“I kicked so fast that it blinded the judges,” he said. “So they had no choice but to write it in Braille.”

Friedlander shared this and other anecdotes in his stand-up performance March 25 in Blackman Auditorium. Northeastern’s Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity, Hillel and Kappa Sigma chapters hosted the show, which was free to Northeastern students.

Friedlander’s most notable work includes his character in the film “American Splendor,” his appearance in the Dave Matthew’s Band music video for “Everyday” as The Hug Guy, and his recurring role on the hit show “30 Rock”  as comedic writer Frank Rossitano.

Sunday’s event included an appearance by Jason Pollock, a stand-up comic and friend of Friedlander who is featured in the comedian’s book “How to Beat Up Anybody.” Pollock, who was the warm-up act for Friedlander, made some jokes about middle-age married life, being young, and how good looking the Northeastern audience was.

Friedlander played his trademark stand-up character, “The World Champion of the World,” talking to students about his superhuman feats that include outrunning a cheetah on steroids and kicking the beard off Chuck Norris’s face with an unyielding air of self-confidence. He also shared some of his workout secrets with the audience, including his daily routine.

“I shoulder-press weight lifters lifting weights, while running on the treadmill on level 10 on the steepest incline,” Friedlander said. “And my treadmill has an hurdle built into it. And it’s underwater.”

Friedlander answered questions from the audience and picked students to grill about school, sports or whatever else happened to come to his mind. He said the new material he gets from involving the audience is a big part of his stand-up style, though he runs on some scripted material as well.

“My act is always a mix of material I write and material that I come up with right there,” Friedlander said. “It’s a more unique experience that way – and more personable – and I always like the challenge of coming up with stuff on the spot.”

Lewis Raibley, a middler civil engineering major, said he was excited to see Friedlander live for the first time.

“I’ve been following Judah’s stand-up for a few years now,” he said. “An opportunity to see him live was something I couldn’t pass up.”

Raibley said he frequently attends comedy events on campus, as well as at Boston venues like the Comedy Club and Improv Asylum.

Although the auditorium was not sold out, Friedlander said he enjoyed performing for the Northeastern crowd.

“It was a lot of fun,” he said after the show. “The students were awesome – really smart. ‘Comedy’ smart.”

Phillip Hassbaum, a freshman engineering major, said he came to the show because he is such a fan of Friedlander’s character on “30 Rock,” the NBC program which also stars Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey.

“I figured if he’s been cast in ‘30 Rock,’ he has to be funny,” Hassbaum said. “I saw the posters for the show and thought ‘why not?’”

Jeff Deslandes, Kappa Sigma’s community service chair and an event organizer, said that working with Friedlander was a great experience, especially since he connects so much with those around him.

“He’s really laid back and a really interesting guy,” Deslandes said. “He likes to ask questions about you, your friend’s life, school … he was very inquisitive.”

While this was Friedlander’s first appearance at Northeastern, he performed nearby in the Boston Comedy Festival at Somerville’s Davis Square Theatre in November. He said that he does a lot of college visits, and has made appearances at nearby schools like Tufts University in Medford.

Friedlander said he performs shows like this nightly, and on top of that is busy working on both a stand-up album, due by the end of the year, and a stand-up concert film, projected for next year. When he’s not doing comedy, the performer said he really enjoys playing ping-pong, both for fun and in tournaments around the Tri-State area, something he loved when he was growing up in Maryland and picked up again not too long ago.

“The show was one of the better comedy routines I’ve seen at Northeastern,” Raibley said. “I think he inspired everyone in the room to one day be a world champion.”