USAFA Team Handball

{{Short description|Handball club from the US Air Force Academy}}

{{Infobox handball club

| clubname = USAFA Team Handball

| image = USAFA Team Handball Logo.png

| fullname = United States Air Force Team Handball

| short name = Air Force

| founded = 1976 by Bob Djokovich & Thomas Schneeberger

| ground = Cadet Gymnasium

| capacity =

| chairman =

| manager = Mike Cavanaugh{{Cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/usa-team-handball/events/2015-open-champs/clubs/club-previews/usafa|title=US Air Force Academy THC Preview|last=Donlin|first=Andrew|date=2015-05-11|website=USA Team Handball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705071924/https://www.teamusa.org/usa-team-handball/events/2015-open-champs/clubs/club-previews/usafa|archive-date=2018-07-05|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-07-05}}

| captain =

| league =

| season =

| position =

| website = https://sites.google.com/site/usafateamhandball

| colour1 = #{{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|2}}

| colour2 = #{{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|1}}

| colour3 = #{{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|3}}

| pattern_la1 =

| pattern_b1 =

| pattern_ra1 =

| pattern_sh1 =

| leftarm1 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|1}}

| body1 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|1}}

| rightarm1 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|1}}

| shorts1 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|1}}

| pattern_la2 =

| pattern_b2 =

| pattern_ra2 =

| pattern_sh2 =

| leftarm2 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|2}}

| body2 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|2}}

| rightarm2 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|2}}

| shorts2 = {{NCAA color|Air Force Falcons|2}}

| filetype = svg

}}

{{location map+|Colorado

|float=right

|width=261

|alt=Location of USAFA Team Handball

|caption=Location of USAFA Team Handball in Colorado

|places=

{{Location map~|Colorado|lat=39.0128973|long=-104.8870638|label=USAFA Team Handball|position=under}}

}}

USAFA Team Handball is a handball club based in Air Force Academy, Colorado, United States. They are the handball team of the United States Air Force Academy. They are one of the most successful men's college teams. Besides Adelphi University and UCLA, they are the only college team to have won an adult national title, which they achieved in 1978.{{Cite journal|last=Bergeman|first=David|date=March 2013|title=USAFA Team Handball Excellence|url=https://issuu.com/usafaaog/docs/2013-march-checkpoints/40|journal=Checkpoints|pages=38–43|access-date=2018-04-05}}

History

After the Falcons men's basketball team came second at the 1976 USA Team Handball National Tournament in the adults and collegiate divisions, the club was founded in 1976 by team captains Bob Djokovich and Thomas Schneeberger. Both Djokovich and Schneeberger appeared on the United States National Team at the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics.{{cite interview |last=Djokovic |first=Bob |title="I am hoping that one of the US clubs will qualify to the 2019 Super Globe" - Bob Djokovic |url=https://www.superglobe2019.com/insights/bobdjokovic|work=2019 IHF Super Globe|year=2019 |access-date=2019-05-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190507111420/https://www.superglobe2019.com/insights/bobdjokovic |archive-date=2019-05-07 |url-status=live |quote=Our team heard that there was a national championship in this sport, so we sent our varsity basketball team to the tournament, where we finished second. }}{{Cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/About/Governance/Meet-the-Board-of-Directors/Bob-Djokovich|title=Bob Djokovich Independent Director|website=USA Team Handball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705093231/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/About/Governance/Meet-the-Board-of-Directors/Bob-Djokovich|archive-date=2018-07-05|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-07-06}}

The club represented the national team at the 2015 Summer Universiade. They were joined by a student from Colorado State University.{{Cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/News/2015/July/07/2015-WUG-Korea01|title=Michael Cavanaugh Leads Colorado-Based Team to Korea for World University Games|last=Godwin|first=Maurice|date=2015-07-07|website=USA Team Handball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170617/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/News/2015/July/07/2015-WUG-Korea01|archive-date=2018-07-08|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-07-08}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/News/2015/July/17/2015-WUG-Report|title=Michael Cavanaugh Leads Colorado-Based Team to Korea for World University Games Report|last=Cavanaugh|first=Mike|date=2015-07-17|website=USA Team Handball|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180708170806/https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Team-Handball/News/2015/July/17/2015-WUG-Report|archive-date=2018-07-08|url-status=dead|access-date=2018-07-08}}

Accomplishments

Nationals:
Men's Division I (as top tier):
1 × {{gold medal}} : 1978, 1977
2 × {{silver medal}} : 1976
Men's Division I (as second tier):
1 × {{gold medal}} : 2004
3 × {{bronze medal}} : 2014, 2015, 2016
Men's Division II (as third tier):
2 × {{gold medal}} : 2000, 2003
1 × {{silver medal}} : 2001
College Nationals:
Men:
3 × {{gold medal}} : 1977, 1978, 2002
3 × {{silver medal}} : 1976, 1980, 2000
10 × {{bronze medal}} : 1999, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2014, 2016, 2017, 2019
Women:
1 × {{gold medal}} : 1988
1 × {{silver medal}} : 1980
Carolina Blue Cup (men) :
{{bronze medal}} : 1991

Notable former players

Source:

Class	Name	Olympia	World	Note
class="wikitable"
rowspan="2"\|1978	Bob Djokovich	rowspan="2"\|1984 Los Angeles	rowspan="4"\|None	Founder of the club; President of United States Team Handball Federation (2001–2004) and of USA Team Handball (2018–2019)
Tom Schneeberger	Founder of the club
1984	Kathy Callaghan	1988 Seoul	1986 United States Armed Forces Athlete of the Year; Coached the USAFA women's team and won the 1988 College Nationals
1986	David W. Allvin	None	Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force since 2023; Highest ranked club alumni of all time
1993	David DeGraaf	1996 Atlanta	1995 Iceland	1996 United States Air Force Athlete of the Year; Was member of the United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program
2015	Andrew Donlin	None	2023 Poland / Sweden	First US born player who played professionally in Europe; 2019 & 2023 United States Air Force Athlete of the Year; Was member of the United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program

References

External links

{{official|https://sites.google.com/site/usafateamhandball}}

Category:Handball clubs established in 1978

Category:1976 establishments in Colorado