David DeGraaf
| David DeGraaf | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 David DeGraaf before the 1996 Summer Olympics | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||
| Full name | David Warren DeGraaf | |||||||||||||
| Born |
April 26, 1971 Spring Arbor, Michigan, United States[1] | |||||||||||||
| Height | 203 cm (6 ft 8 in) | |||||||||||||
| Club information | ||||||||||||||
| Current club | retired | |||||||||||||
| Youth career | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||
?–1993 | USAFA Team Handball | |||||||||||||
| Senior clubs | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||
| Knight Air | ||||||||||||||
| National team | ||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||
| United States men's national handball team | ||||||||||||||
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David Warren DeGraaf (born April 4, 1971 in Spring Arbor, Michigan) is an American former handball player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.[3]
Career
[edit]The United States Air Force Academy originally recruited him for football. But he played for the USAFA Team Handball.[4]
He played at the 1994 Goodwill Games (6th place out of 6), Pan American Games 1995 (4th of 6) & 1999 (4th of 7) and the 1996 Summer Olympics (9th of 12).[5]
At the 1996 Summer Olympics he scored record 13 goals against Kuwait and a record of seven blocked shots.[6] Only Niclas Ekberg was able to score 13 goals at the Olympic Games in 2012.
In 1997, he was selected as 1996 United States Air Force Athlete of the Year.[7]
In 1998 he won the Nationals Championship with Knight Air and was the MVP of the tournament.[8]
Awards
[edit]
|
Air Force Achievement Medal |
|
Air Force Longevity Service Award |
|
Joint Service Commendation Medal |
| Level unknown | Marksmanship |
|
National Defense Service Medal |
|
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award |
References
[edit]- ^ Zanca, Salvatore (August 2, 1996). "U.S. Men's Handball Team Equals Best Finish in 12 Years". APNews.com. Atlanta. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "David DeGraaf". LinkedIn. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "David DeGraaf". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ Sedgwick, David (April 11, 2016). "David DeGraaf". Automotive News. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "David DeGraaf". Center for Automotive Research. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "This Date in USAFA History". United States Air Force Academy. July 31, 1996. Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
- ^ "Air Force selects its athletes of the year". Airman Magazine. XLI (2): 20. February 1997.
- ^ "1998 National Championships". Knight Air. Archived from the original on April 7, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
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- 1971 births
- Living people
- American male handball players
- Olympic handball players for the United States
- Handball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics
- Air Force Falcons team handball
- United States Air Force World Class Athlete Program
- United States Air Force Athlete of the Year
- Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American handball biography stubs