Handball

United States Handball Association

Also printed as USHA

Tucson, AZ, US

Games: American four-wall; One-wall (small and big ball); Three-wall; Irish 60x30 (hardball and softball)

Championships it ran

Rulebook editions

Dated facts

  • 21 April 1945: A glass-enclosed handball court at the Town Club of Chicago hosts the A.A.U. nationals from 21 April 1945; the USHA later credits its president Bob Kendler with inventing the glass court

    The Converse Handball Handbook (1946) says the glass-enclosed court, created by the president of the Town Club of Chicago, was used for the National A.A.U. Handball Championship play that opened April 21, 1945; the booklet's title for the piece is 'Through the Looking Glass'

    The USHA magazine for June 1972 says its president, Bob Kendler, invented the glass court at his Chicago Town Club in 1945, showing that handball 'need not be sold, merely seen', and that hundreds of courts now have glass back and side galleries

    The USHA champions page lists the 1945 A.A.U. four-wall nationals in Chicago (Joe Platak singles)

    Source: eBay listing 236990513620: seller photographs of a Converse handball handbook (1946) (seen 30 October 2026)

  • 1950-1951 (dated from the issue it appeared in): A group of leading handball players and administrators forms a Players' Fraternity in 1950 under Bob Kendler: the USHA's own texts date its start 1950 or 1951 Sources disagree

    Sources date the start of the USHA to 1950 (a 1972 magazine and a 1998 letter counting 48 years) or to 1951 (the USHA website and its numbering of the 1997 nationals as the 47th), so the date is given as 1950 to 1951.

    The USHA's June 1972 rules page says that in 1950 a group of the leading players and administrators got together to form a Players' Fraternity; Bob Kendler pioneered it, determined to give the game its own identity, improve tournament conditions and standardize court sizes and rules

    A past president's letter of February 1998 speaks of the Association's 'best condition of our 48 years of existence', which counts from 1950

    The USHA website footer reads '1951 - 2026' and its collegiate history says the first Collegiate Nationals were in 1951; the 1997 four-wall nationals are called the 47th, which also counts from 1951

    An Irish Times Gaeilge article of 14 October 2025 says the United States Handball Association was founded in 1951 (paraphrase; the article is research-only)

    Date: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    Detail: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    Source: Handball (USHA), June 1972

  • 1951-1953 (dated from the issue it appeared in): The USHA says its first Collegiate National Championships were held at Evanston, Illinois, in 1951, but its champions roll lists a collegiate title only from 1953 Sources disagree

    The USHA's collegiate history page says the first Collegiate Nationals were held in 1951 at Evanston, but its champions page first shows a Collegiates section in the 1953 block, so the date is given as 1951 to 1953.

    The USHA collegiate history page says the USHA hosted its first Collegiate National Championships in 1951 in Evanston, Illinois, and that the tournament still runs 70 years later

    The USHA champions page first shows a Collegiates section (open singles and doubles, B singles) in the 1953 block

    Date: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    Detail: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    Source: US Handball Association, "History of Collegiate Nationals" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1951: Bob Kendler breaks with the A.A.U. in 1951 'to form' the players' fraternity (by a 1972 USHA cover note): the first USHA four-wall (Chicago) and three-wall (Detroit) nationals; Avery Brundage was most instrumental in mediating a lasting agreement

    The cover note of the June 1972 USHA magazine says the International Olympic Committee president Avery Brundage, a one-time outstanding player, was most instrumental in mediating a lasting agreement when Kendler broke with the A.A.U. in 1951 to form the players' fraternity

    The USHA champions page lists the first USHA four-wall nationals of 1951 in Chicago and the first three-wall nationals in Detroit; the same page shows the last A.A.U. four-wall nationals in 1950

    The USHA's December 1971 tribute says O'Connell had 'never been able to get the needed assistance from within the AAU ranks to give the game its rightful position' and that this was why 'our Association was formed'

    Source: Handball (USHA), June 1972, PDF p. 3

  • 1951-1959: From 1951 the USHA's national roll carries a three-wall tournament at Detroit every year of the decade beside the travelling four-wall nationals

    On the USHA champions page the three-wall nationals are held in Detroit every year from 1951 to 1960 while the four-wall nationals move: Chicago 1951, Detroit 1952, Houston 1953, Chicago 1954, Los Angeles 1955, St. Louis 1956, Dallas 1957, Chicago 1958, Los Angeles 1959, San Francisco 1960

    Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1954-2004 (dated from the issue it appeared in): The USHA's Hall of Fame list opens in 1954 with Al Banuet and Joe Platak and holds 35 player inductions by 2004, but the 1971 magazine places both names in the Helms Hall of Fame Sources disagree

    The USHA's 2004 Hall of Fame list begins its player inductions in 1954, while 1971 magazine items refer to the Helms Hall of Fame and give a 1957 entry for O'Connell; the two lists have not been reconciled.

    The USHA Hall of Fame page of 2004 lists player inductions from 1954 (Al Banuet and Joe Platak) through 2004 (35 in all: 7 in the 1950s, 5 in the 1960s, 3 in the 1970s, 7 in the 1980s, 8 in the 1990s, 5 in 2000-04), 21 contributors from 1955 and 11 Kendler Award recipients from 1991

    The USHA magazine of June 1971 says Banuet's name is inscribed with Platak's 'in the highest place in the Helms Hall of Fame, for handball'; the magazine of Dec. 1971 says O'Connell was named to the Helms Hall of Fame in 1957

    Date: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    Detail: sources disagree. The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.

    • The USHA Hall of Fame page of 2004 lists player inductions from 1954 (Al Banuet and Joe Platak) through 2004 (35 in all: 7 in the 1950s, 5 in the 1960s, 3 in the 1970s, 7 in the 1980s, 8 in the 1990s, 5 in 2000-04), 21 contributors from 1955 and 11 Kendler Award recipients from 1991 preferred, source rank 4: US Handball Association, Hall of Fame page (Wayback snapshot of 3 August 2004)
    • The USHA magazine of June 1971 says Banuet's name is inscribed with Platak's 'in the highest place in the Helms Hall of Fame, for handball'; the magazine of Dec. 1971 says O'Connell was named to the Helms Hall of Fame in 1957 also given, source rank 3: Handball (USHA), June 1971

    Source: US Handball Association, Hall of Fame page (Wayback snapshot of 3 August 2004)

  • 1956: Jimmy Jacobs of the Los Angeles A.C. becomes the first player to hold the 'Triple Crown': the A.A.U., USHA and Y.M.C.A. four-wall national titles in the same year, 1956

    The cover of the A.A.U.'s 1960 rule book describes Jacobs, the 1960 national A.A.U. four-wall singles champion, as the first player to hold the 'Triple Crown' when in 1956 he won the national A.A.U., U.S.H.A. and Y.M.C.A. four-wall championships; the 1962 edition repeats the claim

    The USHA champions page lists Jacobs as 1956 USHA four-wall singles champion (St. Louis)

    Source: eBay listing 286432748460: seller photographs of an A.A.U. handball rules booklet (1960) (seen 30 October 2026)

  • 1958: The Y.M.C.A., A.A.U., Jewish Welfare Board and USHA adopt common 'Unified' four-wall rules in 1958, with Charles J. O'Connell as chairman of the rules committee

    The introduction of the 1968 unified-rules booklet says that 'in 1958' the Y.M.C.A., A.A.U., J.W.B. and U.S.H.A. adopted Official Standard Four-wall Handball Rules

    The USHA's December 1971 tribute lists, under 1958, 'Chairman Unified Handball Rules Committee selected by YMCA, AAU, USHA, JWB'; the A.A.U. 1960 contents list 'United Four-Wall Rules Adopted by A.A.U.-Y.M.C.A.-U.S.H.A. and J.W.B.' on p. 5 and a Champion Glove booklet's committee page names the four bodies' members under O'Connell as chairman, serving 'for the year of 1960'

    Source: eBay listing 800810243429: seller photographs of "Handball Official Unified Playing Rules" (A.A.U., J.W.B., Y.M.C.A., 1968) (seen 30 October 2026)

  • 1959: The USHA champions roll lists its first one-wall national championship in 1959, in New York, with the Obert brothers taking the open titles

    The USHA champions page shows a One-Wall, New York, section for the first time in 1959 (open singles Oscar Obert, open doubles Ruby and Oscar Obert); the A.A.U.'s 1962 book credits Oscar Obert with the 1957-58-59 national one-wall singles titles, so one-wall nationals were already being held under the A.A.U.

    The 1962 A.A.U. book's caption says Oscar Obert was the 1957, 1958 and 1959 national one-wall singles champion

    Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1960 (dated from the issue it appeared in): A Unified Handball Rules Committee of the USHA, Y.M.C.A. and A.A.U. (with the Jewish Welfare Board) agrees to serve 'for the year of 1960', with O'Connell as its chairman

    The committee page of a Champion Glove 'Official Unified Handball Rules' booklet lists, for the USHA, its executive secretary and its rules chairman; for the Y.M.C.A., its handball committee chairman and a committee member; for the A.A.U., two national handball committee members and 'Chas. J. O'Connell, Chairman of Unified Handball Rules Committee', and says the committee 'has agreed to serve for the year of 1960' and invites suggestions for future rules

    The A.A.U.'s own 1960 Official Rules Handball (copyright 1960; cover by Jacobs) lists 'United Four-Wall Rules Adopted by A.A.U.-Y.M.C.A.-U.S.H.A. and J.W.B.' on p. 5, before its A.A.U. one-wall rules

    Source: eBay listing 206605328625: seller photographs of the unified handball playing rules (Y.M.C.A., 1960) (seen 30 October 2026)

  • 1961: At the 1961 USHA nationals and convention in Denver the Association is locked in a 'bitter dialogue' with the A.A.U. for handball supremacy and names a lawyer as its national commissioner

    A February 1972 column recalls that in 1961, at the national tournament and convention in Denver, the USHA 'was locked in a bitter dialogue with the AAU for handball supremacy', and that its nominating committee, after the A.A.U.'s chairman Charles O'Connell's 'vitriolic oratory', looked for a legally-trained national commissioner to replace the then commissioner of six years

    Source: Handball (USHA), February 1972, PDF p. 91

  • 19 January 1968: A.A.U., Jewish Welfare Board and Y.M.C.A. issue a 1968 revision of the unified rules without the USHA, which 'decided not to participate in publishing' it; its four-wall court is 20 x 40 x 20 ft

    The booklet 'Handball Official Unified Playing Rules' (cover names AAU-JWB-YMCA, with a Champion Glove advertisement) says its 1968 edition is a review by official representatives of the J.W.B., A.A.U. and Y.M.C.A.; its committee page is dated January 19, 1968; and its introduction says the USHA, after taking part in the rules discussion meetings, decided not to participate in publishing this revision

    Four-wall Rule 2 of the booklet sets the court at 20 ft wide, 20 ft high and 40 ft long with a back wall 12 ft high (other sizes allowed for championships if approved), the court size later used by the USHA

    Source: eBay listing 800810243429: seller photographs of "Handball Official Unified Playing Rules" (A.A.U., J.W.B., Y.M.C.A., 1968) (seen 30 October 2026)

  • October 1970 (dated from the issue it appeared in): The 1970 world handball championships are held in Dublin, where Pat Kirby takes the world title (the issues do not say in which code)

    The USHA magazine of October 1971 says Pat Kirby 'won the world title in this court last October' (the new ball-court at Croke Park, Dublin); the August 1972 issue says he won the 1970 World Championship in Ireland and in 1972 returned permanently to Ireland

    Source: Handball (USHA), October 1971, PDF p. 55

  • June 1971: The USHA's magazine Ace is renamed Handball with vol. 21 no. 3 (June 1971), after twenty years under the name chosen in a contest

    The June 1971 issue (vol. 21, no. 3) says the switch from ACE to HANDBALL as the name of the players' fraternity magazine was planned to win bookstore and library circulation under a plain sport name; the name ACE had been chosen in a contest in the Association's formation days (won by a young Chicago Town Club player) and had been used 'for two decades', and ACE stays the name of the official balls and gloves; the subtitle becomes 'Official Voice of Handball, Racquetball & Paddleball World' and subscription prices rise on 1 August 1971 ($3 a year, $7 for three)

    Source: Handball (USHA), June 1971

  • 13 August 1971: The president of the Irish Handball Council visits the USHA's Skokie headquarters on 13 August 1971 and talk turns to a common court size

    The USHA president's column of October 1971 says the Irish Handball Council's president, with two companions, visited on Friday, Aug. 13 for a friendly match; the visitor told him that Dublin's new glass court holds 1,800 and that the championship finals sold out; the USHA president adds his own observations that the Irish game is played on 30 x 60 ft courts with a Dunlop ball he thinks suits the underhand 'Irish whip', that Irish children found balls too dear and Ireland lacked a junior programme, and asks whether Ireland could come into the American 20 x 40 'orbit' or the USHA must accept 30 x 60; he also notes the Irish president would like the USHA to send teams to the next world championship

    Source: Handball (USHA), October 1971, PDF p. 12

  • December 1971: The USHA's December 1971 tribute to Charles O'Connell lists his handball diary from a first one-wall court at Brighton Beach in 1909 to the world championship of 1964

    The tribute (written by the USHA although O'Connell had long been in what it calls the A.A.U.'s 'enemy camp') lists: 1909, instrumental in construction of the first one-wall court at Brighton Beach; 1930, author of the first printed book on handball rules; 1957, named to the Helms Hall of Fame; 1958, chairman of the unified rules committee chosen by the Y.M.C.A., A.A.U., USHA and J.W.B.; 1959, originator of three-wall jai-alai fronton courts in New York parks; 1964, chairman of the first world handball championship at the N.Y.A.C.; 1965, author of Handball Illustrated; 1966, honoured with the N.Y.A.C. gallery court; it calls him an octogenarian still active at the club

    Source: Handball (USHA), December 1971

  • 1972: The Irish-American Handball Association of the Bronx plans in 1972 to send an American handball team to Ireland in September, a home-and-home series with Irish club players being its own plan; it says Council officials take 'a great interest'

    A letter from the Irish-American Handball Association of Broderick's Court, the Bronx, in the August 1972 magazine says the proceeds of its annual dinner-dance go to a fund to send an American team to Ireland in mid-September to promote better handball relations; its writer says an official of the Irish Handball Council in Dublin and its president have 'a great interest' in promoting a tour, and describes a home-and-home series for club players as the plan, and that world championships are now held every three years

    Source: Handball (USHA), August 1972, PDF p. 53

  • June 1972: The USHA prints 'Official USHA Four-Wall Handball Rules' in its June 1972 magazine, naming the rules chairman and a Seattle drafter of the first official USHA rules

    The June 1972 issue carries the full text of the 'Official United States Handball Association Four-Wall Handball Rules' (Part 1, The Game; rule numbering 2.1, 2.2 ...), with a note thanking Dan Reaugh of Seattle for countless hours drafting 'our first official rules', Bob Davidson of Miami Beach, and the then national rules and referees chairman; the standard ball is rubber, black, 1 7/8 in. in diameter, about 2.3 oz.; gloves must be worn; the Spalding Ace ball is official for all sanctioned tournaments; powder blue and bright yellow are added to white as uniform colours

    The same page says the association has more than 15,000 members across the United States, Canada, Mexico and Ireland and runs a headquarters at Skokie, Illinois, that publishes the bimonthly magazine and supplies court specifications and films

    Source: Handball (USHA), June 1972

  • 1974: The USHA four-wall nationals roll first lists a 'Pro Singles' champion in 1974 (Knoxville), beside an Open Singles title that returns in 1975 and 1976 and is dropped after

    On the USHA champions page 1973 (Austin) lists Open Singles only; 1974 (Knoxville) lists Pro Singles; 1975 and 1976 (both Las Vegas) list Pro Singles and Open Singles; from 1977 only Pro Singles appears with Open Doubles

    Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1976: 'Championship Handball by the Experts', edited by John W. Reznik (1976), collects selected articles from Handball magazine

    A HathiTrust catalogue search shows 'Championship handball: by the experts: selected articles from Handball, the official voice of the United States Handball Association', edited by John W. Reznik, published 1976 (a Pennsylvania State University copy, search-only)

    Source: HathiTrust Digital Library, catalog search for "United States Handball Association" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1980: The USHA roll first lists women's open titles in four-wall, three-wall and the collegiates in 1980, a year after girls' junior divisions appear

    On the USHA champions page no women's or girls' division appears before 1979; 1979 adds a juniors Girls 15-Under and 19-Under in the junior nationals; 1980 adds a Women's Open title in the four-wall and three-wall sections and in the collegiates, and 1981 adds Women's Doubles in four-wall

    Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 1983-1989: Seven players are inducted into the USHA Hall of Fame between 1983 and 1989, and four contributors

    The 2004 USHA Hall of Fame page lists player inductions in 1983 (one), 1984 (two), 1985 (one), 1986 (one), 1987 (one) and 1989 (one), and contributor inductions in 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989

    Source: US Handball Association, Hall of Fame page (Wayback snapshot of 3 August 2004)

  • 1986-1987: The USHA roll relabels the open singles title as Pro Singles for three-wall in 1986 and for one-wall in 1987

    On the USHA champions page the three-wall section reads 'Open Singles' to 1985 and 'Pro Singles' from 1986 (Maumee, Ohio), and the one-wall section reads 'Open Singles' to 1986 and 'Pro Singles' from 1987 (New York); four-wall had said 'Pro Singles' since 1974

    Source: US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)

  • 20 June 1990: A USHA four-wall rule text is amended on 20 June 1990; the 1991 book retitles the set 'Revised 1991'

    The web text of the USHA four-wall rules (Wayback capture of 19 May 1998) ends its rules with the line 'Above rules amended June 20, 1990' (the printed year is OCR-garbled as 'l990'), the earliest dated USHA four-wall text we hold; the same book's heading calls it 'Revised 1991' with one-wall and three-wall addendums

    Source: Colorado Handball Association, "The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules" (Wayback snapshot of 19 May 1998)

  • 1991: USHA publishes a 'Revised 1991' rule book with one-wall and three-wall addendums and republishes its one-wall rules, changing a foot-fault word from EXTEND to TOUCH

    The USHA four-wall rules page of 2001 is titled 'The Official United States Handball Association Handball Rules With Interpretations and One-Wall and Three-Wall Addendums, Revised 1991'

    A 1997 question-and-answer page says the one-wall rule book was republished in 1991 and that its foot-fault rule on stepping outside the service zone (6.1d of the older One-Wall Unified Playing Rules) used EXTEND until 1991, when TOUCH replaced it to match the popular interpretation that the server's foot must actually touch outside the zone

    Source: US Handball Association, "4-Wall Rules" (Wayback snapshot of 27 August 2001)

  • 1993: A 1993 USHA one-wall rule book is found to have lost the rule that games postponed by weather resume with the same score; the USHA says it was deleted by mistake

    In a 1997 answer the USHA rules official says that, searching the 1993 one-wall rule book, he could not find the rule (4.10E, postponed by referee) saying games postponed by the referee because of weather are resumed with the same score; it 'must have been deleted by mistake' in the latest printing, and an older rule book still had it

    Source: US Handball Association, "Handball Questions and Answers" (Wayback snapshot of 31 January 1997)

  • 1995: The 1995 USHA One-Wall Rules with Interpretations harmonise wording with the four-wall book: EXTEND is restored in the foot-fault rule and the permission to step on a service line is deleted

    The USHA rules page captured in 1997 is headed 'The New and Official United States Handball Association One-Wall Rules With Interpretations 1995'; the Q&A page says that in the 1995 One-Wall Rule Book, rule 4.1C Place, EXTEND has replaced TOUCH and the phrase allowing a step on (but not beyond) a service-zone line has been deleted, so that the rule 'is worded and interpreted identically' with the other forms of handball, which the Rules Committees hold should be worded alike

    Source: US Handball Association, "Current Rules" (Wayback snapshot of 31 January 1997)

  • 1997: The 47th USHA Four-Wall Nationals are held at the Michigan Athletic Club in 1997, where the pro champions had also won in 1992

    The USHA's 1997 results page for the '47th USHA Four-Wall National Championships' at the Michigan Athletic Club gives the pro singles final as Silveyra over Alvarado 21-19, 21-14, the women's pro final won by Fraser over Engele, and the pro doubles by Bike and Silveyra, and notes that Fraser and Silveyra were also the pro champions the last time the nationals were at the MAC, in 1992

    The USHA champions page lists East Lansing as the 1992 and 1997 four-wall host

    Source: US Handball Association, "Four-Wall National Championships" (Wayback snapshot of 31 January 1997)

  • 18 February 1998: A USHA past president reports in February 1998 record 1997 income above $1.1 million, up $100,000, and a mortgage on the Tucson building to be paid off after five years

    A letter of 18 February 1998 from a USHA past president (to members, answering critics of the Association's management) says 1997 was one of the Association's most successful years, with total income above $1.1 million, $100,000 more than 1996; more young people were exposed to handball than ever through school programmes in the Northwest and in Tucson; the mortgage on the Association's building would be paid off the next month, 'after just five years'; and the finances were 'in the best condition of our 48 years of existence'

    Source: US Handball Association, past-presidents page, a letter dated 18 February 1998 (Wayback snapshot of 13 May 1998)

Sources

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