# Bill Ranft

In: [Learn](https://handball.theperfectship.com/learn.md) > [History](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history.md) > [People](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/people.md) > Bill Ranft

Active 1920 to 1922.

## Competition results

- 1919 [AAU national four-wall handball championships](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/championships/aau-national-four-wall-championships.md), Doubles: champion
- 1919 [AAU national four-wall handball championships](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/championships/aau-national-four-wall-championships.md), Singles: champion

## Dated facts

- 22 May 1920 to 29 May 1920: A.A.U. national handball championships at the Los Angeles Athletic Club: Max Gold beat George Klawitter in the singles final; holder Bill Ranft lost in the semi-final Source: [New-York Tribune (New York), 25 April 1920, p. 19](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1920-04-25/ed-1/?sp=19) (OCR lines 783-791)
- 20 March 1922 to 25 March 1922: A.A.U. national handball championships at the Milwaukee Athletic Club: Art Schinner beat William Sakman for the singles; Gold and Laswell (Los Angeles) won the senior doubles; format reported as four-wall (preview) and one-wall (year review) [Sources disagree] The newspapers disagree on the form of the 1922 championship: a March preview called it the national four-wall championship, but a December review said the doubles, like the singles, was played at one wall. Source: [The New York Herald (New York), 26 March 1922, p. 56](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045774/1922-03-26/ed-1/?sp=56) (OCR lines 903-909)

  **Detail: sources disagree.** The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.
  - senior singles: A. J. Schinner of Milwaukee beat William Sakman of New York, two games to one (Schinner lost the first game) (preferred, source rank 2): [The New York Herald (New York), 26 March 1922, p. 56](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045774/1922-03-26/ed-1/?sp=56) (OCR lines 903-909)
  - preview calls the event the national 'four wall handball championship tournament', opening at the Milwaukee Athletic Club on Monday 20 March (also given, source rank 2): [New-York Tribune (New York), 15 March 1922, p. 14](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1922-03-15/ed-1/?sp=14) (OCR lines 279-285)
  - Tribune's 24 Dec review says the doubles title 'like the singles, was played at one wall' (also given, source rank 2): [New-York Tribune (New York), 24 December 1922, p. 12](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1922-12-24/ed-1/?sp=12) (OCR lines 689-690)


## Sources

- [US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)](https://www.ushandball.org/about/national-champions/)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 25 April 1920, p. 19](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1920-04-25/ed-1/?sp=19) (OCR lines 783-791)
- [East Oregonian (Pendleton), 28 May 1920, p. 9](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn88086023/1920-05-28/ed-1/?sp=9) (OCR lines 67-80)
- [The Sun and the New York Herald (New York), 31 May 1920, p. 9](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030273/1920-05-31/ed-1/?sp=9) (OCR lines 934-940)
- [The New York Herald (New York), 26 March 1922, p. 56](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045774/1922-03-26/ed-1/?sp=56) (OCR lines 903-909)
- [The Milwaukee Leader (Milwaukee), 25 March 1922, p. 14](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83045293/1922-03-25/ed-1/?sp=14) (OCR lines 702-709)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 15 March 1922, p. 14](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1922-03-15/ed-1/?sp=14) (OCR lines 279-285)
- [New-York Tribune (New York), 24 December 1922, p. 12](https://www.loc.gov/resource/sn83030214/1922-12-24/ed-1/?sp=12) (OCR lines 689-690)

## Corrections

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