# Charles J. O'Connell

In: [Learn](https://handball.theperfectship.com/learn.md) > [History](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history.md) > [People](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/people.md) > Charles J. O'Connell

Active 1929 to 1971.

## Roles

- Official: Vice-Chairman, Handball Committee (AAU); attested 1931, [AAU National Handball Committee](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/organizations/aau-national-handball-committee.md) (1931 to 1931) Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)
- Official: Chairman, National Handball Committee (AAU), 1956-1965, [AAU National Handball Committee](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/organizations/aau-national-handball-committee.md) (1956 to 1965) 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)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/800810243429), p. 2
- Official: Chairman of the Unified Handball Rules Committee (YMCA, AAU, USHA, JWB), 1960, [Amateur Athletic Union of the United States](https://handball.theperfectship.com/history/organizations/aau.md) (1960 to 1960) Source: [eBay listing 206605328625: seller photographs of the unified handball playing rules (Y.M.C.A., 1960) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/206605328625)

## Dated facts

- March 1929: At the March 1929 national championship in New York the players vote that a player must give an opponent a clear unobstructed chance at the ball; standing still after a shot to block the view is ruled out Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735), pp. 58-59
- 1931: The A.A.U. prints separate hard-ball rules in 1931 for a four-wall court about 65 ft long and 25 ft wide with a 12 ft back wall, a length and back wall like those of Casey's old Brooklyn court (his was 24 ft wide with a 35 ft front wall) Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735) (OCR lines 1931)
- 1931: O'Connell's 1931 book describes four-wall and one-wall partisans arguing which game is more scientific or more strenuous, and notes champions in both codes Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735) (OCR lines 1931)
- 1931: Charles J. O'Connell's 'How to Play Handball' (Spalding, 1931) prints the A.A.U. four-wall, one-wall and hard-ball rules; the USHA later calls it the first printed book of handball rules and dates it 1930 [Sources disagree] The book carries a 1931 copyright line, but a 1971 USHA magazine tribute dates it to 1930 and calls it the first printed book of handball rules, which earlier guides and rule books (1893 to 1928) contradict. Source: [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735) (OCR lines 1931)

  **Date: sources disagree.** The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.
  - 1931 (preferred, source rank 2): [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735) (OCR lines 1931)
  - 1930 (also given, source rank 3): [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534)
  
  **Detail: sources disagree.** The value from the stronger source (the lower rank number) is preferred.
  - 'How to Play Handball ... Including Official Rules for Play and Diagrams of Court Construction' by Charles J. O'Connell (Spalding's Athletic Library no. 114R, American Sports Publishing Company, copyright 1931) prints A.A.U. four-wall rules (pp. 65-69), one-wall rules (pp. 97-100) and hard-ball rules (pp. 102-104), and opens with Robert L. Ripley's essay on the antiquity of handball (preferred, source rank 2): [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)
  - The USHA magazine's December 1971 tribute credits O'Connell, 'author of first printed book on handball rules' and dates it 1930; printed rule books and guides of 1893, 1903, 1916, 1923 and 1928 already exist in our holdings, so the claim holds at best for a book by O'Connell himself (also given, source rank 3): [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534)

- 1956-1965: Charles J. O'Connell chairs the A.A.U. National Handball Committee from 1956 to 1965; Robert Quinn follows for 1966-68 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)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/800810243429)
- 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 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)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/800810243429)
- 29 November 1959: The first three-wall 'jai-alai type' handball court officially opens at Forrest Park Playground, Queens, New York, on 29 November 1959 Source: [eBay listing 178429923015: seller photographs of an A.A.U. handball rules booklet (1962) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/178429923015), p. 62
- 1960: 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 Source: [eBay listing 206605328625: seller photographs of the unified handball playing rules (Y.M.C.A., 1960) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/206605328625)
- 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 Source: [Handball (USHA), February 1972](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1972/1972_hb_febd6c5.pdf?la=en&hash=7EF67610C721BF2136F4EA75E3651D1254E36FE0), PDF p. 91
- 1964: The first world handball championship is held in 1964 at the New York Athletic Club, with O'Connell as chairman, and, by a 1972 reader's letter, the world championships then recur every three years, the 1970 edition in Ireland Source: [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534), PDF p. 17
- 1965: O'Connell's 'Handball Illustrated' appears in 1965 (Ronald Press) Source: [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534), PDF p. 17
- 1 October 1966: The New York Athletic Club dedicates a new gallery court on 1 October 1966 in recognition of O'Connell's half-century of work for handball Source: [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534), PDF p. 17
- 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 Source: [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534)

## Sources

- [Charles J. O'Connell, How to Play Handball (American Sports Publishing Company, 1931)](https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=osu.32435007267735)
- [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)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/800810243429), p. 2
- [eBay listing 206605328625: seller photographs of the unified handball playing rules (Y.M.C.A., 1960) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/206605328625)
- [US Handball Association, "National Champions" (seen 28 October 2026)](https://www.ushandball.org/about/national-champions/)
- [Handball (USHA), December 1971](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1971/1971_hb_dec24fa.pdf?la=en&hash=ACEEF2D04DD71FFF1E5D5CB043508DFA62593534)
- [eBay listing 178429923015: seller photographs of an A.A.U. handball rules booklet (1962) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/178429923015), p. 62
- [eBay listing 286432748460: seller photographs of an A.A.U. handball rules booklet (1960) (seen 30 October 2026)](https://www.ebay.com/itm/286432748460)
- [Handball (USHA), February 1972](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1972/1972_hb_febd6c5.pdf?la=en&hash=7EF67610C721BF2136F4EA75E3651D1254E36FE0), PDF p. 91
- [Handball (USHA), August 1972](https://archive.teamusa.com/-/media/usa_racquetball/documents/magazine/archived-issues/handball-magazine/1972/1972_hb_aug70ff.pdf?la=en&hash=C76D0819F2754D5FD03B01481CC3483E7AA732DD)
- [US Handball Association, "History of Handball" (Wayback snapshot of 9 December 2016)](https://web.archive.org/web/20161209005848/https://www.ushandball.org/index.php/about/history-of-handball)

## Corrections

Found a mistake, or a source we missed? Email perfectshipllc@gmail.com with the subject "History correction: Charles J. O'Connell (/history/people/charles-j-oconnell/)". Please name the page and, if you can, the source.