ABOUT

NEW YORK STATE HANDBALL HALL OF FAME 

Ken Davidoff   Mike Dikman  Dan Flickstein  Mark Levine  Elliott Nadel 

 Graham Palmore  Paul Williams              

 

   INTRODUCTION

    MORE THAN 100 YEARS OF EXCITING QUALITY HANDBALL, BOTH 1-WALL AND 4-WALL, HAVE BEEN PLAYED IN NEW YORK STATE.  WITH THAT IN MIND, IN 2013 A GROUP OF USHA MEMBERS, EACH  NATIONALLY RENOWNED AND RESPECTED BY THE HANDBALL COMMUNITY AT LARGE, EACH OF WHOM DEVELOPED HIS HANDBALL SKILLS IN NEW YORK, FORMED A COMMITTEE IN ORDER TO CREATE A VIRTUAL SITE TO ACCOMPLISH THE FOLLOWING OBJECTIVES:

 

• TO RECOGNIZE AND MEMORIALIZE THE HISTORY OF THE GAME OF HANDBALL IN THE STATE OF NEW YORK,

 

• TO ACKNOWLEDGE AND CELEBRATE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO SUCESSFULLY COMPETED AND ATTAINED THE GAME’S HIGHEST HONORS AS CHAMPIONS AND/OR HIGH FINISHERS  IN RECOGNIZED NATIONAL, REGIONAL, STATE AND LOCAL TOURNAMENTS, AND EXHIBITIONS,

 

• TO ACKNOWLEDGE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO SUPPORTED AND GAVE THEIR TIME AND ENERGY IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND MANAGEMENT OF THE TOURNAMENTS AND EXHIBITIONS HELD,

 

• TO RECOGNIZE THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO GAVE THEIR FINANCIAL SUPPORT OUT OF THEIR LOVE OF THE GAME,

 

• TO RECOGNIZE THE TOURNAMENTS THEMSELVES, AND THE SITES WHERE THESE GREAT EVENTS WERE HELD, AND WHERE FANS COULD ENJOY THE TOP COMPETITORS OF OUR SPORT.
   

         THE SITE WILL INCLUDE PAGES FOR EACH INDUCTEE, WHICH DISPLAY A PHOTO, STATISTICS, AND  A NARRATIVE OF HIS/HER ACCOMPLISHMENTS.  WE ALSO HOPE TO ACQUIRE A ROOM AT A LOCAL YMCA, WHICH WILL HOUSE A KIOSK FOR ACCESSING THE SITE AND WILL EXHIBIT VARIOUS ARTIFACTS RELATING TO THE HISTORY OF HANDBALL.  (AT THIS WRITING, HOWEVER, THIS REMAINS A WORK IN PROGRESS.)

 

         THIS COMMITTEE OF SEVEN INDIVIDUALS (ALL VOLUNTEERS, WHO ARE NOT COMPENSATED FOR THEIR TIME AND EFFORTS) WAS FORMED, BASED ON THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA:

 

• LIFETIME LOVE OF THE GAME OF HANDBALL,

• EXPERIENCE AND KNOWLEDGE FROM COMPETING, AGAINST AND WITH, THE BEST PLAYERS IN THE GAME OF THEIR RESPECTIVE ERAS,

• ABILITY AND WILLINGNESS TO GIVE OF THEIR TIME TO ACHIEVE THIS IMPORTANT OBJECTIVE,

• ABILITY TO EXERCISE GOOD JUDGMENT AND MAINTAIN OBJECTIVITY DURING EVALUATION OF NOMINEES FOR THE HONOR OF BEING MEMORIALIZED IN THE NYSHHOF.

 

THE ULTIMATE GOAL IN THIS ENDEAVOR IS TO SHARE THIS CREATION WITH THE PLAYERS, SUPPORTERS, FAMILY, FRIENDS, AND ANYONE WHO LOVES OUR GAME OR WISHES TO LEARN AND UNDERSTAND HOW THIS GAME CHANGED OUR LIVES.  IT IS A GAME THAT HAS LIFETIME POTENTIAL.  NOTE THAT IN THE EARLY 1980’S JACK HARRIS, FROM CONEY ISLAND, WAS GIVEN A CITATION FROM PRESIDENT REAGAN FOR BEING THE OLDEST ACTIVE HANDBALL PLAYER AT 89 YEARS OF AGE.  AT THIS WRITING PAUL SMITH, WHO PLAYS AT THE MCBURNEY YMCA AND THE CHINA TOWN YMCA, IS STILL VIGOROUSLY COMPETING AT 93.

 

WE ALSO WANTED TO EDUCATE THE PUBLIC, IN GENERAL, OF THE WONDERS OF THE GAME OF HANDBALL AND TO INTRODUCE TO EVERYONE, YOUNG AND OLD, WHAT THIS GAME COULD MEAN TO THEM.  IT IS, MOREOVER, THE DESIRE OF THE COMMITTEE TO MOTIVATE MORE NEW YORKERS TO PLAY ALL FORMS OF HANDBALL, 1-, 3-, AND 4-WALL.

 

          TO BE INDUCTED INTO THE NY STATE HANDBALL HALL OF FAME AS A HALL OF FAME PLAYER, AS A PLAYER OF DISTINCTION, OR AS A CONTRIBUTOR, A CANDIDATE MUST MEET CRITERIA DEVELOPED BY THE COMMITTEE, INCLUDING CHAMPIONSHIPS AND HIGH FINISHES IN RECOGNIZED NATIONAL OR LOCAL TOURNAMANTS/EXHIBITIONS, IMPACT ON THE GAME (E.G., ESTABLISHMENT OF A RECORD), YEARS OF COMPETITON, MANAGEMENT OF EVENTS, COACHING OF YOUTH, AND A HOST OF OTHER INTANGIBLE CONTRIBUTIONS TO OUR GAME. THE COMMITTEE HAS GIVEN AUTOMATIC ENTRY TO THE NYSHHOF TO ALL NATIONAL UNITED STATES HANDBALL ASSOCIATION HALL OF FAME MEMBERS, NATIONAL GRAND MASTERS AND NATIONAL AWARD WINNERS, WHO PLAYED MOST OF THEIR HANDBALL OR CONTRIBUTED TO NY HANDBALL, WHILE MAINTAINING A RESIDENCE IN NEW YORK STATE.  AFTER MUCH EFFORT IN RESEARCHING AND DISCUSSING INFORMATION, THE COMMITTEE HAS INDUCTED IN EXCESS OF 150 HALL OF FAME PLAYERS, PLAYERS OF DISTINCTION AND CONTRIBUTORS TO THE NYSHHOF.  THE SITE IS INTENDED TO EVOLVE AND GROW IN ITS MEMBERSHIP AS OTHER PLAYERS ATTAIN QUALIFICATIONS FOR ADMISSION.  A METHOD FOR NOMINATING OTHER PLAYERS AND CONTRIBUTORS IS INCLUDED ON THIS WEB SITE.

  

          IN THE EVENT THAT WE HAVE MISSED A POTENTIAL INDUCTEE, OR LACKED INFORMATION ABOUT CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS, WE HAVE CREATED AND ATTACHED AN APPLICATION TO THIS SITE, WHICH, WHEN PROPERLY COMPLETED BY A PLAYER, FAMILY MEMBER OR FRIEND, WILL BE EVALUATED BY THE COMMITTEEE FOR POSSIBLE INDUCTION.  IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THERE IS NO FEE REQUIRED FOR SUBMISSION OF THIS APPLICATION.