David DeGraaf

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David DeGraaf
David DeGraaf befor the 1996 Summer Olympics.jpg
David DeGraaf before the 1996 Summer Olympics
Personal information
Full name David Warren DeGraaf
Born (1971-03-26) March 26, 1971 (age 54)
Spring Arbor, Michigan, United States [1]
Height 203 cm (6 ft 8 in)
Club information
Current club retired
Youth career
YearsTeam
1991–1993
 USAFA Team Handball
Senior clubs
YearsTeam
 Knight Air
National team
YearsTeam
 United States men's national handball team
Military career
AllegianceFlag of the United States (23px).png  United States
Service / branchFlag of the United States Air Force.svg  United States Air Force
Years of service1993-2014 [2]
Rank US Air Force O4 shoulderboard-horizontal.png Major

David Warren DeGraaf (born March 26, 1971 in Spring Arbor, Michigan) is an American former handball player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics. [3]

Contents

Career

The United States Air Force Academy (Class of 1993) originally recruited him for football and basketball, but he ended up playing for the USAFA Team Handball. [4]

He competed 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 a 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. DeGraaf also scored the game winning goal against Algeria, in overtime, with no time remaining on the clock. [7] [8]

In 1997, he was selected as 1996 United States Air Force Athlete of the Year. [9]

In 1998, he won the Nationals Championship with Knight Air and was the MVP of the tournament. [10] DeGraaf has over 200 International Games and was awarded the USATHF Male Athlete of the year twice.

Awards

Air Force Achievement Medal ribbon.svg Air Force Achievement Medal
Longevity Service Award USAF.svg Air Force Longevity Service Award
Joint Service Commendation Medal ribbon.svg Joint Service Commendation Medal
Level unknown Marksmanship
National Defense Service Medal ribbon.svg National Defense Service Medal
Outstanding Unit ribbon.svg Air Force Outstanding Unit Award

References

  1. ↑ 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.
  2. ↑ "David DeGraaf". LinkedIn . Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  3. ↑ 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.
  4. ↑ Sedgwick, David (April 11, 2016). "David DeGraaf". Automotive News . Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  5. ↑ "David DeGraaf". Center for Automotive Research . Archived from the original on October 27, 2019. Retrieved October 27, 2019.
  6. ↑ "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.
  7. ↑ "Secret of Handball Found by Knocking Down Walls". Los Angeles Times. August 3, 1996. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  8. ↑ zach (August 29, 2017). "Breaking Barriers: 70 years of success". United States Air Force Academy. Retrieved April 15, 2025.
  9. ↑ "Air Force selects its athletes of the year". Airman Magazine . XLI (2): 20. February 1997.
  10. ↑ "1998 National Championships". Knight Air. Archived from the original on April 7, 2003. Retrieved May 9, 2024.


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