JACK HUCZEK: 2024 Induction into the Racquetball HALL OF FAME

Jack Huczek (born January 13, 1983) is a retired American racquetball player. Huczek was a 3-time International Racquetball Federation (IRF) World Champion in Men's Singles, and he was the #1 International Racquetball Tour (IRT) player at the end of the 2006–2007 season. Huczek announced his retirement on May 24, 2011.

Huczek's record as a juniors player is unparalleled. He was USA Racquetball (USAR) Junior Champion twelve consecutive years, winning 13 titles. Huczek's streak began in 1991, when he won Boy's Under-8 for the first time. Huczek then won Under-10 twice, followed by two titles in Under-12 in 1995 and 1996, Under-14 in 1997 and 1998, Under-16 in 1999 and 2000, and Under-18 in 2000, 2001, and 2002.

Huczek won the USAR National Singles Championships for the first time in 2001, when he defeated Mike Guidry in the semi-finals and Rocky Carson in the finals.

Huczek began playing the International Racquetball Tour (IRT) full time in the 2001–02 season, competing against the greats of the time, including Cliff Swain, John Ellis and Jason Mannino. Huczek finished his first full pro season ranked 5th.

Huczek played on Team USA for the 2003 Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. He won gold in Men's Singles by defeating fellow American Rocky Carson in the semis and Canadian Mike Green in the finals. The next year he won the 2004 World Championships in Anyang, South Korea, and he successfully defended his title by beating Mexican Álvaro Beltrán in the finals.

In March 2005, the Pan Am Championships were held in Caracas, Venezuela. Again, Huczek took gold, defeating Canadian Corey Osborne in the semis and Mexican Gilberto Mejia in the finals. That same year Huczek won the 2005 USAR National Singles Championships by defeating Rocky Carson in the finals.

Huczek won 5 IRT events in the 2005–06 season, and was runner-up in two others. His first win was in Toronto, where he beat Canadian Kane Waselenchuk in his home country. In the last four events of the season, Huczek and Waselenchuk faced off in each final with Huczek winning twice and Waselenchuk winning twice. For the 3rd year, Huczek finished the season ranked #2 behind National Champion Waselenchuk.

At the 2006 World Championships in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic Huczek won the gold in singles for the third consecutive time, beating team-mate Shane Vanderson in the final. In doubles, he and partner Rocky Carson lost to Mexicans Álvaro Beltrán and Javier Moreno in the finals.

With 9 wins, the 2006–07 was Huczek's best IRT season, and the only one in which he reached at least the semi-finals in every event. He won the first four events of the season, beating Álvaro Beltrán in Kansas City, Jason Mannino in both Bowling Green, Kentucky and in Toronto, Canada and Rocky Carson in Albuquerque NM. However, at the US Open Racquetball Championships, Mannino got the better of Huczek, winning a close match in five games.

Overall, in his pro career, Huczek played 127 IRT tournaments, reaching finals 63 times and winning 29 times. Huczek won his first IRT event in 2002 at age 19, and no one has won as a teenager since. Over his career, Huczek had a winning record against all other IRT players except for Sudsy Monchik and Kane Waselenchuk (he was 2-2 versus Jose Rojas).

As good as his IRT record was, Huczek's record in national and international competitions was better. In 11 USA Racquetball National Singles Championships, Huczek never failed to reach the semi-finals, winning the event four times and being runner-up five times. Huczek also won the USA Racquetball National Doubles Championships six times (all with Rocky Carson as his partner), and was runner-up once (with Eric Muller). The Huczek-Carson partnership is one of the most successful in National Doubles history.

Huczek was on Team USA 10 times, and in Men's Singles, he won 7 gold medals (between 2002 and 2009), 2 silver medals and a bronze, as well as a silver medal in Men's Doubles.

In August 2009, Huczek married Christie Van Hees, a Canadian, who was also a World Champion racquetball player. Originally from Michigan, Huczek currently resides in Bozeman, Montana with Christie and their children.

Huczek was named to USA Racquetball Hall of Fame in 2024.

This is excerpted from Wikipedia. For the full story: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jack_Hu...

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