Bengt Johansson (handball)

Bengt Johansson
Johansson in 2002
Personal information
Born (1942-06-25)June 25, 1942
Halmstad, Sweden
Died May 8, 2022(2022-05-08) (aged 79)
Söndrum, Sweden
Nationality Sweden
Height 1.94 m (6 ft 4 in)
Playing position Pivot
Youth career
Team
–
 Halmstad HP
Senior clubs
Years Team
1961–1966
 Halmstad HP
1966–1970
 SoIK Hellas
1970–1971
 Halmstad HP
1971–1976
 HK Drott
National team
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1963–1973
 Sweden 83 (52)
Teams managed
–
 IK Hele
–
 IK Silwing
1974–1975
 HK Drott (coach-player)
1976–1984
 HK Drott
1985–1988
 HK Drott
1988–2004
 Sweden
Medal record
Head Coach for  Sweden
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1992 Barcelona Coach
Silver medal – second place 1996 Atlanta Coach
Silver medal – second place 2000 Sydney Coach
World Championship
Gold medal – first place 1990 Czechoslovakia
Gold medal – first place 1999 Egypt
Silver medal – second place 1997 Japan
Silver medal – second place 2001 France
Bronze medal – third place 1993 Sweden
Bronze medal – third place 1995 Iceland
European Championship
Gold medal – first place 1994 Portugal
Gold medal – first place 1998 Italy
Gold medal – first place 2000 Croatia
Gold medal – first place 2002 Sweden

Bengt Johansson (25 June 1942 – 8 May 2022) was a Swedish handball player and coach. He is one of the most decorated national team coaches in handball history and won thirteen international medals with the Swedish men's national handball team during a sixteen-year reign, including two World Championship gold medals (1990, 1999), four European Championship gold medals (1994, 1998, 2000, 2002) and three Olympic Games silver medals (1992, 1996, 2000).[1][2]

Born in Halmstad in south-west Sweden, Johansson began his playing career for local team Halmstad HP and spent his career as a player in Sweden, where he won championship titles with SoIK Hellas and HK Drott.[3] He was capped 83 times and scored 52 goals for the Swedish national team from 1963 to 1973.[4] Johansson moved into coaching as a player-coach for HK Drott in 1974 and won five championship titles with the team across twelve seasons.[5][4] He became the head coach of the Sweden men's national handball team in 1988.[3] During his time as head coach, the national team was nicknamed the Bengan Boys after his own nickname.[1] Johansson is also the inventor of the tactical move known as Gurkburken ("The Gherkin Jar"). He was succeeded as national coach by Ingemar Linnéll.[6]

Johansson died on 8 May 2022, at the age of 79.[7] He suffered from Parkinson's disease during the final years of his life.[7]

  1. ^ a b "A tribute to a star: Bengt Johansson passed away". International Handball Federation. 9 May 2022. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  2. ^ "Bengt Johansson" (in Swedish). Nationalencyklopedin. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b Flinck, Johan; Karlsson, Mattias (9 May 2022). ""Bengan Boys" sörjer sin ledares död: "Minns honom som en stor man med ett jättestort hjärta"" ["Bengan Boys" mourns their leader's death: "Remember him as a great man with a very big heart"]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  4. ^ a b Karlsson, Mattias (9 May 2022). "Bengt "Bengan" Johansson är död – blev 79 år gammal" [Bengt "Bengan" Johansson is dead – was 79 years old]. Aftonbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  5. ^ "Handbollsprofilen Bengt Johansson död" [Handball profile Bengt Johansson is dead]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 9 May 2022. ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
  6. ^ Bo Harmby (TT) (15 February 2004). "Här är doldisen som efterträder Bengan" (in Swedish). Svenska dagbladet. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b Norberg, Simon (9 May 2022). "Handboll: Bengt "Bengan" Johansson är död". SVT Sport. Retrieved 9 May 2022.