István Varga (; 7 September 1943 – 6 December 2014) was a Hungarian international

handball Handball (also known as team handball, European handball, Olympic handball or indoor handball) is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each (six outcourt players and a goalkeeper) pass a ball using their hands with the aim of thr ...

player and Olympic participant. Varga spent his most successful years in Debrecen, where he was part of the Debreceni Dózsa SE, that won 5 Hungarian league and 3 cup titles in the 1970s. He was also named

Hungarian Handballer of the Year The Hungarian Handballer of the Year award is an annual prize, which is given to the Hungarian handballer who is considered to have performed the best over the previous calendar year. Presented by the Hungarian Handball Federation since 1964, the ...

in 1975 and was the top scorer of the Hungarian championship six times between 1972 and 1979. He played 127-times for the

Hungarian national team The Hungary national football team (, ) represents Hungary in men's international Association football, football, and is controlled by the Hungarian Football Federation. The team has made nine appearances in the FIFA World Cup, and five in the ...

and competed at a number of major tournaments. In 1972 he was part of the Hungarian team that finished in the eighth place at the

1972 Summer Olympics The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and officially branded as Munich 1972 (; ), were an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. It was the ...

. Varga played all six matches and scored 32 goals. At the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

the team finished in the sixth place. He played all five matches and scored 21 goals. Varga also participated at two

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

in 1967 and 1970, achieving an eighth place in both occasions. With his performances during these years, he earned a place both in the ''Europe Selection'' and ''World Selection''. In 2011 he was diagnosed with lung cancer. Varga died on 6 December 2014 in Debrecen at the age of 71.

Awards

: 1975 * Nemzeti Bajnokság I Top Scorer: 1972, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1978, 1979

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Varga, Istvan 1943 births 2014 deaths People from Abony Hungarian male handball players Olympic handball players for Hungary Handball players at the 1972 Summer Olympics Handball players at the 1976 Summer Olympics Handball players from Pest County 20th-century Hungarian sportsmen