It is with great sadness that the EHF has learnt about the death of one of the all-time legends of the handball sport, Bengt Johansson. The Swedish former coach and player passed away on Sunday, at age 79, after a period of illness.
Johansson devoted his life to handball, first as a player – moving from his local team Halmstad HP to Hellas and Drott, respectively, to win four Swedish league titles. He also represented the Sweden men’s national team 83 times, between 1963 and 1973, before transitioning to life as a coach.
There he made his mark as one of the greatest minds of the game, leading Sweden between 1988 and 2004 and winning four gold medals at the EHF EURO – in 1994, 1998, 2000 and 2002 – the gold medals at the 1990 and 1999 IHF Men’s World Championship, and three silver medals at the Olympic Games – in 1992, 1996 and 2000.
No national team has dominated handball over such a short period than Johansson’s Sweden, as their medal record is next to none over the 16 years he coached the team, while also creating a handball juggernaut.
The 'Bengan Boys,' named after their coach's first name, are the most dominant team in the history of the EHF EURO, with Magnus Andersson, Martin Frändesjö, Ola Lindgren, Stefan Lövgren, Staffan Olsson and Magnus Wislander holding the record for the largest number of gold medals won in the competition, with four.
“Bengt Johansson is forever a prominent part of Swedish handball history and is at the heart of Swedish handball,” the Swedish Handball Federation said in a statement Monday.
The EHF joins in the mourning of Johansson's passing in expressing its deepest sympathies and condolences to his family and friends at this difficult time.
Photo: Daniel Stiller/Bildbyrån
