{{short description|French handball player (born 1969)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} {{Infobox handball biography | name = Jackson Richardson | image = Jackson Richardson 2013 Hand Star Game t180104.jpg | caption = Richardson in 2013 | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1969|6|14|df=y}} | birth_place = [[Saint-Pierre, Réunion|Saint-Pierre]], [[Réunion]] | nationality = French | height = 1.86 m | position = Centre Back | currentclub = | clubnumber = | youthyears1 = 1977–1989 | youthclubs1 = Saint-Pierre HBC | years1 = 1989–1991 | clubs1 = [[Paris Handball|Paris-Asnières]] | years2 = 1991–1996 | clubs2 = [[OM Vitrolles]] | years3 = 1996–2000 | clubs3 = [[TV Großwallstadt]] | years4 = 2000–2005 | clubs4 = [[SDC San Antonio|Portland San Antonio]] | years5 = 2005–2008 | clubs5 = [[Chambéry Savoie Handball]] | years6 = 2009 | clubs6 = [[Rhein-Neckar Löwen]] | nationalyears1 = 1990–2005 | nationalteam1 = [[France men's national handball team|France]] | nationalcaps1 = 417 | nationalgoals1 = 775 | medaltemplates = {{MedalSport|Men's [[handball]]}} {{MedalCountry|{{hb|FRA}}}} {{MedalCompetition|[[Handball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[1992 Summer Olympics|1992 Barcelona]] | [[Handball at the 1992 Summer Olympics|Team Competition]]}} {{MedalCompetition|[[World Men's Handball Championship|World Championship]]}} {{MedalGold | [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995 Iceland]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalGold | [[2001 World Men's Handball Championship|2001 France]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalSilver | [[1993 World Men's Handball Championship|1993 Sweden]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalBronze | [[1997 World Men's Handball Championship|1997 Japan]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalBronze | [[2003 World Men's Handball Championship|2003 Portugal]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalBronze | [[2005 World Men's Handball Championship|2005 Tunisia]] | Team Competition}} {{MedalCompetition | [[Handball at the Mediterranean Games|Mediterranean Games]]}} {{MedalBronze | [[2001 Mediterranean Games|2001 Tunis]] | [[Handball at the 2001 Mediterranean Games|Team Competition]]}} }}
'''Jackson Richardson''' (born 14 June 1969) is a French former [[team handball|handball]] player. Regarded as one of the best and most influential handball players of his era, Richardson won fourteen titles at club level and the [[IHF World Men's Handball Championship|World Championship]] in [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995]] and [[2001 World Men's Handball Championship|2001]] with the [[France men's national handball team|French national team]].<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":2" /> He was awarded [[IHF World Player of the Year]] in 1995, and voted the most valuable player at the World Championships in [[1990 World Men's Handball Championship|1990]] and [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995]], and the [[2000 European Men's Handball Championship|2000 European Championship]].<ref name="BestPlayer">{{cite web |title=All the previous World Handball Players |url=http://www.ihf.info/front_content.php?idcat=173&idart=516 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090622040048/http://www.ihf.info/front_content.php?idcat=173&idart=516 |archive-date=June 22, 2009 |access-date=January 31, 2010 |publisher=[[International Handball Federation]]}}</ref>
With the national team, Richardson also received one silver medal and three bronze medals at the World Championships in [[1993 World Men's Handball Championship|1993]], [[1997 World Men's Handball Championship|1997]], [[2003 World Men's Handball Championship|2003]] and [[2005 World Men's Handball Championship|2005]], and won the bronze medal in the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]].<ref name="Spain92">{{cite web |title=All the Medallists since 1896 - Olympic.org |url=http://www.olympic.org/en/content/All-Olympic-results-since-1896/?AthleteName=Entrez+un+nom&Category=343488&Games=1333912&Sport=1313911&Event=355103&MenGender=false&WomenGender=false&MixedGender=false&TeamClassification=false&IndividualClassification=false&Continent=&Country=&GoldMedal=false&SilverMedal=false&BronzeMedal=true&WorldRecord=false&OlympicRecord=false&TargetResults=true |access-date=January 31, 2010 |publisher=[[International Olympic Committee]]}}</ref> He holds the record for most caps for the French national team with 417 appearances.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Bouhier |first=Par Florian |title=Jackson Richardson sur l'importance des JO de Barcelone 1992 pour le handball français : « Le bronze a facilité notre adaptation aux Jeux » |url=https://olympics.com/fr/infos/handball-jackson-richardson-importance-jo-barcelone-1992 |website=Olympics |language=fr}}</ref> As the captain of the national team, Richardson was France's [[List of flag bearers for France at the Olympics|flag bearer]] during the [[2004 Summer Olympics Opening Ceremony|2004 Olympic Games opening ceremony]] in [[Athens]].<ref name=":3" />
==Club career== Richardson started playing handball when he was six years old and was a part of the youth team at Saint-Pierre HBC from 1977 to 1989.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |date=4 February 2024 |title=Le parcours de Jackson Richardson, de son île natale de la Réunion à son épopée fantastique aux Jeux olympiques de Barcelone 1992 [Archives d’Outre-mer] |url=https://la1ere.francetvinfo.fr/le-parcours-de-jackson-richardson-de-son-ile-natale-de-la-reunion-a-son-epopee-fantastique-aux-jeux-olympiques-de-barcelone-1992-archives-d-outre-mer-1461930.html |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Outre-mer la 1ère |language=fr-FR}}</ref> In 1988, he was spotted during a match at [[Réunion|Réunion Island]] by [[France men's national handball team|French national team]] head coach Daniel Costantini who was scouting for a Réunionese player for Bataillon de Joinville, a military unit of the French army for sport conscripts.<ref name=":4" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2008 |title=Handball: Le roi Jackson Richardson tire sa révérence |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/sport/handball/handball-le-roi-jackson-richardson-tire-sa-reverence-197786 |access-date=8 February 2024 |website=Ouest-France.fr |language=fr}}</ref> After completing his military service, Richardson signed for [[Paris Handball|Paris-Asnières]] in 1989.<ref name=":4" />
In 1991, Richardson transferred to [[OM Vitrolles]], where he would win the [[LNH Division 1|French league]] in 1994 and 1996, the [[Coupe de France (handball)|French cup]] in 1993 and 1995, and the [[EHF Cup Winners' Cup]] in 1993. He joined German club [[TV Großwallstadt]] in 1996 and won the [[EHF European Cup|EHF Challenge Cup]] in 2000. That same year, Richardson moved to Spanish club [[SDC San Antonio|Portland San Antonio]], where he won the [[EHF Champions League]] in [[2000–01 EHF Champions League|2001]] and the [[Liga ASOBAL|Spanish league]] in [[Liga ASOBAL 2001–02|2002]] and [[Liga ASOBAL 2004–05|2005]]. He was also voted Best playmaker of the Spanish league for three consecutive seasons from 2003 to 2005. [[File:Jackson Richardson en 1995.jpg|left|thumb|Richardson playing for France in 1995]] Richardson returned to France in 2005 to play for [[Chambéry Savoie Handball]]. In 2008, Richardson retired after a final match against [[US Ivry]], but later came out of retirement to briefly play for [[Rhein-Neckar Löwen]] in 2009.
== International career == Richardson made his debut for the [[France men's national handball team|French national team]] in 1990. He was voted the most valuable player at the [[1990 World Men's Handball Championship|1990 World Championship]] where France placed ninth. Jackson was part of the French squad that won the bronze medal at the [[1992 Summer Olympics]] in [[Barcelona]].<ref name="Spain92" /><ref name=":3" /> Jackson and the national team placed second at the [[1993 World Men's Handball Championship|1993 World Championship]] and won the [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995 World Championship]], where he was again voted the most valuable player of the tournament.
France finished second at the [[1997 World Men's Handball Championship|1997 World Championship]] and fourth at the [[2000 European Men's Handball Championship|2000 European Championship]], where Richardson received his third most valuable player award for a major international competition. He won the [[2001 World Men's Handball Championship|2001 World Championship]] with the national team, and placed third at the World Championships in [[2003 World Men's Handball Championship|2003]] and [[2005 World Men's Handball Championship|2005]].
Richardson retired from the national team in 2005, having made 417 appearances and scored 775 goals. The [[French Handball Federation]] celebrated his farewell to the team with a ceremony after the Paris-Bercy tournament attended by sport figures and his mother, who had traveled from their native [[Réunion]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |date=27 March 2005 |title=Richardson recordó emocionado a su padre en despedida selección |url=https://www.nacion.com/puro-deporte/richardson-recordo-emocionado-a-su-padre-en-despedida-seleccion/F4MQ7RTCYJEHNMKVFKYGZJRD2Q/story/ |access-date=7 February 2024 |website=La Nación |language=es}}</ref> Richardson dedicated the tournament to his father who had recently passed away.<ref name=":0" />
== Personal life == Richardson is married and has two children. His son, [[Melvyn Richardson|Melvyn]], is a handball player for [[FC Barcelona Handbol|FC Barcelona]] and member of the [[France men's national handball team|French national team]].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |url=http://www.eurohandball.com/article/025549/Melvyn+Richardson+making+a+name+for+himself |title=European Handball Federation - Melvyn Richardson making a name for himself / Article |website=www.eurohandball.com |language=en |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref>
==Honours==
=== Club === '''OM Vitrolles'''
* [[EHF Cup Winners' Cup]]: 1993 * [[LNH Division 1]]: 1994, 1996 * [[Coupe de France (handball)|Coupe de France]]: 1993, 1995
'''TV Großwallstadt'''
* [[EHF European Cup|EHF Challenge Cup]]: 2000
'''Portland San Antonio'''
* [[EHF Champions League]]: [[2000–01 EHF Champions League|2001]] * EHF Cup Winners' Cups: 2004 * [[EHF Men's Champions Trophy|EHF Supercup]]: 2000 * [[Liga ASOBAL]]: [[Liga ASOBAL 2001–02|2002]], [[Liga ASOBAL 2004–05|2005]] * [[Copa del Rey de Balonmano|Copa del Rey]]: 2001 * [[Supercopa ASOBAL]]: 2001, 2002
=== International === * '''[[IHF World Men's Handball Championship|World Championship]]''': ** {{Gold medal}}: [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995]], [[2001 World Men's Handball Championship|2001]] ** {{silver medal}}: [[1993 World Men's Handball Championship|1993]] ** {{Bronze medal}}: [[1997 World Men's Handball Championship|1997]], [[2003 World Men's Handball Championship|2003]], [[2005 World Men's Handball Championship|2005]] * '''[[Handball at the Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]''' ** {{Bronze medal}}: [[Handball at the 1992 Summer Olympics – Men's tournament|1992]]
=== Individual === * [[IHF World Player of the Year]]: 1995<ref name="BestPlayer" /> * [[EHF Champions League]] Ultimate Selection: 2013<ref name=":1">{{cite web |title=EHF Champions League Ultimate Selection announced |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/ehf-champions-league-ultimate-selection-announced/ |website=www.eurohandball.com |publisher=[[European Handball Federation]] |date=23 May 2013 |access-date=29 September 2021 |language=en}}</ref> * [[Most valuable player|MVP]] at the [[1990 World Men's Handball Championship|1990 World Championship]] * MVP and best centre back at the [[1995 World Men's Handball Championship|1995 World Championship]] * MVP and best centre back at the [[2000 European Men's Handball Championship|2000 European Championship]] * Best foreign player of the Spanish League: [[Liga ASOBAL 2000–01|2001]], [[Liga ASOBAL 2001–02|2002]] * Best playmaker of the Spanish League: [[Liga ASOBAL 2002–03|2003]], [[Liga ASOBAL 2003–04|2004]], [[Liga ASOBAL 2004–05|2005]] * [[European Handball Federation]] Hall of Fame in 2023.<ref name="hof">{{cite web |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/legendary-players-enter-the-hall-of-fame-of-european-handball/ |publisher=[[European Handball Federation]]|website=www.eurohandball.com|title=LEGENDARY PLAYERS ENTER THE HALL OF FAME OF EUROPEAN HANDBALL|date=26 June 2023|accessdate=27 June 2023}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{European Handball Federation}} * {{Olympedia}} * {{Olympics.com|jackson-richardson-1}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ach}} {{s-bef|before={{flagicon|RUS}} [[Talant Duyshebaev]]}} {{s-ttl|title=[[IHF World Player of the Year|IHF World Player of the Year – Men]] |years=1995}} {{s-aft|after={{flagicon|ESP}} [[Talant Duyshebaev]]}} {{succession box | before = [[David Douillet]] | after = [[Carole Montillet]] | title = [[L'Équipe Champion of Champions#France|French Sportsperson of the Year]] | years = 2001 }} {{s-sports|oly}} {{succession box | before = [[David Douillet]] | title = [[Standard-bearer|Flagbearer]] for {{FRA}} | years = [[2004 Summer Olympics|Athens 2004]] | after = [[Tony Estanguet]] }} {{s-end}}
{{France squad 1995 World Men's Handball Championship}} {{IHF World Player of the Year}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Richardson, Jackson}} [[Category:1969 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:People from Saint-Pierre, Réunion]] [[Category:French male handball players]] [[Category:French expatriate handball players in Germany]] [[Category:Olympic handball players for France]] [[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for France]] [[Category:Handball players at the 1992 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Handball players at the 1996 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Handball players at the 2000 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Handball players at the 2004 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:Handball players from Réunion]] [[Category:Sportsmen from Réunion]] [[Category:Olympic medalists in handball]] [[Category:Medalists at the 1992 Summer Olympics]] [[Category:French expatriate handball players in Spain]] [[Category:Rhein-Neckar Löwen players]] [[Category:Chambéry Savoie Mont-Blanc Handball players]] [[Category:20th-century French sportsmen]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games bronze medalists for France]] [[Category:Mediterranean Games medalists in handball]] [[Category:Competitors at the 2001 Mediterranean Games]] [[Category:Handball World Champions]]