Paul Haber was an American one, three, and four wall National Handball Champion. Haber is credited with being the first player to use the ceiling offensively and did so very effectively. He was inducted into the United States Handball Association Hall of Fame in 1983. Paul Haber was born of Polish Jewish ancestry in the Bronx in 1937. He won countless American and Canadian handball titles. Haber took an overlooked sport and turned it into a publicized sport. Haber appeared on the front page of the Wall Street Journal in 1970. Numerous magazines featured him including Sports Illustrated, Ace, and Argosy. It wasn't just Haber's ability on the court that caught national media attention. Haber would clobber the straight arrow handball players and then wind up in jail or a hospital after days of being on a bender with various females. He supported himself giving handball and golf lessons, playing cards, pool, boardgames and betting on his handball matches. Haber lived day-to-day forgetting each night's escapades and capers in anticipation of the next one. He lived a lifestyle that would have ruined most professional athletes.
Playing both singles and doubles in 3 and 4-wall handball tournaments,"Ironman" Haber won hundreds of weekend and regional tournaments. Haber was notorious for his daily hours and hours on the court and playing with outstanding defense. He lived from 1937-2003 and is buried in San Diego, California.
Haber's peak years for national handball single and doubles titles were from the late 1960s to the mid-1970s. In this time, he won five four-wall singles championships, three three-wall doubles championships, and one three-wall singles championship. His primary doubles partner was Armando (Paul) Morlos. In an exhibition match, Haber defeated national masters racquetball champion Dr. Bud (Mule) Muelheisen.
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