DJK Würzburg

DJK Würzburg is a German sports club located in Würzburg. DJK stands for "Deutsche Jugendkraft" (German youth power). The club belongs to the DJK-Sportverband (Sport Association), which is affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church in Germany. The club has gained fame through its basketball department, in which NBA player Dirk Nowitzki got his start.

History

The DJK Sport Association was founded on September 16, 1920 in Würzburg. Due to the geographic location of its home office, the DJK soon founded a local club in Würzburg. However, the different athletic departments found themselves divided among various Catholic clubs. During the Third Reich, all DJK affiliates were banned by the government. After World War II, the DJK consolidated all of its local departments into DJK Würzburg. Today the club has over 3000 members, including a variety of non-Catholic members.

The club's top women's handball team played in the Handball-Bundesliga Frauen, the top flight of women's handball in Germany, from 1976–1985, during the 1987–88 season and from 1993–95.

The club's basketball department gained fame in the 1990s as both the men's and women's teams qualified for the Basketball Bundesliga (BBL). The women's team played many years in the first and second divisions and was crowned German Champion in 1993. In 1989, the men's team made the jump into the second division. In 1997, featuring Dirk Nowitzki in the line-up, DJK Würzburg claimed the 2nd Division South title, qualifying for the Basketball Bundesliga. In 2001, DJK spun off it's men's basketball team into a private corporate entity, now known as the Würzburg Baskets, to capitalize on their growth as a professional basketball team. DJK Würzburg has produced numerous players who have gone on to have success in the BBL, with the German national team and, for Nowitzki, the NBA.

Honors

Numerous Bavarian amateur titles Women's German Basketball Champions: 1993 Men's 2nd Division South Basketball Champions: 1997

Former Players

• Demond Greene
• Robert Garrett
• Christian März
• Dirk Nowitzki
• Björn Gieseck
• Denis Wucherer
• Jochen Dittrich

Former Managers

• Gordon Herbert

References

^[1]

1. ^ Wir über uns

External links

• Official homepage (German)