The History of Pickleball:
Back one summer day in 1965 three dads on Bainbridge Island, Washington heard their kids complaining that they were bored with nothing to do. The men decided to take things into their own hands and invented a new game. Little did they know that their backyard game would develop into the popular sport of pickleball that is now played by almost 3 million players in the US.
Joel Pritchard (a representative of the Washington State Legislature at the time) along with neighbors Barney McCallum and William Bell used a hodgepodge of random sports equipment to come up with the game.
Using the badminton court that Pritchard had on his property along with cheap wooden paddles and a whiffle ball that they borrowed from a neighbor, the men came up with an early version of the current game. As the summer went on the game evolved, through trial and error they modified the rules and equipment and came up with a more polished version of the game.
Realizing that the paddles needed to be stronger, Barney McCallum took on the task of coming up with a better solution.
McCallum drew up a few different ideas for paddle shapes and using a band saw in his basement he fashioned the new paddles out of plywood.
One of the first wooden pickleball paddles. Made by Barney McCallum by hand.
Although paddle technology has come a long way with graphite and composite paddles, many players still use simple wooden paddles that are very similar in size and shape to that original paddle.
The inventors also decided to lower the height of the original badminton net to waist height. Current specification state that an official pickleball net must be 36 inches (0.914 m) high at the sideline and 34 inches (0.86 m) at the center.
This decision was probably the biggest of all since it completely changed the dynamic of the game – instead of softly volleying the ball over the raised badminton net, the ball could now be hit hard with a tennis-style stroke and the plastic ball bounced well off the court surface.
The game grew in popularity on the island with several neighbors joining in. Interestingly, although the game was originally invented to entertain the kids, it seems the game really took off more among the adults.
In 1967 a neighbor on the island paved the first-ever pickleball court. According to most records, the game first spread beyond the island that same year when Pritchard introduced pickleball to Governor Dan Evans and future U.S. Senator Slade Gorton who lived in Olympia. Gorton ended up building a pickleball court at his home which helped transplant the game to the city.
Pickleball Timeline
Pickleball is invented.
Bob O’Brian builds the first known court specifically for playing pickleball.
Pritchard and several friends form Pickle Ball Inc. (later called Pickle-Ball Inc.).
Tennis magazine publishes an article calling pickleball “America’s newest racquet sport”.
First known pickleball tournament held in Tukwila, Washington.
The USA Pickleball Association (USAPA) was founded.
Pickleball reaches the milestone of being actively played in all 50 states.
At the age of 72, Joel Pritchard passes away.
USA Pickleball Association publishes the Official Tournament Rulebook.
First USAPA National Tournament for players of all ages was held in Arizona.
Pickleball was recognized by the Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) as the fastest growing sport in the United States.
USAPA creates a Juniors program to promote the sport for players ages 7 thru 19.
Pickleball is being played in the US by over 2.5 million people, there were over 4,000 locations to play in the country as well as international competitions taking place in other parts of the world.
The US Open Pickleball Championships saw a record number of participants, with over 2,000 players from 47 states and 17 countries. This event marked a significant growth in the popularity of the sport.
The Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) was established, providing a platform for professional players to compete at a high level.
Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, pickleball saw a surge in popularity as an outdoor, socially-distanced sport. Many people took up the sport as a way to stay active and socialize safely.
The first-ever Pickleball World Championships were held, marking a significant milestone in the sport’s history. The event attracted players from around the world and received widespread media coverage.
Pickleball was included in the World Games for the first time, further legitimizing the sport on the international stage. This inclusion has helped to increase the visibility and popularity of the sport globally.
Pickleball History Book:
If you are interested in a much more detailed history of pickleball, check out “History of Pickleball: More Than 50 Years of Fun!” by Jennifer Lucore and Bev Youngren.
The book is a culmination of over 3 years of research by the authors.
We’ve also listed it here on our list of top pickleball books.
Documented History:
Luckily we have a recorded history of the early beginnings of pickleball much in part because of Pritchard’s political life (he went on to be U.S. Representative from Seattle for six terms and a two-term lieutenant governor of Washington).
Apart from some written interviews, there is a detailed oral history of his life where he talks about his personal and professional career as well as details about the early days of pickleball.
The Sport’s Evolution:
Since its humble beginnings in 1965 as an invented game among a few families in the same neighborhood on Bainbridge Island, pickleball has grown to a sport with a few million players in the US. There are Pro players with major brand sponsors and televised national tournaments with prize money.
The sport has also has grown internationally with a well-established pickleball following in the UK, Spain, India and other countries. Pickleball is now played everywhere from Minnesota to Madrid (in 2017 the first-ever Spanish Open Pickleball Championship was played).
If you are interested in knowing more about the origins of Pickleball, check out this very interesting interview below (made for the 50th anniversary of the sport in 2015) with one of the founders of pickleball: Barney McCallum.
The video shows how the game was originally thought up and how it evolved over the years, and how it became a popular sport nationwide (and internationally). The video also gives us a glimpse at the simplicity of the first paddle and how the sport quickly gained popularity in the pacific northwest before moving across the country…and eventually around the globe.
Enjoy the video. If you are new to pickleball it’s a great introduction and even if you already play pickleball and know the history there are some great nuggets of information in the video.
If you are interested in hearing the full story on Why It Is Called Pickleball – Click Here.
Sources: Washington State Secretary of State Oral History Project: Joel M. Pritchard An Oral History
Pickleball Channel: The Origins of Pickleball: How It All Began
USA Pickleball Association (USAPA)
It’s cool how the game was created by a bunch of kids
What a fascinating read! I had no idea about the origins of pickleball and how it evolved over the decades. The timeline made it easy to follow the sport’s growth. Can’t wait to share this with my friends who play!
Very Interesting History of Pickball. But, its new in our country. Mostly people don’t aware to this. But, This article helped them to know history.