Pickleball was created by Joel Pritchard (former United States congressman), Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in the summer of 1965 on Bainbridge Island, Washington. The three founding fathers of pickleball created the game out of a necessity to entertain their bored children. They improvised with the recreational gear they had at hand, which included a badminton net, table tennis paddles, and a wiffle ball. Pritchard, Bell, and McCallum tweaked the rules to eventually come up with the first rules of the sport of pickleball. Needless to say, the newly created game was a hit with the children and quickly attracted the attention of the adults, too.
Other Key Dates in the History of Pickleball:
- 1965 – The sport of pickleball is born on Bainbridge Island, Washington.
- 1967 – The first pickleball court is constructed.
- 1972 – Pickle-Ball Inc., a corporation, is created to protect the sport of pickleball.
- 1975 – The National Observer publishes an article about pickleball, which helps garner national attention for the sport.
- 1976 – Tennis Magazine publishes an article about pickleball, calling the sport “America’s newest racquet sport.”
- 1976 – The first pickleball tournament is held in Tukwila, Washington.
- 1984 – The USAPA is created to grow the sport of pickleball nationwide. The first rulebook is also created.
- 1984 – Arlen Paranto creates the first composite pickleball paddle.
- 1990 – Pickleball reaches all 50 states in the United States.
- 1997 – Joel Pritchard, one of the founding fathers of pickleball, passes away at the age of 72.
- 2005 – The USAPA is re-born as a not-for-profit corporation. The mission remains the same, which was and is to grow the sport of pickleball in the United States.
- 2006 – Bill Bell, one of the founding fathers of pickleball, passes away at the age of 83.
- 2009 – Almost 400 pickleball players from the United States (26 states) and Canada participate in the first USAPA National Tournament in Buckeye, Arizona.
- 2010 – The International Federation of Pickleball (IFP) is created.
- 2016 – The inaugural Minto US Open Pickleball Championships is held at East Naples Community Park in Naples, Florida.
- 2019 – Barney McCallum, one of the founding fathers of pickleball, passes away at the age of 93.
- 2019 – Pickleball gets professional with the launch of two separate pro pickleball tours – the Professional Pickleball Association (PPA) and the Association of Pickleball Professionals (APP).
- 2021 – Major League Pickleball – a unique team format for pro pickleball players – is born.
- 2022 – Pickleball becomes the official state sport of the State of Washington.
- 2023 – The Sports & Fitness Industry Association (SFIA) named pickleball the fastest-growing sport in America for the third year in a row in its Topline Participation Report.
Today, according to the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, there are more than 13.6 million pickleball players in the United States. There are also almost 9,500 places to play, with more than 38,000 pickleball courts, across the globe. The growth of pickleball since 1965 is staggering, and this is only the beginning. The sport of pickleball continues to grow and capture the hearts of players worldwide.
