Pickleball was invented in the summer of 1965 by three dads, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum in Bainbridge, a town outside of Seattle, WA. The three dads got together to discuss possible games they can come up with for their kids during the summer, and Voilà, pickleball was born. How did pickleball get its name? According to Barney McCallum, the game was named after Pritchard's dog, however, as stated by Joan, Joel Pritchard's wife “the combination of different sports reminded him of the pickle boat in crew where oarsmen were chosen from the leftovers of other boats.” Thank you, Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell, and Barney McCallum, for bringing the world this great game!