In the summer of 1965, pickleball was founded by Joel Pritchard, Bill Bell and Barney
McCallum on Bainbridge Island, Washington. Within days, Joan Pritchard had come up
with the name “pickle ball”—a reference to the thrown-together leftover non-starters in
the “pickle boat” of crew races. Many years later, as the sport grew, a controversy ensued
when a few neighbors said they were there when Joan named the game after the family
dog, Pickles. Joan and the Pritchard family have held fast for decades that the dog came
along a few years later and was named after the game.
It’s an undisputed fact that pickleball began, and was also named, in the summer of 1965
by Joan Pritchard. If Pickles was around then, the dog story could be true. If Pickles wasn’t
born until after 1965, the dog story would be confirmed as just a funny newspaper
interview hoax—later confessed by Joel Pritchard.
Proof of when Pickles was born could help resolve the two-story name debate. As the
official magazine of pickleball, we decided to dig up the past and report the truth,
regardless of the venerable feathers being ruffled. We looked for dog records, uncovered
photos, and interviewed several people who were there from 1965-1970. Based on
evidence, we learned that the dog was born in 1968—three years after pickleball was first
played and named. In other words, the Pritchard family story stands true that pickleball
was not named after the dog, but rather in reference to the local pickle boat races.
Note: Courtesy of USA Pickleball, 2025.