The Man Who Invented Volleyball: The Incredible Story of William G. Morgan

The Man Who Invented Volleyball: The Incredible Story of William G. Morgan

If you love volleyball, then you owe a debt of gratitude to the first person who ever introduced the sport to others: William G. Morgan, or Father of Volleyball as he would later be known. But before you get to know more about this innovative coach, let’s take a quick look at the history of volleyball itself, since the sport has gone through some big changes over the years!

The Early Years

Born on July 29, 1877 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to George and Helena Morgan, William G. Morgan was a sickly child who did not attend school until he was 10 years old; this is when he began his formal education in the public school system of Toronto. It was here that he attended Jarvis Collegiate Institute and obtained a classical education in literature, math and the sciences. After graduation from Jarvis Collegiate Institute at age 16, he enrolled at the University of Toronto where he graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering at age 20 . He then went to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway as an engineer for three years.

He returned to the University of Toronto for graduate studies and received a second degree in engineering - specializing in physics -at age 22.

In 1902, Morgan was made chief draughtsman for Manitoba Bridge & Iron Company Ltd., a subsidiary company of Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). At Manitoba Bridge & Iron Company Ltd., Morgan studied how steel girders are joined together by riveting plates over them or by welding them together.

After studying these two types of steel construction techniques, Morgan applied his knowledge and experience with welding techniques while working as an engineer on railway bridges across North America during 1904-1908. When he finished his work with the CPR, he was ready to pursue other opportunities.

During this time, more than 80% of U.S. universities were offering some form of men's sports but there were no collegiate games in which players could compete outside their schools. One day Morgan watched a group of friends playing something they called mintonette, which involved hitting a ball back and forth over a net with their hands and feet while only using one side of the court, they called it volleyball. He liked what he saw so much that it became his new game. Since there wasn't any equipment available for volleyball play, Morgan created the game's original ball out of India rubber tubing which soon became known as the Spalding. In 1895, while still a student at the University of Toronto, Morgan had organized Canada’s first outdoor recreation league. He now wanted to create an outdoor recreation league for indoor play in order to promote his new game; but he needed funding. So he contacted James Naismith and asked him if he would donate equipment for his league. Naismith responded that he would be delighted to supply all the equipment necessary for such a league if Morgan would do him the honor of calling it the Naismith Outdoor Recreation League.

After hearing about William G

The Invention of Volleyball

Who invented volleyball? This is a question that has been asked for as long as people have played the game. The truth is, no one knows who invented volleyball - it just sprung up out of nowhere! But there are a few stories about how the game came to be and how it got its name. One version says that in 1874, Yale student Nathaniel S. Wheaton was returning from a trip to California when he brought back an early form of the game with him called mintonette. After playing with friends on Yale's campus, they took the game to their high schools and colleges, where soon enough it became known as volley ball. Other versions say that William G. Morgan invented volleyball while teaching physical education at the International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (later renamed Springfield College) in Massachusetts. He created a hybrid of basketball, handball, and badminton - because at the time all three were popular games on college campuses. According to legend, he made his invention using old tires and an Indian rubber ball. His students loved it so much that Morgan decided to patent his game so that nobody could steal his idea. He went through years of struggles before finally receiving his patent for a new game. And thus volley ball was born. Who the inventor volleyball? On page 2 of the Founder, the text tells us This is a question that has been asked for as long as people have played the game. The truth is, no one knows who invented volleyball. We can see that not many people know or agree on who this founder might be. On page 3, it says One version says that in 1874, Yale student Nathaniel S. Wheaton was returning from a trip to California when he brought back an early form of the game with him called mintonette. So we can now conclude that possibly this person might've had something to do with inventing volleyball but we don't know for sure either way.

The Growth of Volleyball

Volleyball was invented in 1895 by William G. Morgan, a physical education director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. It was designed to be a non-contact sport so it could be played indoors during the winter months and provide an interesting alternative to basketball, which had been invented just two years earlier. In 1900, Mr. Morgan published his book Spalding's Official Soccer Guide that included a chapter on how to play volleyball. It only took one year for this new game to catch on and spread across the country as the first collegiate volleyball league was started at Stanford University in 1902. A tournament consisting of six schools was held in 1905 with contests occurring every two minutes for ten minutes.

In 1923, a national championship tournament called the Golden Spike began; that same year, Dr. James Naismith - inventor of basketball - became president of the American Volleyball Association (AVA). The AVA established a formal rulebook with set dimensions for the court and equipment requirements; all rules were focused on making volley ball more appealing to spectators and less dangerous to players. Women's volleyball became recognized as a legitimate spectator sport after its exhibition at Franklin Field at Philadelphia during the 1948 Olympic Games . Three years later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) sponsored women's volleyball championships. Today there are over 8 million high school participants in girls' volleyball and nearly 3 million participants in boys' volleyball; around 14 million people participate overall. In 1995, William G. Morgan was inducted into the USA Volleyball Hall of Fame. He died three years later at the age of 98. In 2005, the United States Congress honored him posthumously by adding his name to the list of people who have contributed to physical fitness in America.

The Legacy of William G. Morgan

Who the invented volleyball? It's a question that has plagued mankind for decades, or at least those who have taken an interest in sports. After all, if we don't know who created the game then how can we give credit where it's due?

Thankfully the answer is out there and it is fascinating. To find out about the man who invented volleyball you need to go back to 1873 when Dr. William George Morgan was teaching physics and math at Yalesville Seminary in Connecticut. That year he organized the first ever game of indoor handball which involved two teams made up of five players on each side; both teams had to use a small ball made of quilted four-cord woolen yarn (the word volley derives from this ball). One day while playing indoors with his students he got tired from running back and forth between them so he went up to serve - soon after, according to legend, Dr. Morgan accidentally dropped his hands as he served giving birth to volley-volley which eventually evolved into modern day volleyball! His innovative creation spread quickly but it wasn't until 1897 that people started using new materials such as cork and rubber. A few years later they even came up with a method to measure points scored by one team against the other called matches.

Morgan left Yellville in 1888 and moved onto Albany College of Pharmacy where he died aged 64. His legacy remains strong among educators and innovators today. One place this is very evident is at Western Reserve Academy in Ohio. Located near Cleveland, Western Reserve Academy sits on 800 acres of land and houses one of the oldest operating tennis courts in America. They also have a group called Volley For Life where student athletes are encouraged to live healthy lives through physical activity and social responsibility. Their mission statement reads We are committed to promoting healthful living through participation in competitive athletics. As someone who played volleyball during my time at University I applaud their efforts; volleyball takes dedication and requires constant practice which builds character. It would be hard not to be inspired by someone like William G. Morgan who spent much of his life perfecting something he loved before passing it along to future generations like me.