An image William G. Morgan, inventor of Volleyball, receiving a varsity S. sweater from his alma mater, Springfield College. In the image, Morgan is receiving the sweater from legendary Springfield College gymnastics coach Leslie Judd.
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Publisher:
Springfield College
Notes:
Morgan, originally from Lockport, NY, moved back to his hometown upon retirement. On March 22, 1939, a dinner reception was held in his honor at the Lockport YMCA to recognize Morgan's contribution to the world of sport. In 1895, while working at the Holyoke YMCA in Holyoke, M.A., Morgan invented the game of volleyball using elements of basketball and badminton. His game, originally called "mintonette" was created as a less strenuous alternative to basketball. Volleyball first publicly debuted at a Physical Directors Conference at Springfield College in 1896 at which time the name was changed to volleyball. Like basketball before it, volleyball quickly gained popularity first within the YMCA and then across the United States. Morgan left YMCA work in 1897 and began work with General Electric and Westinghouse. He died in 1942 at the age of 72.
It is believed that this image originally comes from the Spalding Archives. It appears on page 48 of Joel Dearing's book, "The Untold Story of William G. Morgan Inventor of Volleyball." and carries this credit on the page. It is believed that the author, Joel Dearing, working in collaboration with the Archivist at Springfield College, gave this digital image to the Archive when working on the book.
