William Morgan Letter to George Draper

Item Information

Title:
William Morgan Letter to George Draper
Description:
A letter written by William Morgan, the inventor of volleyball, in response to a letter sent to him from Springfield College, then the International YMCA College, Alumni Association president, George Draper, requesting any anecdotes he may recall regarding the history of volleyball. In his letter, Morgan responds with his account of how volleyball, which had originally been called Mintonette, received its name. During an exhibition game at the YMCA Training School (now Springfield College), faculty member Dr. Halstead suggested the name Volley Ball because of how the ball volleyed back and fourth over the net. The catalogue in the collection, so it is not known what this document is, that he mentions sending was not with this letter, though it is believed that the rules contained in this folder were the rules that he sent.
Creator:
Morgan, William G.
Date:
March 3, 1932
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
William G. Morgan Papers
Subjects:
Volleyball--History
Springfield College
Springfield College--Alumni and alumnae
International Young Men's Christian Association Training School (Springfield, Mass.)
International Young Men's Christian Association College
Morgan, William G.
Draper, George O.
Correspondence
Volleyball
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
2 pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/1728
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
Springfield College
Language:
English
Notes:
Morgan graduated from Springfield College in 1894 and became a physical director at the YMCA in Auburn, Maine. In 1895 he left Maine and became a physical director at the YMCA in Holyoke, MA. While working as the physical director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Morgan developed the game of volleyball as a less strenuous alternative to basketball for middle-aged business men. Morgan's game combined elements of both basketball and badminton and was first debuted at Springfield College. Morgan left the YMCA in 1897 to begin work with General Electric and Westinghouse but maintained his ties to the college and the game he created. Morgan died in 1942 at the age of 72.
Identifier:
ms511-01-04-002