H
Barney McCallum with Washington Governor Jay Inslee.
We Say
Farewell to
is name was
synonymous with
pickleball since the
sport’s inception in
1965. That was when
Barney McCallum along with friends
Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell dreamt
up the sport that is now captivating
millions in this country and beyond.
McCallum became so passionate
about the game that he was at the
forefront of equipment development
and was always eager to fine-tune
the sport. As the last living founder,
Barney McCallum was enamored
with the growth of pickleball and
was amazed when he saw firsthand
at the 2018 Margaritaville USA
Pickleball National Championships
how far it had come since his days of
backyard play on Bainbridge Island in
Washington.
Recently, Barney McCallum
passed away at his home in Seattle,
Washington. He was 93 years old
Pickleball
Legend Barney
McCallum
and left behind a legacy of love and
devotion to a sport that has begun to
gain considerable momentum in the
sports world.
The game of pickleball evolved on a
summer day in 1965 in the backyard of
Barney’s good friend, Joel Pritchard.
It was there with another friend, Bill
Bell, that the trio built a makeshift
court that combined the playing
elements of ping-pong, badminton
and tennis. It was rudimentary at best
but eventually caught on with people
in the Pacific Northwest.
At the time, Barney was married
with four children and owned and
operated the McCallum Envelope
14
TO SUBSCRIBE, CALL 888.308.3720 OR GO TO THEPICKLEBALLMAG.COM
Company. Little did he know that
pickleball was soon to become a
driving force in his life.
Barney was inducted into the
inaugural class of the Pickleball Hall of
Fame in 2017. Two of his closest friends
in the sport were Alex Hamner and
Jennifer Lucore, herself a member
of the Pickleball Hall of Fame. They
spoke of their close relationship with
pickleball’s originator: “In addition
to being one of the founders, Barney
was the doer. Through his work
making paddles, balls and creating
Pickle-Ball Inc. he was instrumental
in keeping the sport alive. For decades
he was the only one manufacturing
and marketing products for the
sport. Barney was all the good things
in life—smart, funny, kind, interesting,
thoughtful, creative, humble,
authentic, and more. He brought joy
to both our lives.”
The pair would often visit Barney
and his family during the summers at
his home in Kent, Washington, and
would often ask him about the sport’s
unique name. “Barney always said,
“Pickleball was named after the dog
Pickles, end of story.” He should know;
he was there!
A Navy veteran, Barney served in
World War II right out of high school
at the tender age of 17, and for two
years served his country admirably.
His last wartime service was during
the final battle in Okinawa. His ship
picked up about 1,000 Japanese POWs
for their trek to the United States.
When they reached Hawaii, the
war was over; and for the next few
months, Barney and his shipmates
would make the round trip from
Japan to the U.S., bringing soldiers
back to their homes.
But it was pickleball that firmly
held his heart and captivated so
many who met him. Sitting courtside
at Nationals, Barney fully realized
how far this simple sport, built on
imagination and love, had come. His
name will live on forever. •