Sports

Millions of people have been introduced to sports at YMCAs.
Many of the sports people play were introduced at YMCAs, too.

 

Volleyball was invented at the Holyoke YMCA (Mass.) in 1895, by William Morgan, an instructor at the Y who felt that basketball  was too strenuous for businessmen.

 

 

Racquetball was invented in 1950 at the Greenwich (Conn.) YMCA by Joe Sobek, a member who couldn't find other squash players of his caliber and who did not care for handball.

 

 

Softball was given its name by motion of Walter Hakanson of the Denver YMCA in 1926 at a meeting of the Colorado Amateur Softball Association (CASA), itself a result of YMCA staff efforts.

 

 

Professional football began at a YMCA.

 

It was at the International YMCA Training School that in December 1891, James Naismith invented the game of basketball, doing so at the demand of Luther Gulick, the director of the school.

 

Not only was basketball invented by a YMCA institution, but the game's first professional team came from a Y. The Trenton (N.J.) YMCA had fielded a basketball team since 1892 and in 1896 its team claimed to be the national champions after beating various other YMCA and college teams.