William G. Morgan

American physical education instructor who invented volleyball, originally named Mintonette, in 1895 while serving as physical education director at the YMCA in Holyoke, Massachusetts. He devised the game as a less strenuous alternative to basketball for older members, combining a ball derived from basketball, a net from tennis and the volleying action of handball. Sources differ on the exact date: the Mass Moments historical society records the invention in February 1895, while the International Volleyball Hall of Fame account places the first full game in December of that year. A spectator at a 1896 demonstration suggested the name volleyball, which Morgan adopted. In 1985 he became the inaugural member of the Volleyball Hall of Fame.