Barney McCallum, along with Joel Pritchard and Bill Bell, invented Pickleball. On March 14, 2017, Chris Allen interviewed Barney McCallum, who reveals how the game was born and what he thinks of it today. Go to the URL below to hear the interview, including yes, there really was a dog named PICKLES, who was the dog owned by Joel Pritchard. One evening they were discussing what to call the game. McCallum's friend, Dick Brown, owned FU-FU, the sister of the dog PICKLES. Someone suggested to call the game Pickleball. Imagine if we had to call the game FU-FU-Ball! Barney briefly mentions that he does not know why Jo Ann Pritchard, the wife of Joel, in a different interview, had stated the rowing crew boat, the Pickle Crew as the origin of the name. [Pritchard, Joan (July 27, 2008). "Origins of Pickleball". The Parkersburg News and Sentinel.]
Click here to view the podcast.
Wikipedia at URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pickleball
Wikipedia states that the dog was named two years after the game - another inconsistency.
Description and Index of the Podcast
If you do not want to listen to the entire podcast of over 31 minutes, the topic of the origin of the name of the game is at 12:50. There also is a brief discussion at 11:45 that no one knows how the word "kitchen" came to be used as the common name for the non-volley zone area, which is what Barney McCallum had named it.
To fast forward, click on the BLACK ARROW to start the interview. Then put your cursor over the minute numbers and drag right to the time slot.
6:30 Start of interview of Barney McCallum
7:51 Pickleball Culture - friendly Pickleball Family
8:23 Joel Pritchard played badmiton and tennis
10:15 "Goodbye to Sidelines" gets new people involved in a Sport
11:22 A balanced game
11:45 Non-Volley Zone area - evolution of dimensions of Kitchen
12:50 Origin of the Name Pickleball
13:30 Simple common Family mode with both children and adults to have a Good Time.
14:23 Jo Ann Pritchard's version of origin of name of the game
15:03 Barney McCallum and Jim Weller introduce Pickleball in Maui, Hawaii and the natives called it Pukaball for "Holes" in the ball. Discussed changing the name, but Joel Prichard said No.
16:29 Barney cut hand-made wooden paddles
16:36 Barney first one to develop the "third-shot drop" as a method to advance to the net
17:26 Had lots of trees around court, so ball could hit a tree and still be in play.
18:30 Steve Paranto recalls in 1980s playing with a softer ball [?"Koosum/Cosum"ball]
20:30 Rules changed to keep balance in the game
21:30 Serve one foot in one foot out by serving line because of near-by tree
22:15 Original court on Bainbridge Island near Seattle Washington like a Mecca. Families make the "Pilgrimage" to hit the ball of this court
Here is a good article on Pickleball History:
https://www.joomag.com/magazine/pickleball-magazine-1-1/0710190001452711201?page=19
Gives various version of origin of name. Mention other dog was Lu-Lu.