The Growth of Sand Volleyball - Famous Players and Legends on the Beach

Read about sand volleyball history and the growth of the sport.

Read about sand volleyball history and the growth of the sport.

History of Sand Volleyball - Becoming Part of California Lifestyle

1957 Beach volleyball history took on a star-studded flavor when Greta Tyson appeared as the Queen of the Beach in a tournament won by Bernie Holtzman and Gene Selznick.

1950s- 1960s Beach volleyball continues to engrain into the California lifestyle.

Stars like Marilyn Monroe and the Beatles make this sport gain serious recognition. President John F. Kennedy also made an appearance at the first beach volleyball event in Sorrento Beach during this timeframe.

1965 California Beach Volleyball Association was founded to establish official rules and sanction tournaments.

Sand Volleyball - Commercial Tournaments

1974 Fred Zuelich and Dennis Hare win the first-ever commercially sponsored tournament in San Diego, California. A total of 250 spectators during out to see who would win title that was on the line.

1976 The first-ever Championships of Beach Volleyball take place at State Beach. The tournament pulls in 30,000 spectators and has players battling it out for a whopping $5,000 in prize money.

1977 Professional beach volleyball takes off as tournaments are held in such locations as Los Angeles, Santa Cruz and Lake Tahoe.

1980 The first sponsored tour in the United States takes place. The tour includes seven events.

1982 Beach volleyball goes national with its USA Tour that takes in such cities as New York, Denver and Clearwater, Florida.

Sand Volleyball - The Association of Volleyball Professionals, AVP Founded in 1983

1983 The Association of Volleyball Professionals, or AVP for short, gets it official start on July 21. The organization was founded to protect player interests and to preserve and ensure the integrity of beach volleyball.

1984 The first AVP players strike takes place during the World Championships at Redondo Beach. This results in the AVP playing host to its own tour.

1985 The AVP Tour now includes stops in eight states, including California, Hawaii, Florida, New Jersey and Massachusetts.

1986 The Australian presence in the game becomes even more marked as the Australian Pro Beach Circuit officially springs to life.

1986 Female players of the game strike out on their own to form the Women's Professional Volleyball Association in the United States.

First FIVB Sanctioned Event in 1987

1987 International tournament play gets its start when the first FIVB, International Volleyball Federation sanctioned event takes place at Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

1988 AVP tournaments continue to grow with 27 events now on the schedule.

Volleyball Legend Karch Kiraly Goes to the Beach Full-time

1989 Olympic indoor volleyball gold medalist Karch Kiraly turns his attentions to beach volleyball full-time. He proceeds to win four events with partner Brent Frohoff.

1990 The World Series FIVB Beach Volleyball International Circuit gets under way with men's tournaments set in Japan, Brazil and Italy. Randy Stoklos and Sinjin Smith are named the Men's World Champions.

1990 Mike Dodd and Tim Hovland play their last tournament together during a July 14-15 event in Milwaukee. The team up ended with the two being known as the second longest standing partnership. They played 163 tournaments together beginning with their first in 1981.

1991 AVP tournaments get a real boost when the first live television coverage is staged for an AVP event in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

1991 The very first FIVB Beach Volleyball World Council convenes in Lausanne to set the program for beach volleyball.

1992 More than 100 players from five continents converge on Almeria, Spain, for FIVB Beach Volleyball as the Olympic Games take place in Barcelona. This demonstration event would eventually open the doors for Olympic play in 1996.

From Aug. 5-12, the very first FIVB women's tournament is organized in Almeria.

Randy Stoklos and Sinjin Smith - 5th World Championship

1992 Randy Stoklos and Sinjin Smith become FIVB legends by winning the World Championships for the fifth time.

1992 Brazil's love for beach volleyball becomes solidified as the Confederação Brasileira de Volley-Ball (CBV), the Brazilian National Federation, creates its own FIVB 24-leg National Championship.

1993 The International Olympic Committee grants beach volleyball medal status for the first time ever. The debut of the sport is set for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics where both men's and women's teams will compete.

1993 AVP stars and international legends Sinjin Smith and Randy Stoklos play in their last tournament together as a team during a May 8-9 tournament in San Antonio, Texas. The pair hold the record for the most tournaments played together as a team with 235 total. They also hold the record for partnership victories at 114.

1994 Karch Kiraly's three-year run as King of the Beach comes to an end thanks to Adam Johnson. Kiraly and partner Kent Steffes, however, continue to grab headlines by dominating the AVP circuit with 17 wins out of 22 tournaments together.


You find more pages about sand volleyball history by going back to History of Volleyball page.