US Squash was founded in Philadelphia in 1904, following the popular desire of local athletes to organize the newly exploding sport. With its creation, US Squash, which was called the United States Squash Racquets Association until 2006, became the first national squash body in the world. US Squash took immediate action to govern the sport by creating crude regulations that dictated everything from court and ball specifics, to the rules and regulations of the game.

In 1923 US Squash began its decades-long expansion and promotion of squash in the first annual meeting of the Executive Board. At this time, US Squash began to formulate the more contemporary mission, policies, and by-laws of the organization.

As years passed and the sport grew, US Squash evolved to accommodate the demand by expanding board positions and hiring full time executives. By the 1950s US Squash graduated from its initial mission to nationally organize the sport, and began to promote its growth with the advent of both the junior and senior nationals, and the Association officially incorporated as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit in New York State in 1957.

Squash was perhaps one of the most pioneering sports of its time, and US Squash was one of the first national athletic organizations to promote female participation. In the 1970s, the United States Women’s Squash Racquets Association (USWSRA) was created as the governing body of Women’s squash. US Squash and the USWSRA worked in conjunction until the organizations merged in 1979, in an effort to promote the sport as a unified, and thus more influential, advocate for the sport.

In 1975 Darwin P. Kingsley became the first Executive Director of US Squash. The Executive Committee of the Board of Directors realized the need for a full time leader of the organization. Despite modest beginnings, Kingsley revolutionized both the sport and the organization. When he assumed the position, there were 800 members and 40 member clubs. By the time he retired in 1992, US Squash boasted 10, 000 members and 250 member clubs. Craig Brand served for ten years in the role of Executive Director, shepherding the transition from the dominance of the hardball singles game to the international softball game as well as opening doors with the U.S. Olympic Committee by becoming a member Association. Palmer Page took the reigns as the Chief Executive Officer in 2003 and quickly injected 21st century technology to support the growing sport’s needs and celebrated the Association’s 100th year with an historic centennial dinner. Kevin Klipstein, the current CEO, succeeded Page in late 2004.

With over a century since its creation, US Squash has come further and made more innovations and improvements to the game than any other national squash governing body. US Squash is still a member of the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee, and governs the affairs of a broad based national individual membership and a club network where squash is played in over 1,000 facilities across the country, with more than 17,000 members.

US Squash was the first national squash governing body in the world and is proud of its long history of leadership in the sport.

Past US Squash Presidents and Chairs of the Board of Directors

1920-25 – Sydney P. Clark
1925-26 – Lyman M. Bass
1926-27 – Sydney P. Clark
1927-28 – L.D. Young
1928-29 – W. Candler Bowditch
1929-32 – Ralph A. Powers
1932-33 – Paul E. Callanan
1933-35 – Adrian W. Smith
1935-37 – Joseph de V. Keefe
1937-39 – James D. Standish, Jr.
1939-42 – Darwin P. Kingsley, Jr.
1942-48 – W. Mifflin Large
1948-49 – Seymour H. Knox, Jr.
1949-50 – Neil J. Sullivan, II
1950-51 – Andrew N. Winslow, Jr.
1951-53 – Henry W. Putnam
1953-54 – H. Hunter Lott, Jr.
1954-56 – John P. Humes
1956-58 – Braman B. Adams
1958-61 – Ernest D. Richmond, Jr.
1961-63 – Joseph T. Hahn
1963-65 – Howard A. Davis
1965-67 – William T. Ketcham, Jr.
1967-69 – Seymour H. Knox, III
1969-71 – W. Stewart Brauns, Jr.
1971-73 – Lloyd Jacobs
1973-75 – Darwin P. Kingsley, III
1975-77 – E. Harmon Friel, Jr.
1977-79 – A. Warren Smith, Jr.
1979-80 – Thomas Wrightson
1980-82 – Herbert H. Gross
1982-84 – John F. Herrick
1984-86 – Leonard Bernheimer
1986-88 – C. Shelley Acuff
1988-90 – Charles C. Kingsley
1990-93 – George A. Haggarty
1993-95 – Alan L. Fox
1995-97 – Andre P. Naniche
1997-99 – E. Taylor Quick
1999-01 – Eben Hardie III
2001-03 – Kevin M Jernigan
2003-06 – Kenneth M. Stillman
2006-09 – Jeanne M. Blasberg
2009-13 – Peter R. Lasusa, Jr.
2013-16 – John A. Fry
2016-20 – Marshall “Mark” Pagon

Past Chief Executives

1975-92 – Darwin P. Kingsley, III
1992-03 – Craig Brand
2003-04 – Palmer Page