John Gullo

MAJOR CONTRIBUTIONS:

• Established The Tournament of Champions.
• Developed the first four pickleball courts in Northern Utah, and expanded pickleball to over 10 cities, which now include over 400 public courts in Northern Utah.
• Founder of the Professional Pickleball Federation to pay athletes and bring Pickleball to worldwide, professional consideration.
• Creator of the American Dream Foundation, which provided over $25,000 in Scholarships for Junior Events at the Tournament of Champions.
• Donated supplies, paddles, balls and portable nets to establish Pickleball In Ogden School District
• Provided funding and guidance for pickleball courts in Alpine, Wyoming
• Traveled to Madrid, Spain to get Pickleball started there.
• Voted into the USAPA Board and served in charge of Marketing and Membership.
• Purchased, refurbished, and renovated the Mobile Pickleball Hall of Fame Museum
• Founder/Contributor to well over 30 community projects, including Enable Industries, American Fallen Fire Memorial, Youth Futures, Prevent Child Abuse, Children’s Justice Center rallies, Youth Impact Historic Classrooms among many.
• Namer/Contributor of the John Gullo Children’s Home, Barilles, Mexico
• Co-Founder, Hot Rockin’ 4th community fundraising for 14 years
• Advocate and Legacy Contributor to the Statue of Responsibility

Background

John grew up in the Italian sector of Buffalo, New York, where local Sicilian boys looked up to mafia guys as role models. However, it was John’s introduction to the Jaycee’s that introduced him to faith in action, learning “that service to humanity is the best work of life.” He has embodied that philosophy ever since, an ordinary man, doing extraordinary things in the name of service.

The proud father of two sons, John’s career skyrocketed once he joined Burger King Corporation–especially when he became a franchisee. Even as he built his Burger King empire of over 50 locations, John was strategically serving his community. Creator of the American Dream Foundation, his projects served children, families, classrooms, industries for those with disabilities, firefighters, plus producing music and other projects to keep kids out of gangs.

In his later years, John was extremely overweight. At 310 lbs, he was at a Burger King corporate event in 2008, snorkeling 60 yards from shore when he experienced congestive heart failure. Back in the States, doctors discovered his arteries were severely blocked and immediately John underwent five bypass surgeries. Rehab in St. George was so boring, that John went to check out this sign that read “Pickleball”. He picked up the wiffle ball and paddle, lost over a hundred pounds, and created an entire legacy based on that one little ball and paddle.

Never one to let grass grow under his feet, by May 2009, he introduced Pickleball to Mayor Godfrey of Ogden, with the offer to put in the first eight pickleball courts in Northern Utah. By July 2009, the “Gullo Pickleball Grotto” had been established and the courts were in! A few, strategic years later, John helped with design and construction of the first courts in Brigham City--later becoming the home of the Tournament of Champions (TOC). John was instrumental in establishing pickleball in over 10 cities in Utah. Today, there are over 360 busy pickleball courts in Northern Utah alone.

To spread his love of the game, John provided paddles, nets, and balls to all the Jr. High and High schools in the Ogden School District as well as the Boys and Girls Club, YMCA and Youth Impact. John was lucky enough to teach people with disabilities how to play the game he loves. He was instrumental in getting courts set up in LDS church gymnasiums throughout Utah—a welcome place to play indoors during the snowy winter season.

Getting the community involved was just the beginning. John founded the first professional pickleball tournament and named it the Tournament of Champions. It was the first tournament to pay referees and the first to live-stream a pickleball tournament. Inspired by the memory of his former business partner who organized the NFL, John organized the Professional Pickleball Federation, bringing nearly 300 of the best players of the game together for its first-ever professional tour. In its day, the Tournament of Champions was the highest-paying tournament for professionals. John Gullo’s American Dream Foundation was instrumental in allowing teenagers to play pickleball in the sport’s earliest days, donating over $25,000 in scholarship funds for the Junior Play at TOC. Without John Gullo’s vision, professional pickleball would not be what it is today—he can easily be called “the father of professional pickleball”.

“Play Hard, work hard, and do something for your community” has been John’s continuous mantra. His love of pickleball combined with his heart to serve local communities helped fuel the explosion in the worldwide popularity of this incredible sport.