Inaugural Class of 2004

Irv Kalb

Player Inaugural Class

Irv Kalb

Born: 1954 (Age 69)

Career Information

College

1972-1976

Club

Late 1970s
Late 1970s

U.S. National Championships

4x U.S. College Champion (1973, 1974, 1975, 1976)

Awards

Won the National and World Freestyle Championships with Dan Roddick (1975)

Won the World Guts Championships playing with the Foothill Institute of Frisbee Culture (1979)

Won the World Guts Championships playing with the Foothill Institute of Frisbee Culture (1980)

Irv Kalb was one of the early stars of the game, as captain of the Columbia High School team in 1971-72 (with a record of 19-0) and of college champion Rutgers University from 1972-76 (with a record of 45-1). He also won a freestyle championship with Stork Roddick in 1975. Irv was an avid organizer of Ultimate at high schools and colleges in the early 1970s, was co-coordinator of the first multi-team tournament at Yale in 1975, and oversaw the development of the rules of the game from 1971-82. Together with Larry Schindel, he was the “Johnny Appleseed” of Ultimate. Irv was always tireless in his pursuit of on-field excellence, faithful in his promotion of the game, and diligent in his preservation of the game’s history. Through the 1970s he authored numerous articles on Ultimate and co-authored the book, Ultimate: Fundamentals of the Sport, with Tom Kennedy in 1982. 

Contributions & Service

  • Wrote the third through the eighth editions of the Rules of Ultimate
  • 1970s: Generally involved in every organizational development of Ultimate
  • 1970s, 1980s: Wrote numerous articles in the 1970s and 1980s on Ultimate that appeared in Frisbee magazines
  • 1971-1972: Coordinator of the first Ultimate league, the New Jersey Frisbee Conference
  • 1975: Coordinator of the first Ultimate National Championship at Yale University
  • 1982: Co-authored the book, Ultimate: Fundamentals of the Sport, with Tom Kennedy

Championship Tournaments

U.S. National Championships

Year Team Placement
1973 Rutgers University College Men 1st
1974 Rutgers University College Men 1st
1975 Rutgers University College Men 1st
1976 Rutgers University College Men 1st

Irv's Teammates

Player Inaugural Class