Dan “Stork” Roddick talks about how he got into ultimate and shares his experience playing in the first college ultimate frisbee game in 1972.

Dan “Stork” Roddick is a long-time disc sport champion and organizer in both the U.S. and internationally. Stork was an early star of the game of Ultimate with college champion Rutgers University (with a record of 45-1), where he was Irv Kalb’s favorite scoring target, and he was a winner of national and world championships in individual events including disc golf, freestyle and accuracy.

Stork was one of the driving forces behind promoting and supporting Ultimate and all other disc sports through his role as head of Wham-O’s sports marketing department from 1975-92, ensuring sufficient financial support for the UPA in its first decade of existence. Besides providing direction and support to TK (Tom Kennedy) and others for their efforts in the U.S., he also was instrumental in the international arena, serving as World Flying Disc Federation President from 1986-1992 and as secretary from 1998-2003.

An Eagle Scout in his youth, Stork has written numerous articles and books on disc sports. He is credited with framing Ultimate’s defining “Spirit of the Game” philosophy which has guided play for the past 40 years of competition.