Voit

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Voit Corporation is one of the oldest sporting goods companies in the world. It was founded by William J. Voit of Worthington, Indiana (1881-1958) in 1922.

Voit developed and patented the first full-molded, all-rubber inflatable ball and the first needle-type air retention valves in the late 1920s and, in 1931, the first all-rubber athletic balls, including the process of vulcanization which allowed a material to be fixed onto a separate rubber bladder, also, later in the 1930s, the process of "icosahedron winding" which allowed balls to be machine wound with nylon threads over the bladder, providing both strength and consistency in shape and permitted for mass production by a machine process. They began the revolution in the making of inflated athletic balls.

Those Voit patents and products made possible greatly increased athletic and recreation activity in the school systems, and led to universal use of a new type product which now dominates sales in its field. It was formerly part of AMF.

Other developments and patents later in the 1950s and '60s were the "Swimaster" line of professional dive equipment (used by the famous aquatic explorer Jacques Cousteau), the "Equi Staff" line of professional golf equipment which included the innovation of the "Power Plugs" or screws to alter the weigth position of golf clubs, the first rubber bodied water polo ball (which was adopted as the official ball of college, international and Olympic competitions), among others.

Voit Corporaton is based in San Antonio, Texas, and Mexico City.