College Basketball
College Basketball
15
15
0
James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American[1] physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, sports coach, and innovator.[2] He invented the game of basketball at age 30 in 1891. He wrote the original basketball rule book and founded the University of Kansas basketball program.[3] Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939).
Born and raised on a farm near Almonte, Ontario, Naismith studied physical education at Montreal’s McGill University before moving to the United States, where he designed the game of basketball in late 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.[4] Seven years after inventing basketball, Naismith received his medical degree in Denver in 1898. He then arrived at the University of Kansas, later becoming the Kansas Jayhawks' athletic director and coach.[5] While a coach at Kansas, Naismith coached Phog Allen, who later became the coach at Kansas for 39 seasons, beginning a lengthy and prestigious coaching tree. Allen then went on to coach legends including Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, among others, who themselves coached many notable players and future coaches.[6] Despite coaching his final season in 1907, Naismith is still the only coach in Kansas men's basketball history with a losing record.
Born and raised on a farm near Almonte, Ontario, Naismith studied physical education at Montreal’s McGill University before moving to the United States, where he designed the game of basketball in late 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.[4] Seven years after inventing basketball, Naismith received his medical degree in Denver in 1898. He then arrived at the University of Kansas, later becoming the Kansas Jayhawks' athletic director and coach.[5] While a coach at Kansas, Naismith coached Phog Allen, who later became the coach at Kansas for 39 seasons, beginning a lengthy and prestigious coaching tree. Allen then went on to coach legends including Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, among others, who themselves coached many notable players and future coaches.[6] Despite coaching his final season in 1907, Naismith is still the only coach in Kansas men's basketball history with a losing record.
James Naismith - Wikipedia
Posted from en.wikipedia.org
Birthday
American History
Basketball
College Basketball
Edited 4 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 4
8
8
0
Dr James Naismith - Creator Of Basketball In Rare Interview 1939 WOR Radio
Canadian-born Presbyterian minister James Naismith wrote the rules for basketball as physical education instructor at a Springfield Mass YMCA in 1891. Here h...
Thank you my friend Maj Marty Hogan for making us aware that November 6 is the anniversary of the birth of WWI Army chaplain for the Kansas Army National Guard who served with the First Kansas Infantry, Canadian-American physical educator, physician, sports coach, and innovator James Naismith who "invented the game of basketball at age 30 in 1891."
Dr James Naismith - Creator Of Basketball In Rare Interview 1939 WOR Radio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yxk6pb64F8
Images:
1. James Naismith, inventor of basketball [courtesy Library and Archives Canada_C-80002]
2. Army Chaplains, Dr. McCurdy, Dr. James Naismith, and Dr. Seerley
3. Members of the world's first basketball team, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1891. [Front row, left to right]: F.G. MacDonald, W.H. Davis, L.W. Archibald. [Centre row, left to right]: Frank Mahan, James Naismith. [Rear row, left to right]: J.G. Thompson, E.S. Libby, Dr. E.P. Ruggles, W.R. Chase, T.D. Patton
4. James Naismith and his wife, Maude Sherman Naismith
Biographies:
1. thoughtco.com/james-naismith-and-basketball-1991999
2. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-naismith
1. Background from {[https://www.thoughtco.com/james-naismith-and-basketball-1991999]}
"Biography of James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball
By Mary Bellis
Updated May 15, 2019
James Naismith (November 6, 1861–November 28, 1939) was a Canadian sports coach who, in December of 1891, took a soccer ball and a peach basket into the gym at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA and invented basketball. Over the course of the next decade, he worked to refine the game and its rules and build its popularity. In 1936, basketball had become an official event at the Olympic Games in Berlin.
Fast Facts: James Naismith
• Known For: Inventor of the game of basketball
• Born: November 6, 1861 in Almonte, Ontario, Province of Canada
• Parents: John Naismith, Margaret Young
• Died: November 28, 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas
• Education: McGill University, Presbyterian College, YMCA Training School, Gross Medical College (M.D.)
• Published Works: A Modern College in 1911; Essence of a Healthy Life in 1918; Basketball — its Origins and Development in 1941 (posthumous)
• Awards and Honors: Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Fame
• Spouse(s): Maude Evelyn Sherman, Florence B. Kincaid
• Children: Margaret Mason (Stanley), Helen Carolyn (Dodd), John Edwin, Maude Ann (Dawe), and James Sherman
• Notable Quote: "The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play 'Drop the Handkerchief.'"
Early Life
James Naismith was born in Ramsay township near Ontario, Canada in 1861. It was during his childhood years that he developed a love of sports and learned to play a neighborhood game called "Duck on a Rock," which later influenced the development of basketball. According to the Naismith
Basketball Foundation:
"Duck on a Rock" which was a game that combined tag with throwing. Players formed a line from a distance of 15-20 feet from the base stone. Each player used a fist-sized stone. The object was to dislodge the “guards” stone from the top of the base stone, by throwing, taking turns. The guard would be positioned in a neutral area away from the thrower. If one succeeded, they would go to the back of the line. If you missed the guards’ stone, the “chase” would be on and if tagged before the stone was recovered, the players would trade places.
Over time, they discovered that if the stone was hurled like a baseball it would bound far away and increase the likelihood of being caught by the guard. The players developed a lobbed arcing shot that proved to be more controllable, more accurate, and less likely to bounce away, thus increasing their chance of retrieval.
As a young man, Naismith attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, followed by theological training at Presbyterian College. After serving as McGill's athletic director, Naismith moved on to work at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891.
Invention of Basketball
At the YMCA Training School, athletes found themselves at loose ends between the end of the football season and the start of the baseball season. Several trainers were asked to develop a sport to keep students physically active during the down season; the new game was to have two stated objectives: “make it fair for all players, and free of rough play."
After considering the balls and rules of play for several popular sports including rugby, lacrosse, football, and soccer, Naismith developed a basic game that involved throwing a soccer ball into peach baskets. The larger soccer ball, he felt, would slow down play to avoid collisions.
After a few experiments with the game, Naismith realized that rough play was inevitable near the goals and that players carrying the ball would be tackled. He also placed the goals overhead, and opened the bottom of the nets to allow the ball to drop out; in addition, remembering his childhood experience with "Duck on a Rock," he developed a new kind of lobbing toss for the game.
Ultimately, he established 13 basic rules for the new game he dubbed basketball:
1. The Ball may be thrown in any direction by one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for the man who catches the ball when running if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held by the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of the rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3, 4, and such as described in rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that team.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to rule 5
11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by the referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with 5 minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may be by mutual agreement, be continued until another goal is made.
First College Basketball Game
Following his time at the YMCA, Naismith went on to work for the University of Kansas, initially as a chaplain. At that time, basketball was played at the college level, but competition was usually between YMCAs. It was Naismith and other Kansas coaches who helped push the game into greater prominence, though Naismith himself did not seek the spotlight.
The first-ever college basketball game was played on January 18, 1896. On that day, the University of Iowa invited student-athletes from the new University of Chicago for an experimental game. The final score was Chicago 15, Iowa 12.
Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of the National Invitation Tournament in 1938 and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1939.
College basketball games were first broadcast on national TV in 1963, but it wasn't until the 1980s that sports fans ranked basketball as high as football and baseball.
Death
James Naismith died of a brain hemorrhage in 1939 and was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas.
Legacy
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, is named in his honor. He was an inaugural inductee in 1959. The National Collegiate Athletic Association also rewards its top players and coaches annually with the Naismith Awards, which includes the Naismith College Player of the Year, the Naismith College Coach of the Year, and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year.
Naismith was also inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Naismith's hometown of Almonte, Ontario hosts an annual 3-on-3 tournament for all ages and skill levels in his honor. Every year, this event attracts hundreds of participants and involves over 20 half-court games along the main street of the town.
Sources
• “Dr. James Naismith's Life.” Naismith Basketball Foundation, 13 Nov. 2014.
• Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “James Naismith.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 Feb. 2019."
2. Background from [[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-naismith]}
James Naismith
Article by Dave Zarum; last edited July 26, 2019
Dr. James Naismith, physical educator, author, inventor, chaplain, physician (born 6 November 1861 in Almonte, Ontario; died 28 November 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas). James Naismith is best known as the inventor of the sport of basketball. He was also the first full-time athletics instructor at McGill University and established the basketball program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he worked and lived for 41 years until his death. Naismith became the first member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. He was posthumously inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 2010, his original hand-written rules for the sport of basketball were sold at auction for $4.3 million, a sports memorabilia record.
Naismith invented the game of basketball while working as an instructor at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-80002).
Early Life
James Naismith was the eldest son of Scottish immigrants Margaret and John Naismith. Margaret (née Young) was part of a large family that moved to Canada in 1852 and settled in Ramsay Township, Lanark County. A year later, 18-year-old John Naismith left his parents in Scotland and immigrated to the same county.
James Naismith was born on 6 November 1861 in Ramsay Township near Almonte, Ontario, a mill town in the Ottawa Valley, where he attended grade school. In 1870, his parents died of typhoid fever. Naismith, along with his older sister, Anne, and younger brother, Robbie, moved to live with their uncle, Peter Young, in nearby Bennie’s Corners.
Naismith spent the bulk of his free time outdoors playing games with friends, developing a passion for sports and physical activity. A popular game he often played was called “duck on a rock.” He and his friends would gather near a large stone at the blacksmith’s yard near the one-room schoolhouse they attended. A rock — called “the duck” — was placed on the stone while one person acted as a guard. The others stood 10–15 feet away, trying to displace it from its perch by hurling rocks of their own. It wasn’t long before the kids realized that trying to throw the rock directly past the guard like a baseball wasn’t effective. Instead, they began lobbing it high in the air, arcing over the guard. The rules of the game — and the development of the lob shot — stuck with Naismith and later became the basis of basketball.
Education
Naismith attended Almonte High School beginning in 1875 but struggled to get good grades and left after just two years, Instead, he chose to work on the Young family farm in the summers and spend his winters at a logging camp. He returned to high school four years later, in 1881, and completed his high school equivalency by the spring of 1883.
In the fall of 1883, the 21-year-old Naismith enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, where he studied philosophy and Hebrew and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1887. He was a standout multisport athlete at McGill, competing in lacrosse, football, rugby, soccer and gymnastics. In 1885–86 he was the gymnastics champion of his junior class. The following year, he won the Wicksteed gold medal, awarded to the top athlete of the graduating class. He was also a starter on McGill’s football team for three consecutive seasons.
Naismith went on to study theology at nearby Presbyterian College and earned money to pay for his tuition by teaching physical education at McGill, becoming the school’s first full-time athletics instructor in the fall of 1889. He earned a diploma in theology in 1890.
He decided, however, that he could have a greater influence through sports than through traditional ministry. That year, he decided to leave Montréal to train as a YMCA Physical Director at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891, he became an instructor at the school.
Invention of Basketball
Sport played a large role at the YMCA training school (later named Springfield College), with students and faculty participating in outdoor sports like football, soccer and lacrosse. Searching for a way to utilize the school’s gymnasium during the winter months, physical education director Dr. Luther Gulick tasked Naismith with establishing a game that could be played indoors. His only instructions were to “make it fair for all players, and free of rough play.”
Using “duck on a rock” — the game from his childhood — as inspiration, Naismith devised a game in which participants scored by throwing a soccer ball into a box guarded by an opposing team. (Naismith asked the building’s superintendent, Pop Stebbins, if he had two spare boxes, but all Stebbins could offer were two peach baskets.) He soon realized that because of the gymnasium’s tight confines, players could easily crowd in front of the box, making it difficult to score, so he decided the box would be placed above the players’ heads. Like “duck on a rock”, the ball would be have to be thrown in an arcing motion in order to score.
On 21 December 1891, the first game of basketball was played at Springfield College. Naismith fastened the baskets on ten-foot balconies at opposite ends of the gym, posted the rules on a nearby wall and waited in anticipation.
“I busied myself arranging the apparatus, all the time watching the boys as they arrived to observe their attitude that day," Naismith wrote in his journal. "I felt this was a crucial moment in my life as it meant success or failure of my attempt to hold the interest of the class and devise a new game.”
He split the group into two teams of nine. The first game, Naismith recalled, was very rough. “Well, I didn’t have enough [rules] and that’s where I made my big mistake,” he said in a 1939 radio interview. “The boys began tackling, kicking and punching in the clinches. They ended up in a free-for-all in the middle of the gym floor. Before I could pull them apart, one boy was knocked out, several of them had black eyes and one had a dislocated shoulder.” In response, Naismith introduced a rule that players couldn’t run with the ball, which helped to eliminate the violence from the game.
He settled on 13 rules for his sport, which he named Basket Ball. On 15 January 1892, Naismith’s 13 rules were made public when they were printed in the Springfield College school newspaper, The Triangle.
The 13 Rules
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count [as] a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.
University of Kansas
As basketball gained popularity at Springfield College, many of the students took the sport with them when they became instructors at other YMCA institutions, introducing it to new regions in North America. So did Naismith.
On 20 June 1894, he married Maude Sherman in Springfield. The following year they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Naismith was hired as the physical education director at the local YMCA while pursuing a medical degree at the Gross Medical School at Colorado University.
In 1898, he graduated from medical school and accepted the positions of associate professor of physical culture and chapel director at the University of Kansas. That same year, he founded the university’s men’s basketball program, which as of 2017 has accumulated more victories than any other college program in the United States, except the University of Kentucky. Naismith compiled a 55–60 coaching record at Kansas before handing head coaching duties to former student Forrest “Phog” Allen in 1907. Ironically, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas history without a winning record.
Army Chaplain
In 1916, Naismith volunteered as a chaplain for the Kansas Army National Guard and served with the First Kansas Infantry. From July to October the regiment patrolled the national border with Mexico, following a raid by revolutionary Pancho Villa earlier in the year. In this role Naismith organized sports leagues, held religious services and counselled soldiers in need. When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, he again volunteered his services as chaplain, this time through the YMCA. In September 1917 he was sent by the YMCA to France as an “overseas secretary” tasked with improving the social hygiene of American troops. He spent 19 months based in Paris, returning to Kansas in March 1919.
Death and Legacy
Naismith returned to the University of Kansas, where he added campus physician and director of athletics to his resume before retiring in 1937 at the age of 76. He died on 28 November 1939 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. By that time, basketball had spread across North America and had made its debut at the Olympics.
Basketball had grown quickly since its invention by Naismith in 1891. The first collegiate basketball game was likely played in 1895 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, between the Hamline Pipers and the University of Minnesota’s School of Agriculture. By 1900, the sport was being played in YMCAs and YWCAs and in clubs and schools across the United States and Canada. The game grew internationally and was a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. It made its debut as a medal sport at the 1936 Olympics, a point of pride for Naismith, who was in attendance for the first match and threw the ball for the opening tip-off. (The United States won the first Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball, while Canada took silver.)
Today, basketball is the most commonly played sport on campuses across the United States. A 2013 government report named it the sixth most popular sport among Canadians and fourth most popular sport among Canadian children between the ages of five and 14. In 2007, Fédération internationale de basket (FIBA), basketball’s international governing body, estimated that globally, more than 450 million people play the game.
In 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was established on the campus of Springfield College. Naismith himself was part of the inaugural hall of fame class that year for his contributions to the sport. In 2002, a new state-of-the-art building was constructed nearby and continues to attract fans from around the world.
Naismith has been commemorated with two bronze statues, one in his hometown of Almonte, Ontario (unveiled in 2011) and the other at the University of Kansas campus (installed in 2016).
The Naismith Auction
On 10 December 2010, Naismith’s original hand-written rules were put up for auction by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation and fetched $4.3 million, a record price for sports memorabilia. The documents were purchased by American businessman David Booth, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, who donated them to the University of Kansas, where they are currently displayed. Profits from the sale went to support the Naismith International Basketball Foundation.
A portrait of James Naismith by graphic designer Christopher Hemsworth, based on Historica Canada's Heritage Minutes.
Honours and Awards
• Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Presbyterian College, Montréal (1939)
• Voted as Life Member of Physical Education Instructors of America (1941)
• Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (1955)
• Basketball Hall of Fame (1959)
• Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (1978)
• Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1995)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006)
• FIBA Hall of Fame (2007)
• Canada's Walk of Fame (2019)"
FYI SSG Robert Mark OdomSFC John LichSgt Jackie JuliusCPT Paul Whitmer1SG Steven Imerman COL Mikel J. Burroughs SPC Nancy GreeneSSG Franklin Briant1stsgt Glenn BrackinSFC Richard WilliamsonSPC Randy ZimmermanSPC Richard (Rick) Henry1SG John Highfill1SG Joseph DarteyLT Ed SkibaMaj Scott Kiger, M.A.S.SGT James Bower TSgt David L. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
Dr James Naismith - Creator Of Basketball In Rare Interview 1939 WOR Radio
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5yxk6pb64F8
Images:
1. James Naismith, inventor of basketball [courtesy Library and Archives Canada_C-80002]
2. Army Chaplains, Dr. McCurdy, Dr. James Naismith, and Dr. Seerley
3. Members of the world's first basketball team, Springfield, Massachusetts, 1891. [Front row, left to right]: F.G. MacDonald, W.H. Davis, L.W. Archibald. [Centre row, left to right]: Frank Mahan, James Naismith. [Rear row, left to right]: J.G. Thompson, E.S. Libby, Dr. E.P. Ruggles, W.R. Chase, T.D. Patton
4. James Naismith and his wife, Maude Sherman Naismith
Biographies:
1. thoughtco.com/james-naismith-and-basketball-1991999
2. thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-naismith
1. Background from {[https://www.thoughtco.com/james-naismith-and-basketball-1991999]}
"Biography of James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball
By Mary Bellis
Updated May 15, 2019
James Naismith (November 6, 1861–November 28, 1939) was a Canadian sports coach who, in December of 1891, took a soccer ball and a peach basket into the gym at the Springfield, Massachusetts YMCA and invented basketball. Over the course of the next decade, he worked to refine the game and its rules and build its popularity. In 1936, basketball had become an official event at the Olympic Games in Berlin.
Fast Facts: James Naismith
• Known For: Inventor of the game of basketball
• Born: November 6, 1861 in Almonte, Ontario, Province of Canada
• Parents: John Naismith, Margaret Young
• Died: November 28, 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas
• Education: McGill University, Presbyterian College, YMCA Training School, Gross Medical College (M.D.)
• Published Works: A Modern College in 1911; Essence of a Healthy Life in 1918; Basketball — its Origins and Development in 1941 (posthumous)
• Awards and Honors: Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, Basketball Hall of Fame
• Spouse(s): Maude Evelyn Sherman, Florence B. Kincaid
• Children: Margaret Mason (Stanley), Helen Carolyn (Dodd), John Edwin, Maude Ann (Dawe), and James Sherman
• Notable Quote: "The invention of basketball was not an accident. It was developed to meet a need. Those boys simply would not play 'Drop the Handkerchief.'"
Early Life
James Naismith was born in Ramsay township near Ontario, Canada in 1861. It was during his childhood years that he developed a love of sports and learned to play a neighborhood game called "Duck on a Rock," which later influenced the development of basketball. According to the Naismith
Basketball Foundation:
"Duck on a Rock" which was a game that combined tag with throwing. Players formed a line from a distance of 15-20 feet from the base stone. Each player used a fist-sized stone. The object was to dislodge the “guards” stone from the top of the base stone, by throwing, taking turns. The guard would be positioned in a neutral area away from the thrower. If one succeeded, they would go to the back of the line. If you missed the guards’ stone, the “chase” would be on and if tagged before the stone was recovered, the players would trade places.
Over time, they discovered that if the stone was hurled like a baseball it would bound far away and increase the likelihood of being caught by the guard. The players developed a lobbed arcing shot that proved to be more controllable, more accurate, and less likely to bounce away, thus increasing their chance of retrieval.
As a young man, Naismith attended McGill University in Montreal, Quebec, followed by theological training at Presbyterian College. After serving as McGill's athletic director, Naismith moved on to work at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891.
Invention of Basketball
At the YMCA Training School, athletes found themselves at loose ends between the end of the football season and the start of the baseball season. Several trainers were asked to develop a sport to keep students physically active during the down season; the new game was to have two stated objectives: “make it fair for all players, and free of rough play."
After considering the balls and rules of play for several popular sports including rugby, lacrosse, football, and soccer, Naismith developed a basic game that involved throwing a soccer ball into peach baskets. The larger soccer ball, he felt, would slow down play to avoid collisions.
After a few experiments with the game, Naismith realized that rough play was inevitable near the goals and that players carrying the ball would be tackled. He also placed the goals overhead, and opened the bottom of the nets to allow the ball to drop out; in addition, remembering his childhood experience with "Duck on a Rock," he developed a new kind of lobbing toss for the game.
Ultimately, he established 13 basic rules for the new game he dubbed basketball:
1. The Ball may be thrown in any direction by one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for the man who catches the ball when running if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held by the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of the rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of rules 3, 4, and such as described in rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the meantime making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that team.
10. The umpire shall be the judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have the power to disqualify men according to rule 5
11. The referee shall be the judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals, with any other duties that are usually performed by the referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with 5 minutes rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may be by mutual agreement, be continued until another goal is made.
First College Basketball Game
Following his time at the YMCA, Naismith went on to work for the University of Kansas, initially as a chaplain. At that time, basketball was played at the college level, but competition was usually between YMCAs. It was Naismith and other Kansas coaches who helped push the game into greater prominence, though Naismith himself did not seek the spotlight.
The first-ever college basketball game was played on January 18, 1896. On that day, the University of Iowa invited student-athletes from the new University of Chicago for an experimental game. The final score was Chicago 15, Iowa 12.
Naismith lived to see basketball adopted as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the birth of the National Invitation Tournament in 1938 and the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1939.
College basketball games were first broadcast on national TV in 1963, but it wasn't until the 1980s that sports fans ranked basketball as high as football and baseball.
Death
James Naismith died of a brain hemorrhage in 1939 and was interred at Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas.
Legacy
The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, is named in his honor. He was an inaugural inductee in 1959. The National Collegiate Athletic Association also rewards its top players and coaches annually with the Naismith Awards, which includes the Naismith College Player of the Year, the Naismith College Coach of the Year, and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year.
Naismith was also inducted into the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame, and the FIBA Hall of Fame.
Naismith's hometown of Almonte, Ontario hosts an annual 3-on-3 tournament for all ages and skill levels in his honor. Every year, this event attracts hundreds of participants and involves over 20 half-court games along the main street of the town.
Sources
• “Dr. James Naismith's Life.” Naismith Basketball Foundation, 13 Nov. 2014.
• Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. “James Naismith.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 1 Feb. 2019."
2. Background from [[https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/james-naismith]}
James Naismith
Article by Dave Zarum; last edited July 26, 2019
Dr. James Naismith, physical educator, author, inventor, chaplain, physician (born 6 November 1861 in Almonte, Ontario; died 28 November 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas). James Naismith is best known as the inventor of the sport of basketball. He was also the first full-time athletics instructor at McGill University and established the basketball program at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, where he worked and lived for 41 years until his death. Naismith became the first member of the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959. He was posthumously inducted to Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame and Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 2010, his original hand-written rules for the sport of basketball were sold at auction for $4.3 million, a sports memorabilia record.
Naismith invented the game of basketball while working as an instructor at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass (courtesy Library and Archives Canada/C-80002).
Early Life
James Naismith was the eldest son of Scottish immigrants Margaret and John Naismith. Margaret (née Young) was part of a large family that moved to Canada in 1852 and settled in Ramsay Township, Lanark County. A year later, 18-year-old John Naismith left his parents in Scotland and immigrated to the same county.
James Naismith was born on 6 November 1861 in Ramsay Township near Almonte, Ontario, a mill town in the Ottawa Valley, where he attended grade school. In 1870, his parents died of typhoid fever. Naismith, along with his older sister, Anne, and younger brother, Robbie, moved to live with their uncle, Peter Young, in nearby Bennie’s Corners.
Naismith spent the bulk of his free time outdoors playing games with friends, developing a passion for sports and physical activity. A popular game he often played was called “duck on a rock.” He and his friends would gather near a large stone at the blacksmith’s yard near the one-room schoolhouse they attended. A rock — called “the duck” — was placed on the stone while one person acted as a guard. The others stood 10–15 feet away, trying to displace it from its perch by hurling rocks of their own. It wasn’t long before the kids realized that trying to throw the rock directly past the guard like a baseball wasn’t effective. Instead, they began lobbing it high in the air, arcing over the guard. The rules of the game — and the development of the lob shot — stuck with Naismith and later became the basis of basketball.
Education
Naismith attended Almonte High School beginning in 1875 but struggled to get good grades and left after just two years, Instead, he chose to work on the Young family farm in the summers and spend his winters at a logging camp. He returned to high school four years later, in 1881, and completed his high school equivalency by the spring of 1883.
In the fall of 1883, the 21-year-old Naismith enrolled at McGill University in Montreal, where he studied philosophy and Hebrew and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 1887. He was a standout multisport athlete at McGill, competing in lacrosse, football, rugby, soccer and gymnastics. In 1885–86 he was the gymnastics champion of his junior class. The following year, he won the Wicksteed gold medal, awarded to the top athlete of the graduating class. He was also a starter on McGill’s football team for three consecutive seasons.
Naismith went on to study theology at nearby Presbyterian College and earned money to pay for his tuition by teaching physical education at McGill, becoming the school’s first full-time athletics instructor in the fall of 1889. He earned a diploma in theology in 1890.
He decided, however, that he could have a greater influence through sports than through traditional ministry. That year, he decided to leave Montréal to train as a YMCA Physical Director at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. In 1891, he became an instructor at the school.
Invention of Basketball
Sport played a large role at the YMCA training school (later named Springfield College), with students and faculty participating in outdoor sports like football, soccer and lacrosse. Searching for a way to utilize the school’s gymnasium during the winter months, physical education director Dr. Luther Gulick tasked Naismith with establishing a game that could be played indoors. His only instructions were to “make it fair for all players, and free of rough play.”
Using “duck on a rock” — the game from his childhood — as inspiration, Naismith devised a game in which participants scored by throwing a soccer ball into a box guarded by an opposing team. (Naismith asked the building’s superintendent, Pop Stebbins, if he had two spare boxes, but all Stebbins could offer were two peach baskets.) He soon realized that because of the gymnasium’s tight confines, players could easily crowd in front of the box, making it difficult to score, so he decided the box would be placed above the players’ heads. Like “duck on a rock”, the ball would be have to be thrown in an arcing motion in order to score.
On 21 December 1891, the first game of basketball was played at Springfield College. Naismith fastened the baskets on ten-foot balconies at opposite ends of the gym, posted the rules on a nearby wall and waited in anticipation.
“I busied myself arranging the apparatus, all the time watching the boys as they arrived to observe their attitude that day," Naismith wrote in his journal. "I felt this was a crucial moment in my life as it meant success or failure of my attempt to hold the interest of the class and devise a new game.”
He split the group into two teams of nine. The first game, Naismith recalled, was very rough. “Well, I didn’t have enough [rules] and that’s where I made my big mistake,” he said in a 1939 radio interview. “The boys began tackling, kicking and punching in the clinches. They ended up in a free-for-all in the middle of the gym floor. Before I could pull them apart, one boy was knocked out, several of them had black eyes and one had a dislocated shoulder.” In response, Naismith introduced a rule that players couldn’t run with the ball, which helped to eliminate the violence from the game.
He settled on 13 rules for his sport, which he named Basket Ball. On 15 January 1892, Naismith’s 13 rules were made public when they were printed in the Springfield College school newspaper, The Triangle.
The 13 Rules
1. The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
2. The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
3. A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.
4. The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
5. No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.
6. A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule 5.
7. If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count [as] a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).
8. A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
9. When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
10. The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
11. The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
12. The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes' rest between.
13. The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.
University of Kansas
As basketball gained popularity at Springfield College, many of the students took the sport with them when they became instructors at other YMCA institutions, introducing it to new regions in North America. So did Naismith.
On 20 June 1894, he married Maude Sherman in Springfield. The following year they moved to Denver, Colorado, where Naismith was hired as the physical education director at the local YMCA while pursuing a medical degree at the Gross Medical School at Colorado University.
In 1898, he graduated from medical school and accepted the positions of associate professor of physical culture and chapel director at the University of Kansas. That same year, he founded the university’s men’s basketball program, which as of 2017 has accumulated more victories than any other college program in the United States, except the University of Kentucky. Naismith compiled a 55–60 coaching record at Kansas before handing head coaching duties to former student Forrest “Phog” Allen in 1907. Ironically, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas history without a winning record.
Army Chaplain
In 1916, Naismith volunteered as a chaplain for the Kansas Army National Guard and served with the First Kansas Infantry. From July to October the regiment patrolled the national border with Mexico, following a raid by revolutionary Pancho Villa earlier in the year. In this role Naismith organized sports leagues, held religious services and counselled soldiers in need. When the United States entered the First World War in April 1917, he again volunteered his services as chaplain, this time through the YMCA. In September 1917 he was sent by the YMCA to France as an “overseas secretary” tasked with improving the social hygiene of American troops. He spent 19 months based in Paris, returning to Kansas in March 1919.
Death and Legacy
Naismith returned to the University of Kansas, where he added campus physician and director of athletics to his resume before retiring in 1937 at the age of 76. He died on 28 November 1939 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. By that time, basketball had spread across North America and had made its debut at the Olympics.
Basketball had grown quickly since its invention by Naismith in 1891. The first collegiate basketball game was likely played in 1895 at Hamline University in St. Paul, Minnesota, between the Hamline Pipers and the University of Minnesota’s School of Agriculture. By 1900, the sport was being played in YMCAs and YWCAs and in clubs and schools across the United States and Canada. The game grew internationally and was a demonstration sport at the 1904 Olympic Games in St. Louis. It made its debut as a medal sport at the 1936 Olympics, a point of pride for Naismith, who was in attendance for the first match and threw the ball for the opening tip-off. (The United States won the first Olympic gold medal in men’s basketball, while Canada took silver.)
Today, basketball is the most commonly played sport on campuses across the United States. A 2013 government report named it the sixth most popular sport among Canadians and fourth most popular sport among Canadian children between the ages of five and 14. In 2007, Fédération internationale de basket (FIBA), basketball’s international governing body, estimated that globally, more than 450 million people play the game.
In 1959, the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was established on the campus of Springfield College. Naismith himself was part of the inaugural hall of fame class that year for his contributions to the sport. In 2002, a new state-of-the-art building was constructed nearby and continues to attract fans from around the world.
Naismith has been commemorated with two bronze statues, one in his hometown of Almonte, Ontario (unveiled in 2011) and the other at the University of Kansas campus (installed in 2016).
The Naismith Auction
On 10 December 2010, Naismith’s original hand-written rules were put up for auction by the Naismith International Basketball Foundation and fetched $4.3 million, a record price for sports memorabilia. The documents were purchased by American businessman David Booth, a native of Lawrence, Kansas, who donated them to the University of Kansas, where they are currently displayed. Profits from the sale went to support the Naismith International Basketball Foundation.
A portrait of James Naismith by graphic designer Christopher Hemsworth, based on Historica Canada's Heritage Minutes.
Honours and Awards
• Honorary Doctor of Divinity, Presbyterian College, Montréal (1939)
• Voted as Life Member of Physical Education Instructors of America (1941)
• Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame (1955)
• Basketball Hall of Fame (1959)
• Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame (1978)
• Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame (1995)
• National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame (2006)
• FIBA Hall of Fame (2007)
• Canada's Walk of Fame (2019)"
FYI SSG Robert Mark OdomSFC John LichSgt Jackie JuliusCPT Paul Whitmer1SG Steven Imerman COL Mikel J. Burroughs SPC Nancy GreeneSSG Franklin Briant1stsgt Glenn BrackinSFC Richard WilliamsonSPC Randy ZimmermanSPC Richard (Rick) Henry1SG John Highfill1SG Joseph DarteyLT Ed SkibaMaj Scott Kiger, M.A.S.SGT James Bower TSgt David L. SMSgt Lawrence McCarter
(8)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
In the continuing saga of movies for my brother's school classes comes this moving documentary about Mr. James Naismith-the inventor of basketball. The scrip...
It Started In Springfield
In the continuing saga of movies for my brother's school classes comes this moving documentary about Mr. James Naismith-the inventor of basketball. The script was written by my brother Matt, and he plays the title character. Then the manual editing was done on camcorders, the graphics were all done on the my Apple II and my my good friend Josh Brown did the sound sweetening with his ancient Mac."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2MF5gJN04
Images:
1. Dr. James Naismith plays basketball with his grandchildren in the backyard.
2. James Naismith (left) in football gear.
3. James Naismith {far left, seated ) played rugby football at McGill University
FYI Maj Robert Thornton SFC (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland MSG Andrew White Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. LTC Greg Henning SGT Gregory Lawritson SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT (Join to see) SGT (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC (Join to see)Col Carl Whicker SPC Margaret HigginsPO1 Robert GeorgeSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-CwikLt Col Charlie Brown Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
In the continuing saga of movies for my brother's school classes comes this moving documentary about Mr. James Naismith-the inventor of basketball. The script was written by my brother Matt, and he plays the title character. Then the manual editing was done on camcorders, the graphics were all done on the my Apple II and my my good friend Josh Brown did the sound sweetening with his ancient Mac."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ug2MF5gJN04
Images:
1. Dr. James Naismith plays basketball with his grandchildren in the backyard.
2. James Naismith (left) in football gear.
3. James Naismith {far left, seated ) played rugby football at McGill University
FYI Maj Robert Thornton SFC (Join to see) SGT Steve McFarland MSG Andrew White Maj Bill Smith, Ph.D. LTC Greg Henning SGT Gregory Lawritson SP5 Mark Kuzinski SGT (Join to see) SGT (Join to see) CWO3 (Join to see) PO1 William "Chip" Nagel LTC (Join to see)Col Carl Whicker SPC Margaret HigginsPO1 Robert GeorgeSP5 Jeannie CarleSPC Chris Bayner-CwikLt Col Charlie Brown Lt Col John (Jack) Christensen
(6)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
Meet the Past - James Naismith - July 11, 2012
Meet the Past continued when Crosby Kemper III interviewed basketball inventor and former Kansas Jayhawks coach James Naismith, as portrayed by Bill Worley.
Meet the Past - James Naismith - July 11, 2012
Meet the Past continued when Crosby Kemper III interviewed basketball inventor and former Kansas Jayhawks coach James Naismith, as portrayed by Bill Worley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnld-UCVYAY
FYI Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell
SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord [~655611:spc-douglas-bolton Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse EngelSPC Matthew LambSSG Robert "Rob" WentworthCapt Rich BuckleyCW4 G.L. SmithSPC Russ BoltonSFC Terry WilcoxPO2 Roger Lafarlette Sgt Kelli Mays
Meet the Past continued when Crosby Kemper III interviewed basketball inventor and former Kansas Jayhawks coach James Naismith, as portrayed by Bill Worley.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnld-UCVYAY
FYI Cpl James R. " Jim" Gossett Jr LTC Jeff Shearer SGT Philip RoncariCWO3 Dennis M. SFC William Farrell
SGT (Join to see)PO3 Bob McCord [~655611:spc-douglas-bolton Cynthia Croft SSG Donald H "Don" Bates SSG William JonesSP5 Jesse EngelSPC Matthew LambSSG Robert "Rob" WentworthCapt Rich BuckleyCW4 G.L. SmithSPC Russ BoltonSFC Terry WilcoxPO2 Roger Lafarlette Sgt Kelli Mays
(4)
(0)
5
5
0
5
5
0
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google