James A. Naismith (November 6, 1861 as James Naismith^[1]– November 28, 1939) was a Canadian and naturalized American sports coach and innovator. Naismith invented the sport of "Basket Ball" in 1891 and is often credited with introducing the first football helmet. A pioneer of basketball, he also wrote the original rulebook of this sport, was founder of the University of Kansas basketball program and lived to see the introduction of his sport as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event in 1936. Naismith's contributions to the sport have earned him several posthumous enshrinements, such as in the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Legends 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. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame carries his name.

Biography

Early years

Naismith was born 1861 in Ramsay Township, near Almonte, Ontario in Canada.^[2] Struggling in school but gifted in farm labour, Naismith spent his days outside playing catch, hide-and-seek or duck on a rock, a medieval game in which a person guards a large drake stone from opposing players, who try to knock it down by throwing smaller stones at it. To play duck on a rock most effectively, Naismith soon found out that a soft lobbing shot was far more effective than a straight hard throw, a thought which later proved essential for the invention of basketball.^[3] Orphaned early in life, Naismith lived with his aunt and uncle and attended grade school at Bennies Corners near Almonte before visiting the local Almonte High School, where he graduated in 1883.^[3]

McGill University

In the same year, Naismith entered McGill University in Montreal. Although described as a slight figure, standing 5 foot 10 ½ and listed at 168 pounds,^[4] he was a talented and versatile athlete, representing McGill in Canadian football, soccer and gymnastics. He played center on the football team, introduced the first football helmet into regular play^[3] and won multiple Wicksteed medals for outstanding gymnastics performances.^[5] Naismith earned a BA in Physical Education (1888) and a Diploma at the Presbyterian College in Montreal (1890).^[3] From 1891 on, Naismith taught physical education and became the first McGill director of athletics, but then left Montreal to become a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.^[5]

Springfield College: invention of "Basket Ball"

Picture of the original 1891 "Basket Ball" court in Springfield College. Note the peach basket attached to the wall.

In his attempt to think up a new game, Naismith was guided by three main thoughts.^[3] Firstly, he analysed the most popular games of those times (rugby, lacrosse, soccer, football, hockey and baseball); Naismith noticed the hazards of a small fast ball and concluded that the big soft soccer ball was safest. Secondly, he saw that most physical contact occurred while running with the ball, dribbling or hitting it, so he decided that passing was the only legal option. Finally, Naismith further reduced body contact by making the goal unguardable, namely placing it high above the player's heads. To score goals, he forced the players to throw a soft lobbing shot that had proven effective in his old favourite game duck on a rock. Naismith christened this new game [sic] "Basket Ball"^[3] and put his thoughts together in 13 basic rules.^[6]

The first game of "Basket Ball" was played in December 1891. In a handwritten report, Naismith described the circumstances of the inaugural match; in contrast to modern basketball, the players played nine versus nine, handled a soccer ball, not a basketball, and instead of shooting at two hoops, the goals were a pair of peach baskets: "When Mr. Stubbins brot [sic] up the peach baskets to the gym I secured them on the inside of the railing of the gallery. This was about 10 feet from the floor, one at each end of the gymnasium. I then put the 13 rules on the bulletin board just behind the instructor's platform, secured a soccer ball and awaited the arrival of the class? The class did not show much enthusiasm but followed my lead? I then explained what they had to do to make goals, tossed the ball up between the two center men & tried to keep them somewhat near the rules. Most of the fouls were called for running with the ball, though tackling the man with the ball was not uncommon."^[7] In contrast to modern basketball, the original rules did not include what is known today as the dribble. Since the ball could only be moved up the court via a pass early players tossed the ball over their heads as they ran up court. Also, following each "goal" a jump ball was taken in the middle of the court. Both practices are obsolete in the rules of modern basketball.^[8]

By 1892, basketball had grown so popular on campus that "The Triangle", the Springfield college newspaper, featured it in an article called "A New Game",^[2] and there were calls to call this new game "Naismith Ball", but Naismith refused.^[3] By 1893, basketball was introduced internationally by the YMCA movement.^[2] From Springfield, Naismith went to Denver where he acquired a medical degree and in 1898 he joined the University of Kansas faculty at Lawrence, Kansas.^[4]

University of Kansas

The 1899 University of Kansas basketball team, with Dr. James Naismith at the back, right.

Basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse take place on the James Naismith Court.

By the turn of the century, there were enough college teams in the East of the U.S. that the first intercollegiate competitions could be played out.^[11] Although his sport continuously grew, Naismith long regarded his game as a curiosity and preferred gymnastics and wrestling as better forms of physical education.^[11] However, basketball became a demonstration sport at the 1904 Games in St. Louis, USA. As the Basketball Hall of Fame reports, Naismith was also neither interested in self-promotion nor in the glory of competitive sports.^[13] Instead, he was more interested in his physical education career, receiving a honorary PE Masters degree in 1910,^[3] patrolled the Mexican border for four months in 1916 during World War I, travelled to France, published two books ("A Modern College" in 1911 and "Essence of a Healthy Life" in 1918) and took on American citizenship in 1925.^[3]

In 1935, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (created by Naismith's pupil Phog Allen) collected money so that the 74-year old Naismith could witness the introduction of basketball into the official Olympic sports program of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games.^[13] There, Naismith handed out the medals to three North American teams; United States, for the Gold Medal, Canada, for the Silver Medal, and Mexico, for their Bronze medal win.^[14] During the Olympics, he was named the Honorary President of the International Basketball Federation.^[3] When Naismith returned he commented that seeing the game played by many nations was the greatest compensation he could have received for his invention.^[11] In 1937, Naismith played a role in the formation of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball, which later became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).^[15]

In his last years, Naismith became Professor Emeritus in Kansas and retired in 1937 at the age of 76. Including his years as coach, Naismith served as athletic director and faculty at the school for a total of almost 40 years. Naismith passed away in 1939 after he suffered a fatal brain hemorrhage and was buried in Lawrence, KS. Posthumously, his masterwork "Basketball - its Origins and Development" was published in 1941.^[3] In Lawrence, Kansas, James Naismith has a road named in his honor, Naismith Drive, which runs in front of Allen Fieldhouse (the official address of Allen Fieldhouse is 1700 Naismith Drive), the university's basketball facility. It is a separated, four-lane road that runs north and south from 24th Street to its end just south of the KU campus.^[16] The university also named the court in Allen Fieldhouse, James Naismith Court in his honor. Naismith Hall, a college residential dormitory, is located on the northeastern edge of 19th Street and Naismith Drive.^[16]

Legacy

Naismith is inventor of basketball and has written the original 13 rules of this sport.^[13] The National Basketball Association has honored Naismith by calling its Hall of Fame the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, the home city of basketball, where he himself was posthumously inducted in 1959.^[13] The National Collegiate Athletic Association rewards its best players and coaches annually with the Naismith Awards, among them the Naismith College Player of the Year, the Naismith College Coach of the Year and the Naismith Prep Player of the Year. After the Olympic introduction to male athletes in 1936, women's basketball became an Olympic event in Montreal during the 1976 Summer Olympics.^[17] 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 Legends 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.^[3]

^[18]

Personal life

Naismith is the eldest child of Margaret and John Naismith, two Scottish immigrants. His mother Margaret Young was born 1833 and immigrated as the fourth of 11 children to Lanark County, Canada in 1852.^[3] His father John Naismith was born in 1836, left Europe when he was 18 and also settled down in Lanark County.^[3] After marrying, John Naismith worked as a saw hand, but unfortunately, the couple soon contracted typhoid fever and died when Naismith was just 9 years old.^[1] He was then raised by a strict, religious grandmother and his uncle Peter.^[1]

In June 20, 1894, Naismith married Maude E. Sherman from Springfield. The couple had five children: Margaret Mason (1895), Helen Carolyn (1897), John Edwin (1900), Maude Ann (1904) and James Sherman (1913).^[4] He was a member of the Pi Gamma Mu and Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternities,^[4] and regarding his spiritual beliefs, Naismith is remembered as a Freemason.^[19] Maude Naismith died in 1937, and on June 11, 1939, he married his second wife Florence Kincaid. Naismith suffered a major brain hemorrhage on November 11 the same year and died nine days later in his home located in Lawrence, Kansas. Naismith was 78 years old.^[1]

During his lifetime, Naismith had following education and held following academic positions:^[4]

Coaching record

In 1898, Naismith became the first college basketball coach of the Kansas University basketball team. He compiled a record of 55-60, and ironically became the only Kansas coach to have a losing record.^[10] Nevertheless, Naismith has one of the greatest coaching legacies in basketball history, as he coached Basketball Hall of Fame coach Phog Allen, who himself coached two later Hall of Fame coaches, namely Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp.^[11]

Notes

External links and references

• Basketball Hall of Fame profile
• Naismith Foundation
• Original 13 basketball rules by Dr. James Naismith
• FIBA Hall of Fame profile

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