James Naismith Biography

Enshrined: As a contributor in 1959 Born: November 6, 1861 in Almonte, Ontario, Canada Died: November 28, 1939 Height: 5-foot-10 Weight: 180 pounds

High School:

• Almonte High School (1875-77, 1881-83)

College:

• McGill University (Montreal), philosophy degree (graduated 1887)
• Presbyterian College (Montreal), religion degree (graduated 1890)
• YMCA Training School (Springfield, MA), physical education degree (graduated 1891)
• Gross Medical School (University of Colorado), medical degree (graduated 1898)

College Playing Highlights:

• Silver Wickstead Medal for Best All-Around Athlete, McGill University (1885)
• Gold Wickstead Medal for Best All-Around Athlete, McGill University (1887)
• Silver medal for his work in theology, Presbyterian College (1890)

Military:

• Chaplain and captain, First Kansas Infantry (1914-17)
• First Kansas Infantry, Mexican border (1916)
• YMCA secretary (France: 19 months, U.S.: 3 months) (1917-19)

Career Highlights:

• Invented the game of basket ball, as it was originally called
• Developed basket ball's original 13 rules
• As the game grew in popularity, he neither sought publicity nor engaged in self-promotion
• Author of numerous articles and books
• Posthumously elected to the American Academy of Physical Education (1941)
• Physical education director, McGill University (1887-90)
• Physical education instructor, Springfield College (1890-95)
• Physical education director, Denver YMCA (1895-98)
• Associate professor and chapel director, University of Kansas (1898-1909)
• Professor and university physician, University of Kansas (1909-17)
• Received master of physical education (1910)
• Was ordained as a Presbyterian minister (1915)
• Physical education professor (1917-37)
• Received Doctor of Divinity degree, McGill University (1939)

Bio:

Basketball, a game that started with 18 men in a YMCA gymnasium in Springfield, Mass., has grown into a game that more than 300 million people play worldwide. The man who created this instantly successful sport was Dr. James Naismith. Under orders from Dr. Luther Gulick, head of Physical Education at the School for Christian Workers. Naismith had 14 days to create an indoor game that would provide an "athletic distraction" for a rowdy class through the brutal New England winter. Naismith's invention didn't come easily. Getting close to the deadline, he struggled to keep the class' faith. His first intention was to bring outdoor games indoors, i.e., soccer and lacrosse. These games proved too physical and cumbersome. At his wits' end, Naismith recalled a childhood game that required players to use finesse and accuracy to become successful. After brainstorming this new idea, Naismith developed basketball's original 13 rules and consequently, the game of basketball.

As basketball's popularity grew, Naismith neither sought publicity nor engaged in self-promotion. He was first and foremost a physical educator who embraced recreational sport but shied away from the glory of competitive athletics. Naismith was an intense student, collecting four degrees in the diverse fields of Philosophy, Religion, Physical Education and Medicine. Although he never had the opportunity to see the game become the astonishing spectacle it is today, Naismith's biggest thrill came when he was sponsored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) to witness basketball become an Olympic sport at the 1936 Games held in Berlin. Naismith became famous for creating the game of basketball, a stroke of genius that never brought him fame or fortune during his lifetime, but enormous recognition following his passing in 1939. For his historic invention, Naismith's name adorns the world's only Basketball Hall of Fame, a tribute that forever makes James Naismith synonymous with basketball.