James Naismith Biography

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James Naismith, a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, sports coach, and developer of the game of basketball, lived from November 6, 1861, until November 28, 1939. He started the University of Kansas basketball programme after relocating to the United States and writing the first basketball rule book. Basketball was recognised as an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and as an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin, as well as the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939).

Naismith was born and raised on a farm near Almonte, Ontario, and studied and taught physical education at McGill University in Montreal until 1890, when he moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, to teach at the International YMCA Training School, where he invented the game of basketball in 1891. In 1898, Naismith got his medical degree in Denver, seven years after inventing basketball. He subsequently went to the University of Kansas, where he later became the athletic director and coach of the Kansas Jayhawks. While at Kansas, Naismith coached Phog Allen, who went on to coach the Jayhawks for 39 years, establishing a long and illustrious coaching tree. Allen went on to teach legends such as Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith, among others, who in turn mentored a slew of prominent players and future coaches. Despite coaching his final season in 1907, Naismith is the only Kansas men's basketball coach to have a losing record.

Dr James Naismith Basketball Inventions

Naismith left his position as athletics director at McGill University in Montreal at the age of 30 to teach physical education at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. Naismith was charged by his supervisor with developing an indoor sports game to help sportsmen stay in condition during the frigid New England winters. This new game must also be "fair for all players and not too rough," according to Naismith's manager. The result was a basketball game. Naismith devised 13 basic rules for the game, which began with 10-foot high peach baskets as the goals for each 9-player team in 1891.

The game had grown in popularity to the point where the YMCA began promoting it globally in 1893, and it was used as a demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. By 1936, the sport had been made an official event at the Berlin Summer Olympics. Naismith lived long enough to witness not just these accomplishments, but also the birth of the National Invitation Tournament (1938) and the NCAA Tournament (1939). (1939). Basketball was founded by him.

Early Life of James Naismith

Naismith was born to Scottish immigrants on November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Canada (now part of Mississippi Mills, Ontario). He didn't have a middle name, and he didn't sign his name with the letter "A." Someone in the administration at the University of Kansas added the "A." Naismith, who excelled at farm labour, spent his days outside playing catch, hide-and-seek, or duck on a rock, a mediaeval game in which a player defends a huge drake stone from rival players who attempt to knock it down by tossing smaller stones at it. Naismith soon discovered that a soft lobbying shot was far more efficient than a straight hard throw when playing duck on a rock, a concept that would later prove crucial in the birth of basketball. Naismith was orphaned at a young age and spent many years living with his aunt and uncle in Bennies Corners, near Almonte. After that, he went to Almonte High School in Almonte, Ontario, where he graduated in 1883.

Naismith enrolled at McGill University in Montreal the same year. He was a talented and versatile athlete who represented McGill in football, lacrosse, rugby, soccer, and gymnastics, despite his small stature of 5 feet 10+12 inches (1.791 m) and 178 pounds (81 kg). He was the football team's centre, and he fashioned some padding to cover his ears. It was intended for individual use rather than team use. For great gymnastics performances, he received many Wicksteed medals. Naismith graduated from Presbyterian College in Montreal with a BA in physical education and a certificate in 1888. (1890). Naismith taught physical education and became the first McGill director of athletics from 1888 to 1890, but he then moved to Springfield, Massachusetts, to study at the YMCA International Training School. During his one year as a student at Springfield, Naismith played football for Amos Alonzo Stagg's team and scored a touchdown in the first indoor collegiate football game at Madison Square Garden.

James Naismith Education

He dropped out of high school for five years to work as a logger in a lumber camp, then returned to finish his secondary education and enrol at McGill University in Montreal in 1883. He received his A.B. in 1887, a theological degree in order to become a pastor, he completed his theological studies for three years at Presbyterian College in Montreal, graduating in 1890. Naismith had always excelled at sports. During his final year at Presbyterian College, he led undergraduate gymnastics classes while playing football and lacrosse at McGill. His passion for sports influenced his decision to pursue a career in physical education rather than the ministry; he felt he could do more good working with kids on the athletic field than he could as a pastor. So, in 1890, he participated in a two-year physical training school at Springfield, Massachusetts' new Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) Training School. From 1890 to 1895, he was the director of physical education at that school.

Personal Life of James Naismith

• James Naismith was the second child of Margaret and John Naismith, two Scottish immigrants. 

• His mother, Margaret Young, the fourth of 11 children, was born in 1833 and emigrated to Lanark County, Canada in 1852. John Naismith, his father, was born in 1833, left Europe when he was 18 years old, and settled in Lanark County. 

• Naismith married Maude Evelyn Sherman (1870–1937) on June 20, 1894, in Springfield, Massachusetts. Margaret Mason (Stanley) (1895–1976), Helen Carolyn (Dodd) (1897–1980), John Edwin (1900–1986), Maude Ann (Dawe) (1904–1972), and James Sherman (1913–1980) were the couple's five children. 

• He was a member of the fraternities Pi Gamma Mu and Sigma Phi Epsilon. 

• Naismith served as a Presbyterian clergyman as well as a Freemason. 

• Maude Naismith died in 1937, and on June 11, 1939, he married Florence B. Kincaid, his second wife. Naismith suffered a massive cerebral haemorrhage on November 19 of that year and died nine days later at his Lawrence home. 

• He was 78 years old at the time. 

• Naismith died eight months after the NCAA Basketball Championship was established, which has since grown to become one of the most prestigious sporting events in North America. 

• Naismith is buried in Lawrence's Memorial Park Cemetery with his first wife. 

• Florence Kincaid died in 1977 at the age of 98 and is interred in Elmwood Cemetery in Beloit, Kansas, with her first husband, Dr. Frank B. Kincaid.

Rules of This Game Was Invented by James Naismith Birthday

The game's "13 Basic Rules" were written down by Naismith. "A player cannot run with the ball," "No shouldering, holding, striking, shoving, or tripping," and "The time shall be two fifteen-minute halves" were among the rules. Before class, he put the 13 rules on the gym bulletin board so the guys could read them and understand how to play.

Legacy

Naismith created basketball and authored the first 13 regulations of the game; by comparison, the NBA rule book today is 66 pages long. He was the first inductee into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, which is located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The Naismith Awards, which include the Naismith College Player of the Year, Naismith College Coach of the Year, and Naismith Prep Player of the Year, are presented yearly by the National Collegiate Athletic Association to its greatest players and coaches. After men's basketball was introduced to the Olympics in 1936, women's basketball was included in the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. 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 have all honoured Naismith. In his honour, the FIBA Basketball World Cup trophy is known as the "James Naismith Trophy." Dr. Naismith was inducted into the Kansas Hall of Fame on June 21, 2013, during festivities in Topeka.

Some Important Points About Dr James Naismith Biography

• He was born on November 6, 1861, in Almonte.

• He died on November 28, 1939, in Kansas.

• James Naismith Inventions:

Dr James Naismith Basketball invention, James Naismith Football helmet invention.

• Works written: Basketball: Its Origin and Devel.

Facts About James Naismith

• Some people wanted the sport to be dubbed "James Naismith Basketball," but Naismith insisted on calling it basketball.

• During World War I, he was a chaplain for the First Kansas Infantry.

• Despite the fact that he never had a middle name, James "A." Naismith is still used to refer to him.