When was dr. james naismith born

On 21 December , 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.

He split the group into two teams of nine. The first game, Naismith recalled, was very rough. 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. He settled on 13 rules for his sport, which he named Basket Ball.

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 , he married Maude Sherman in Springfield. In , he graduated from medical school and accepted the positions of associate professor of physical culture and chapel director at the University of Kansas. Ironically, Naismith is the only coach in Kansas history without a winning record. 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. He spent 19 months based in Paris, returning to Kansas in March Naismith returned to the University of Kansas, where he added campus physician and director of athletics to his resume before retiring in at the age of He died on 28 November 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 The first collegiate basketball game was likely played in at Hamline University in St. The game grew internationally and was a demonstration sport at the Olympic Games in St. It made its debut as a medal sport at the Olympics, a point of pride for Naismith, who was in attendance for the first match and threw the ball for the opening tip-off.

Today, basketball is the most commonly played sport on campuses across the United States. A 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 Naismith himself was part of the inaugural hall of fame class that year for his contributions to the sport.

In , 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 and the other at the University of Kansas campus installed in The said letter was added by someone at the University of Kansas.

There were calls to name the game 'Naismith Ball' to which Dr. Naismith refused. Naismith at the University of Kansas in , men's basketball program officially began. Louis, Basketball became a demonstration sport. He was an inaugural inductee in Josh Swade, a University of Kansas alumnus persuaded moneyed alumni to win the document at auction to give it to the University of Kansas.

Usain St. Leo Bolt Biography: All you need to know about eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the greatest sprinter of all the time. Are you worried or stressed? Click here for Expert Advice. Comment 0. Post Comment. Disclaimer: Comments will be moderated by Jagranjosh editorial team. Comments that are abusive, personal, incendiary or irrelevant will not be published. Please use a genuine email ID and provide your name, to avoid rejection. This textile-manufacturing centre of the country formed where the Mississippi River showed a sixty-two foot drop in three stages, making a tremendous supply of water available to generate power.

This town is the town where James would attend high school and church. In , at the age of eight, James moved with his family to Grand Calumet where his father began work as a saw hand. He was orphaned at age nine, when his parents contracted typhoid fever while working in the milling community. When their grandmother died in the Naismith children, Annie, James and Robbie, were left under the care of their authoritarian uncle, Peter Young. Jim was known in the neighborhood as a strong and skillful boy, but at school his monthly report cards showed poor grades.

Thomas B. Although not the head of his class in academics, he was a leader among his peers in all physical activities and showed signs of becoming a fine athlete. James attended high school in a gray limestone building in Almonte. Before and after school hours, Jim was assigned chores around the farm and worked in the woods. Jim learned to chop trees, saw logs, and drive horses.

The walk from the farm to school was five miles. Jim learned early many lessons in honesty, initiative, independence, and ruggedness. Uncle Peter put great stock in reliability and self-reliance. When Jim was sent into the field or the woods with a team of horses, he was expected to do the assigned job without asking for help. If trouble arose, he was depended upon to take care of it himself. Despite the burden of farm duties, there was time for play.

Here they enjoyed watching the blacksmith work his materials and playing in the sugarbush behind the shop. In the fields, creeks and rivers beyond the blacksmith shop Jim and his friends found more space to play. With each season came a different opportunity for recreation. In the fall, James was involved in hunting. In the surrounding forests the local boys hunted squirrels, partridge and snowshoe hare with bows and arrows.

As they grew and matured they were given guns to hunt deer and Canadian lynx. During the winter, snowshoeing, ice hockey, skating, and tobogganing were favorite activities. Not willing to ask his uncle for a pair of skates, James fashioned a pair for himself by setting metal files into pieces of wood. The making of maple sugar provided a fun time for Jim and his friends. With summer came swimming. Jim used to lead boys across the fields and through the woods to favorite swimming spots in the Indian and Mississippi Rivers where they frolicked, swam and balanced on floating logs.

In all outdoor activities Jim was a leader.