Dr. James Naismith, Bastkeball's 'Father', Preferred Wrestling and Fencing, Springfield Republican Article, Nov. 29, 1939
Description:
This is an article from the Springfield Republican that discusses how Dr. James Naismith actually preferred watching wrestling and fencing over basketball in his later years. Dr. Naismith opposed most of the rules that were put into place after 1925, and felt that too much of the "roughness" that existed in the beginning stages had been removed from the game.
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James A. Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939), known as "The Father of Basketball," was born in Almonte, Ontario. When he was nine, both of his parents died of typhoid fever and he was raised by his uncle, who later financed Naismith's way through college. He earned his theological degree from McGill University and graduated from Springfield College, then the YMCA Training School, in 1891. After graduation, he was hired as a faculty member, where he taught for five years. It is in his first year as a faculty member at Springfield College that he created the game of Basketball as an activity for an unruly class. In 1895, Naismith enrolled at the Gross Medical School in Denver and received his M.D. in 1898. In that same year, Naismith took the position of department head of physical education at the University of Kansas, where he remained until his death.
Is part of a scrapbook of Naismith materials, collector unknown, that has been taken out of its binding and the pages separated by archival paper. It is the 17th item in the scrapbook.