The Man Who Invented Basketball

Item Information

Title:
The Man Who Invented Basketball
Description:
This article tilted, "The Man Who Invented Basketball" gives the reader an insight into the creation of basketball. When the Dr. Naismith was in the process of creating the game of basketball, he asked the superintendent of buildings at the college for two boxes. "What do you want them for?", replied the superintendent. "I'm figuring out a game, and I need the boxes to put on pokes so that a large ball can be thrown into them". The superintendent responded by saying, "I've got to empty peach baskets at my house if they'll do you any good." With that brief conversation, the game of basketball was on its rise.
Creator:
Hess, M. Whitcomb
Date:
1948–1949
Format:
Documents
Location:
Springfield College Archives and Special Collections
Collection (local):
College Archives Digital Collections
Series:
James Naismith Papers
Subjects:
Basketball--History
Springfield College--Alumni and alumnae
Springfield College--Faculty
Springfield College
Naismith, James, 1861-1939
Basketball
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampden (county) > Springfield
Extent:
6 Pages
Link to Item:
http://cdm16122.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15370coll2/id/434
Terms of Use:
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Babson Library, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
Publisher:
The American Scholar
Language:
English
Notes:
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 19th item in the scrapbook.
Identifier:
ms506-01-22-019