James Naismith facts for kids
James Naismith holding a basketball
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| Biographical details | |
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| Born | November 6, 1861 Almonte, Province of Ontario, Province of Canada |
| Died | November 28, 1939 (aged 78) Lawrence, Kansas |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 55–60 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame FIBA Hall of Fame Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame Canadian Sports Hall of Fame Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame McGill University Sports Hall of Fame Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame Inventor of basketball |
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James Naismith (born November 6, 1861 – died November 28, 1939) was a Canadian sports coach and a person who created new things. He is famous for inventing the sport of basketball in 1891. Some people also say he was the first to introduce the football helmet.
Naismith wrote the first rules for basketball. He also started the basketball program at the University of Kansas. He taught there and was a part-time basketball coach from 1898 to 1907. He was also the Athletic Director for the Kansas Jayhawks, which are the sports teams at the university. He lived long enough to see basketball become a demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics and an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
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Early Life and Games
James Naismith was born in 1861 in a place called Ramsay Township, which is now Almonte, Ontario. His parents were from Scotland.
Naismith wasn't very good at school, but he loved working on the farm. He spent a lot of time outside playing games like catch, hide-and-seek, and "duck on a rock." This old game involved guarding a large stone while others tried to knock it down by throwing smaller stones. Naismith learned that throwing a soft, high lob was often better than a hard, straight throw in this game. This idea later became very important when he invented basketball.
When he was nine years old, both of his parents passed away. Naismith then lived with his grandmother and uncle for many years. He went to grade school near Almonte and later graduated from Almonte High School in 1883.
College Years at McGill University
In 1883, Naismith started studying at McGill University in Montreal. He was described as being quite thin, about 5 feet 10½ inches tall, and weighing 168 pounds. He was a very good and fast athlete. He played Canadian football, soccer, and did gymnastics for McGill. He played in the center position on the football team and was known for wearing the first football helmet. Naismith won many awards for his amazing gymnastics performances.
He earned a degree in Physical Education (PE) in 1888. He also got a diploma from the Presbyterian College in Montreal in 1890.
In 1891, Naismith began teaching physical education and became the first director of athletics at McGill. Later, he left Montreal to become a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts.
Inventing "Basket Ball"
At the Springfield YMCA, Naismith found teaching difficult. His students were restless and easily annoyed because they had to stay inside during the winter.
The head of Physical Education at Springfield YMCA asked Naismith to create a new indoor game. It needed to be a good "athletic distraction." He also said the game shouldn't need too much space, should help athletes stay healthy, and be "fair for all players and not too rough."
Naismith thought about three main ideas when creating the game:
- He realized that a small, fast ball could be dangerous. So, he decided a soccer ball would be the safest choice.
- He understood that most physical contact in sports happened when players moved with the ball. So, he decided that passing would be the only way to move the ball.
- To reduce physical contact even more, he placed the goal high above the players' heads, making it hard to guard directly. He remembered his favorite game, duck on a rock, and made players throw a soft, high shot to score goals.
Naismith called his new game "Basket Ball." He wrote down 13 basic rules for it. The very first game of "Basket Ball" was played in December 1891. Each team had nine players and used a soccer ball. The goals were simply a pair of peach baskets. The first rules did not include dribbling (bouncing the ball). Since the ball could only be moved by passing, early players would toss the ball over their heads as they ran. Also, after each goal, a jump ball was taken in the middle of the court. These two practices are not used in modern basketball rules.
By 1892, basketball became very popular on campus. The Springfield College newspaper, The Triangle, wrote an article about it called "A New Game." People wanted to name the new game "Naismith Ball," but Naismith said no. By 1893, the YMCA movement helped introduce basketball to other countries around the world.
From Springfield, Naismith went to Denver to study for a medical degree. In 1898, he joined the staff at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Basketball at the University of Kansas
When Naismith arrived at the University of Kansas in 1898, they started a men's basketball program. Naismith became the first college basketball coach. He also worked as a chapel director and physical education teacher. In these early days, most basketball games were played against nearby YMCA teams. The YMCAs across the country played a very important role in the early days of basketball.
By 1900, there were enough college teams in the eastern U.S. to play games against each other. Basketball became a demonstration sport at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, Missouri. This meant it was shown at the Olympics but wasn't an official medal event yet.
Later Years and Legacy
In 1935, the National Association of Basketball Coaches raised money so that Naismith, who was 74 years old, could travel to see basketball become an official Olympic sport. This happened at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. During the Olympics, he was named the Honorary President of the International Basketball Federation.
When Naismith returned home, he said that seeing the game played by so many different countries was the best reward he could have received for his invention. In 1937, Naismith helped create the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball, which later became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA).
Naismith became a retired professor (called an Emeritus Professor) at Kansas and stopped working in 1937 at age 76. Including his years as a coach, Naismith worked as an athletic director and faculty member at the school for almost 40 years.
Personal Life
Naismith was not interested in becoming famous or in the glory of competitive sports. Instead, he cared more about his career in physical education. He received an honorary Master's degree in PE in 1910. He also worked along the Mexican border for four months in 1916 during World War I. He traveled to France and wrote two books: A Modern College (1911) and Essence of a Healthy Life (1918). He became an American citizen in 1925.
On June 20, 1894, Naismith married Maude E. Sherman. They had five children. Maude Naismith passed away in 1937. On June 11, 1939, Naismith married his second wife, Florence Kincaid.
Death
James Naismith died in 1939 at his home in Lawrence, Kansas. He was 78 years old. He is buried in Memorial Park Cemetery in Lawrence, Kansas. After he passed away, his important book Basketball — its Origins and Development was published in 1941.
Naismith's Lasting Impact
In Lawrence, Kansas, there is a road named after James Naismith, called Naismith Drive. It runs in front of the University of Kansas's basketball arena. The university also named its basketball court James Naismith Court in his honor. There is also the Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is named after him.
Today, more than 400 million people play basketball around the world. This makes it the second-most popular team sport. In North America, basketball has given us some of the most admired athletes of the 20th century. Surveys by ESPN and the Associated Press named basketball player Michael Jordan the greatest North American athlete of the 20th century.
James Naismith's Famous Quotes
- "Be strong in body, clean in mind, lofty in ideals."
- "I want to leave the world a better place for me having been here."
- "I am sure that no man can derive more pleasure from money or power than I do from seeing a pair of basketball goals in some out of the way place."
- "Basketball doesn't build character; it reveals it."
Interesting Facts About James Naismith
- James Naismith did not have a middle name.
- Naismith served as a chaplain (a religious leader) in the Army National Guard. He also volunteered to be a chaplain in France during World War I.
- He was a Presbyterian minister but never led a church.
- The original typed copy of Naismith's basketball rules was bought at an auction for $4.34 million by David Booth.
- His first wife, Maude, played in the first women's basketball game at Springfield College.
- Naismith had the worst record as a basketball coach at the University of Kansas (55 wins and 60 losses).
- He is still the only coach in the University of Kansas program with more losses than wins.
- One of his students, Amos Alonzo Stagg, became one of the greatest football coaches in history.
- Naismith was inducted (formally added) into eight different Halls of Fame.
- The NCAA gives out the Naismith Awards every year to its best players and coaches.
Images for kids
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Sculpture in Almonte, Ontario
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Basketball games at Allen Fieldhouse take place on the James Naismith Court.
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Naismith as University of Kansas athletics director, around 1920
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Statue of James Naismith at Basketball Hall of Fame and Museum in Springfield, Massachusetts
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Typewritten first draft of the rules of basketball by Naismith
See also
In Spanish: James Naismith para niños
