James Naismith

From KUpedia

Dr. James Naismith

Dr. James Naismith (November 6, 1861 - November 28, 1939) was the inventor of the sport of basketball and the first head basketball coach at the University of Kansas.

[edit] Invention of basketball

In 1891, while working as a physical education teacher at the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, Naismith was asked to make a game that would not take up much room, was not too rough, that could help its track athletes to keep in shape and at the same time, could be played indoors. He had no idea he would invent what would become the most popular indoor sport in the United States.

Inspired by a game he played as a child in Canada called "Duck on a Rock", Naismith's game started December 14, 1891 with thirteen rules (modified versions of twelve of those are still used today), a peach basket nailed to either end of the school's gymnasium, and two teams of nine players. On January 26, 1892 Naismith published the rules for basketball. The original rules did not include what is known today as the dribble. They initially only allowed the ball to be moved up the court via a pass. Following each "goal" a jump ball was taken in the middle of the court. Although it was not a rule, players would commonly use the dust of coal to cover the palms of their hands, allowing them to get a better grip on the ball. The palm coal was used up until the early 1930s. Also interesting was the rule concerning balls out of bounds—the first player to retrieve the ball received possession.

Basketball became a popular men's sport in the United States and Canada very quickly, and spread research paperto other countries as well. Additionally, there were several efforts to establish a women's version with modified rules. Naismith himself was impressed with how quickly women caught onto the game and remarked that they were quick to understand the nature of the teamwork involved. He observed some women playing at a college in Springfield, MA, and was instrumental in promoting the sport for women in New England. This met with great resistance in some circles and was consequently far slower to become truly widespread.

[edit] Coaching

Naismith moved to the University of Kansas in 1898, following his studies in Denver, becoming a professor and the school's first basketball coach. The University of Kansas went on to develop one of the nation's most storied college basketball programs.

With a record of 55-60, Naismith is the only Kansas coach to have a losing record. Nevertheless, Naismith has one of the greatest coaching legacies in basketball history. Naismith coached Forrest "Phog" Allen, his eventual successor at Kansas, who went on to become one of the most successful coaches in U.S. college basketball history. The actual playing surface of Allen Fieldhouse in Lawrence, Kansas is named the James Naismith Court. Phog Allen was the college basketball coach of Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp, who were two of the most successful men's college basketball coaches, and won a combined total of six NCAA championships. Adolph Rupp was the college basketball coach of Pat Riley who is one of the greatest coaches in NBA history and has coached five teams to the NBA championship. Dean Smith went on to be the college basketball coach of Hall of Fame coach Larry Brown (who also coached at the University of Kansas for five seasons, leading them to a national title in 1988), current North Carolina coach Roy Williams (who also coached for 15 seasons at the University of Kansas previous to that, and won a national championship in 2005 with North Carolina), and basketball great Michael Jordan. In the late 1930s Naismith played a role in the formation of the National Association of Intercollegiate Basketball, which later became the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics.

Naismith died of a cerebral hemorrhage on November 28, 1939 and is buried in Lawrence, Kansas.