Dr. James Naismith, Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame
Description:
This is a picture of Dr. James Naismith holding a basketball created for his 1972 Induction into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame. James Naismith was part of the first class inducted into the Springfield College Athletic Hall of Fame. Other members of the class included, Amos Alonzo Stagg, Leslie Mann, Leslie J. Judd, and Archie P. Allen.
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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.
