| Birth: | Nov. 6, 1861 | | Death: | Nov. 28, 1939 | 
Man who invented Basketball. A game that started with 18 men in a YMCA gymnasium in Springfield, Massachusetts, the brainchild of Canadian born, Dr. James Naismith, the year was 1891, using two peach basket hoops and 12 simple rules while utilizing a soccer ball has evolved into a game that more than 300 million people play worldwide. He was born in rural Ontario, Canada. Both his parents died while he was still in grade school and his grandparents and then an uncle were left to care and raise him. He became an ordained minister and a medical doctor. 1915 found him serving as Chaplain of the Kansas National Guard while it was operating in Mexico. World War I found him serving in Europe in the role of Chaplain and YMCA adviser to American troops. He was married to Maude E. Sherman from Springfield in 1894 who proceeded him in death. They had five children, the exact amount needed for a modern basketball team. He came to the University of Kansas at Lawrence in 1898 filling the dual post of Athletics director and chapel director. He initiated the first collegiate Jayhawks basketball game at the University. World War I found him serving in Europe as Chaplain and YMCA adviser to American troops. Upon his return to the University he was forgotten man. He was demoted to physical education professor and even endured the lost of his home due to foreclosure. Through out his lifetime Dr. Naismith never received any fame or fortune from the sport he created. Only after his passing in 1939 was enormous recognition heaped upon him. For his historic invention, Naismith's name adorns the Basketball Hall of Fame located in downtown, Springfield, Massachusetts. Streets and buildings in Almonte, Springfield and Lawrence are named in tribute. He suffered a brain Hemorrhage at his residence on University Drive, Lawrence, Kansas and died there a few days later at the age of 78 from a heart attack.
Search Amazon for James Naismith | | | Burial:
Memorial Park Cemetery
Lawrence
Douglas County
Kansas, USA |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Record added: Jan 01, 2001
Find A Grave Memorial# 753 |
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(4.3 after 73 votes)
