james naismith biography

 James Naismith biography:

James Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian-American physical educator, physician, Christian chaplain, sports coach, and inventor of the game of basketball. After moving to the United States, he wrote the original basketball rule book and founded the University of Kansas basketball program.

As a young man, Naismith studied theology and excelled in various sports. In the autumn of 1891, he was appointed an instructor by Luther Halsey Gulick, Jr., head of the Physical Education Department at Springfield. Gulick asked Naismith and other instructors to devise indoor games that could replace the boring or dangerous exercises used at the school during the winter. For his new game, Naismith selected features of soccer, American football, field hockey, and other outdoor sports but (in theory) eliminated body contact between players. Because his physical education class at that time was composed of 18 men, basketball originally was played by 9 on each side (eventually reduced to 5).

The first games employed half-bushel peach baskets as targets, so a stepladder was needed to retrieve the ball after infrequent goals. Naismith’s original rules, prohibiting walking or running with the ball and limiting physical contact, are still the basis of a game that spread throughout the world.

full biography  James naismith:

Occupation: Teacher, Coach, and Inventor

 Born: November 6, 1861, in Almonte, Ontario, Canada 

Died: November 28, 1939, in Lawrence, Kansas, United States 

Best known for: Inventing the sport of basketball.

What can you say about the life of James Naismith?

James Naismith was a Canadian-American sports coach and innovator. He invented the game of basketball in 1891, and he is also credited with designing the first football helmet. He penned the first basketball rulebook and established the basketball program at the University of Kansas.

Who is the father of basketball?

James Naismith