![]() James Naismith holding a basketball | |
Biographical details | |
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Born | Almonte, Ontario, Province of Canada | November 6, 1861
Died | November 28, 1939 Lawrence, Kansas, U.S. | (aged 78)
Alma mater | McGill University |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1898–1907 | Kansas |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 55–60 |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Awards | |
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1959 | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 |
James Naismith[1] (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939) was a Canadian and naturalized American sports coach. Naismith invented the sport of basketball in 1891. He is also said to have introduced the first football helmet. He wrote the original basketball rulebook and started the University of Kansas basketball program. He lived to see basketball become an Olympic demonstration sport in 1904 and an official event at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.
He taught at the University of Kansas and was a part-time basketball coach from 1898 to 1907. He was also the Athletic Director for the Kansas Jayhawks.
He has been made a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame, the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame, the Canadian Sports Hall of Fame, the Ontario Sports Legends Hall of Fame, the Ottawa Sports Hall of Fame, the McGill University Sports Hall of Fame, the Kansas State Sports Hall of Fame and the FIBA Hall of Fame. The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame was named after him.