James Naismith (born the November 6th 1861 with Almonte, Ontario, and dead the November 28th 1939) is a doctor and Canadian professor in Médecine. It is especially known as being the inventor of the Basket-ball, but also like the founder of the helmet at the time of the matches of American football.

It has the diplomas of Bachelor off Arts, of Master off Arts, Doctor of medicine ( MANDELEVIUM ) and in Théologie ( Doctor off Divinity ).

It resulting from a family of immigrants Scottish, was able on the Canadian territory to work in the mines in 1851.

The invention of the basketball

Gymnastic professor of in a College of the Massachusetts (a YMCA), Naismith sought to occupy his students during the long winter months between the seasons of American football and Base-ball, which makes impossible the practice of the sport in outside. It wished to find an occupation without contacts to them, in order to avoid the wounds to them.

One day of 1891, it had the idea to place two cases of fishing out of wooden on the slopes of the gymnasium, (with a very exact height of 10 feet, that is to say 3,05 m) in which it was necessary to make penetrate a balloon, to mark a goal. The cases being in height, this play required as much address than of rough force. He proposed the activity with his students and it took only a few minutes to lay down the essential rules to make this play practicable.

Its new sport is inspired by a Canadian play, the Duck one has Rock. It organized the first meeting of basketball the December 21st 1891 with the College of Springfield (Massachusetts), based on the thirteen origininelles rules. It will be published in January 1892, in the newspaper “ The triangle ”, the official journal of the Springfield College. It will republish them in 1893, slightly modified.

Career of trainer

Naismith déménaga for the University of Kansas, in 1898, where it had made its studies, it became professor there, and the first trainer of Basket-ball of the Kansas Jayhawks. The beginning of the program of basketball which the university will develop with the passing of years to become one of best country.

Naismith is however the only trainer to have an overdrawn assessment (55 victories for 60 defeats). Nevertheless, it is during time when it was in station that one of the greatest legends of the history of the basketball was built. He was the trainer of Forrest “Phog” Allen (its future successor at the post of trainer) which will become one of the most victorious trainers of the American university basketball.

The athlete

During its youth Naismith was a gymnaste, a player of Lacrosse and a player of American football, high level with the Université McGill. It was known besides as one of the 10 best athletes of the university at the time when it obtained its diploma.

Honors

In August 1936, right before the Olympic Games of Berlin, it was named honorary president of the International federation of basketball amateur.

Naismith was elected member of the Hall off Famed during the initial promotion of 1959. This institution bears its name today and is at Springfield, Massachusetts. In all logic, he is also member of FIBA Hall off Famed, on March 1st 2007.

Sources and references

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