How this man changed sports forever! James Naismith How this man changed sports forever!

Early Life He was born in 1861 in Almonte, Ontario which is a small city in Canada. As a kid he was orphaned and went to live with his aunt and uncle. Although he wasn’t scholastically gifted he attended Elementary school at Bennies Corners.

Fun and Games As a kid James enjoyed working on the farm and playing games outside. Some examples of these games are catch, hide-and-seek and duck on a rock. Duck on a rock was a game where a person tried to protect a large drake rock from being tipped over by smaller rocks that were thrown by other people.

Later Education In 1875 Naismith started High School at Almonte High. He attended there for two years before he dropped out. He returned in 1881 and finished high school. He then attended College at McGill University and got a degree in theology.

Life After College After Naismith finished college he got a job at Springfield College in Massachusetts. He was a physical education teacher. It was there that he was given credit for his greatest invention. He then went to the YMCA in Denver as a physical instructor. He then went to Kansas University and yet again taught physical education.

Naismith’s Invention’s A lesser known invention of Naismith is the first football helmet. While it isn’t proven he invented it, it’s a pretty sure bet that he did. James’ most famous invention though is the modern day sport of basketball. The first game played was with a soccer ball and peach baskets.

James’ Personal Life After James Naismith got a job at McGill University he married his wife, Maude E. Sherman, in 1894. Together they had five kids. Their names were Margret, Helen, John, Maude, and James Jr. They lived in Springfield before going to Denver, and then Kansas.

Coaching Career In 1898 James Naismith became the very first head coach at the University of Kansas. Although he only coached for eight years and finished with a record of 55-60 he is regarded as one of the greatest head coaches of all time. After he finished coaching he became athletic director at Kansas. He held the position for 19 years until he retired.

Later Life After Naismith finished his career he wrote a book called the Original 13 Rules of Basketball. He then died later in the year of 1937, from a brain hemorrhage.

Bibliography Music: www.amazon.com deadspin.com/.../2008/03/KansasJayhawks.jpg www.stuorg.iastate.edu/ymca/ www.studentsoftheworld.info/sites/society/img... heav.networkats.com/.../images/606_Diploma.JPG www.narragansettbeer.com/.../05/naismith.jpg Music: www.amazon.com