Naismith Record (November 13, 1963)

James A. Naismith (November 6, 1861 – November 28, 1939), known as "The Father of Basketball," was born in Almonte, Ontario. When he was nine, both of his parents died of typhoid fever and he was raised by his uncle, who later financed Naismith's way through college. He earned his theological degree from McGill University and graduated from Springfield College, then the YMCA Training School, in 1891. After graduation, he was hired as a faculty member, where he taught for five years. It is in his first year as a faculty member at Springfield College that he created the game of Basketball as an activity for an unruly class. In 1895, Naismith enrolled at the Gross Medical School in Denver and received his M.D. in 1898. In that same year, Naismith took the position of department head of physical education at the University of Kansas, where he remained until his death.

This document was given to Ruth Silvia in the Basketball Hall of Fame Office on November 13, 1963. At this point the Basketball Hall of Fame was in the process of being built on the campus of Springfield College. The document mirrors much of the information contained in Springfield College's Alumni Books and is most likely a cleaned up copy of this book. It chronologically lists James Naismith’s accomplishments and, at the end, describes his family.