Army chaplain remembered for inventing basketball

As "March Madness" makes its annual appearance on the American sports scene, fans that understand the history of basketball know Dr. James Naismith invented the game in 1891.

What many fans probably do not know about Naismith is that he served as a chaplain in the Army National Guard and as a volunteer chaplain in France during World War I.

Naismith hailed from Canada. He attended McGill University in Montreal, where he excelled at athletics. His sports resume at McGill included playing Canadian football, lacrosse, rugby, and soccer; he was also an accomplished gymnast. He received a bachelor's degree in physical education from McGill in 1887. Naismith remained at McGill upon graduation, teaching physical education and serving as the university's director of athletics.

A man of diverse interests, while working at McGill, he enrolled at nearby Presbyterian College. He received a degree in theology in 1890.

After completing his studies at Presbyterian College, he came to the United States to teach physical education at the YMCA International Training School (now Springfield College) in Springfield, Massachusetts. It was there that he devised the rules for a new game, one that could be played indoors during winter - basketball.

 Mark W. Johnson, Ph.D., Historian, U.S. Army Chaplain Corps

 http://www.army.mil/article/145087/Army_chaplain_remembered_for_inventing_basketball/