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Friday, April 20, 1973
University Daily Kansan
James Naismith, the Man Who Invented Basketball
. Was honored for a 39-year career at the University of Kansas . . .
Professional Air Hazy for Santee
By BYRON MEYERS
Kansan Staff Writer
Wes Santee, former University of Kansas miler and one-time Olympic hopeful who was expelled from amateur competition because of alleged professionalism, ex-committed over being barred by the Amateur Athletic Association from competition at the 1966 Olympic games.
Santee, then a national figure in distance running, was disqualified from any further amateur competition in 1958 after being found guilty of stealing the expenses allowed by the AAU rules.
Sante's participation in track and field events often required him to travel rapidly from one part of the country to another and sometimes to other countries.
According to Santee, AAU rules then permitted each athlete $12 a day and train
SANTEE, OWNER of Hayes-Santee Insurance Co., 12 E. 9th St, traced his encounters with the AAU to his beginning in collegiate track, citing "personality contends with himself, and other parties involved as a significant factor that led to his disqualification."
Santee recalled that in 1951 he was disqualified by the AAU because of a secretarial error in submitting an entry form. According to Santee, AAU rules did not permit freshmen to compete with varsity athletes.
"Somehow by mistake I got 'promoted' to varsity standing and ran in a meet in Brooklyn."
Santee said that the AAU first ruled that he was to be ineligible for competition for a year but they later relied and disqualified him for only one meet.
"THEN AS A junior I got into an argument with an official in Europe," Santee said. Santee explained that when competing in foreign countries the winner was seldom awarded a ribbon but was usually given a prize that in some way matched the country and the particular community where the competition took place.
He remembered Sweden as an example.
saying that there the winner of an event is usually given something made of steel.
Santee stated that these prizes were given with the full knowledge and consent of the AAU officials in charge of any particular case, and some of these prizes were quite valuable.
"I was running in Germany," Santee said, "and I had asked an official if I might have a camera. We agreed upon this. Later when I won they gave me some equipment and tried to turn them in for the prize that I wanted and that they told me that I'd get.
"ALL OF A sudden the official I'd been dealing with wouldn't speak English, and up to that point he spoke better English than me.
"Then I called the official a lying so-and-so, and later he accused me of hitting him with a chair." Santee smiled and said, "I wish I had."
The major issue that led to Santee's disqualification started in San Francisco. In 1955 Santee was asked by an AAU official to run on there a Saturday night.
"But I had a prior commitment in Reading Pa., for the following Sunday, and there was no way it could be done," Santee said.
It would appear that Santee was the major drawing card for both meets. Santee appeared in Reading, Pa., instead of San Francisco and as he puts it, the meet in San Francisco was attended by over 7000 people but the meet in San Francisco had a poorurnt.
"THE FOLLOWING WEEK, the San Francisco Chronicle ran an article about it. We was making thousands of dollars running. So you have all these ads advertised up in app, and then a big newspaper accusing me with a make of a lot of money," Santee said.
According to Santee, the accusation was investigated by the Missouri Valley AAU, which settles disputes involving KU athletes.
"Their board voted 21-7 that I should not
Naismith: A Picture of Pride,Vigor
Elabel said that the game could just have easily been called "boxball" if thejanitor at Springfield who had been summoned to find a lost item in the boxes. Instead he brought pearls back.
Naismith invented such a sport, and it was called basketball. Basketball is the only competitive sport of purely American origin.
That same year Naismith, then 37, was appointed to the positions of physical
By EMILY BRELAND Kansan Staff Writer
NAISMITH WANTED to know more about the human body, Elbel said. He was born in 1952 and will fill schedule while serving as physical training director at the Denver, Colo., YMCA. He received his doctor of medicine from the Gross Medical College in the summer of 1974.
Naismith was born in Canada in 1861. He received an A.B. degree from McGill University in Montreal, then became an ordained Presbyterian minister. He McGill as an instructor of physical education and prescribed at a small local church.
"He discussed his problem with Luther H. Gulick, head of physical training, and Gulick challenged Naimshim to devise a plan to improve the same vigor as football and soccer."
IN 1890, Naimism entered the School of Christian Workers in Springfield. Mass.
"One year later, he became the teacher of physical education for a class of prospective YMCA secretaries," Abel said. "He had no problems when the weather permitted him to participate and he experienced difficulty in holding the interest of the group during the indoor season.
Dr. James Naismith, the man who invented basketball, was an individual whose objective was "clean living through sports." Few people in America have remained untouched by the life and endeavors of James Naismith.
Dr. Ed Elibel, professor emeritus of physical education and manager of the Kansas Relys, was a long-time friend and mentor of Dr. Edward Giles and resemble treasure chests, filled with recollections of Naismith's 39-year career at the University of Kansas. He relates many anecdotes about Naismith, who he met as a child in Oklahoma, with humanity an uncompromising zeal.
be disciplined. But if a local AAU made a decision, it could be appealed by the minority. They had 10 days to do it, and they had to post $50 bond. They didn't at the time, on the 11th or 12th day a letter of appeal said and no bond was posted." Santee said.
SHENK SAID THAT Nalismith was team physician and that he often told a story of carrying a bottle of brandy in his medical kit for medicinal purposes.
In addition to his military involvement Santee is still actively involved in athletics. He is currently running coach for the Kansas City Royals.
He is active in military affairs, serving on the Marine Corps Officers Association and on the Marine Corps Executive Council. He is also acting chairman for the Reserve Officer Association for ROTC in all services.
education director and chapel director at KU.
Santee impresses one as a person who believes in what he is doing and has no regrets about what he might or might not have done.
"His unique qualifications just fitted him for such a position," Elibel said. "He frequently mentioned that he was hired because he could pray. Even at that early date, football was emphasized, and it became the custom to have the football coach lead the prayer during the chapel exercises."
"Even if everyone didn't agree with me,"
"Sanee said, "I still feel that I did a good job."
In the fall of 1955 Santee filed for a temporary injunction to forestall the AAU's decree, and, as he proudly put it, he "whipped em." We even got the injunction renewed twice. It was the first time the AAU had ever been whipped in court."
--to lieutenant-colonel, a rank which he still holds in the USMC Reserve
SANTEE SAID, "The whole thing was
that I was going to come and this
went on for about three months."
"HE WAS a picture of health and vigor," Elibel said. "Although he never pushed himself, he always commanded a great deal of respect."
Naismith was about 5 feet 10.
"They said that I had been a really bad boy and should be barred from further amateur competition."
FROM NAISMITH'S scrapbook comes this item:
Ebel said he remembered that Naismith had no middle initial but that some authors persisted in inserting an "A" in his name (James "A." Naismith). When Naismuth was asked what it stood for, he replied, "anonymous."
"In addition to his administrative tasks, Dr. Naismith taught a course in hygiene that was required of all students," he said. "He also taught courses in kinesiology, physiology of exercise, gymnastics, fencing and, in the early years, basketball.
"Because of his medical training, he administered physical examinations to the male students. He particularly enjoyed the intricate mannistics to a group of overgrown athletes."
"Doc was teaching a tumbling class. Students were to dive over a horse onto a pile of mats. A football player with little experience asked, Doc, how do I land?"
When he emerged from the classroom with his necktie askew and part of his shirtlul hanging over his belt, his hilt, under that "Doe" had had a good class session."
"HE TAUGHT all of his classes with almost boundless enthusiasm." Eibel said. "He challenged his students with questions, which often resulted in heated arguments. He considered a well-conceived argument an excellent teaching device.
"Doc's reply was 'Gravity will take care of that.' No one laughed harder than Naismith when the student hit his head and got up ruefully rubbing his neck."
Henry A. Shenk, a student of Naismith from 1924 until 1928, related this story:
THE NEEDLE POINT
Santee said that by this time his case had moved from the sports pages to become a national issue. The AAU in the meantime lauded Louis Nizer to represent it in court.
"He refused to have the rules copyrighted," Eibel said. "He had invented the game for the benefit of young men and would do nothing which would interfere with this objective. After all, his ambition was not to amass a fortune."
In his book, "Basketball, Its Origin and Development," Naismith concludes with these words, which seem to sum up his desires for the game:
SANTEE SAID "The decision was not a fatal one. The end result was a million dollars' worth of publicity that I could not have bought either. Sports has opened a lot of doors for me, and even if I had broken the four-minute mile and beaten Rodger Bannister I don't think it could have done any more for me."
Naismith discovered that whenever his medical kit was out of his sight for a while, the level of the contents of the brand bottle would be suspiciously lower. He solved the problem by storing the brand *Spiritus Frumentum*, and the brand remained undisturbed after that.
Naisimh refused to accept any financial benefits from the game of basketball.
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The issue had also somehow move
crosscountry to New York, and in May
1866 the New York Supreme Court upheld
the decision. The case was from
amateur competition permanently.
Naismith was bitterly opposed to rough play, which he thought equally led to insults.
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"LET US ALL be able to lose gracefully and to win courteously; to accept criticism as well as praise; and, last of all, to ap- pear himself in a attitude of the other fellow at all times."
game between two women's teams was held between Stanford and California in 1896. Only women were allowed as spectators. Both sides made the middles, bloomers and long black hose.
Naismith retired from KU in 1937. On 28, 1987, he suffered a cerebral bursal tumor.
In spite of his busy schedule at KU, Naismith coached the first KU basketball team. Naismith gradually left basketball to others and devoted his efforts to his other responsibilities, particularly teaching, considering more important than basketball.
"Attheic contests which did not bring out the best in men were, in his opinion, of no value," Elbiel said. "At one time, while he was witnessing a rough game of basketball, he was heard to have said, 'Oh, goodness, what have they done to my game.'"
Santée, who had been in the U. S. Marine Corps during much of this turmoil, conducted an investigation.
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"Dr. Naismith not only witnessed the games but was honored in various European countries. It was at the Olympics when Dr. Naismith first realized the great impact which the game had made on the athletic world."
"Midway in the first half, one of the goals came down. a male janiator came in to fix it. The California girls ran for cover but the brazen Stanford hussles strutted about the court while the janitor was putting up the goal."
Basketball was first incorporated in the Olympic Games that year. A nationwide campaign was sponsored by the National Basketball Association to send Naismith to Berlin.
Before the 1953-56 basketball season, someone had the idea that the game's inventor should be among those present to win the Olympic Games in Berlin in 1936.
In 1961, a bribute to Naismith was written into the Congressional Record at the suggestion of Sen. Robert Eldsworth, R-Kan. That year, a commemorative stamp bearing the name of Naismith and basketball. The 100th anniversary of Naismith's birth was in 1961.
THE GRAPE
The most exciting use of the grape, though, is when it is pressed (or danced) on a table. The grape that is pressed grapes is naturally fermented, put in casks, aged, and then finally lined up.
In simple terms, the most exciting use of the grape is when it is turned into wine.
The grape is one of the most versatile of all fruits. Grapes can be eaten straight off the lello and fruit salads, or they can even be used to decorate the bowl with grapes.
"The IDEA RECEIVED enthusiastic response," Eibel said. "Ultimately, each university and college designated a game during which the spectators were afforded access to a small contribution to the Naimish Fund." A sum, sufficiently large, was received.
Frev & Williams Licenses offers you a large selection of exciting wines from Europe and America—Champagne, Rhine, Burgundy, Bordeaux, Sherry.
In upcoming weeks Frey & Williams will help in introducing you to the wonderful world of wine by having special sections devoted to specific types of wine. So watch carefully, and invite some friends over sometime for a great learning experience—the experience of getting to know THE GRAPE.
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