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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 27, 2012
FINAL BORDER SHOWDOWN
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Jayhawks have the last laugh with the fans
Dressed as Civil War figure Joh Tigers fan passes by during Sa
Jayhawk fans hold up many diffe tip off.
THE BEGINNING HOW BASKETBALL BECAME A WAY OF LIFE
J
WORDS BY MAGGIE YOUNG
The tradition of singing the Alma Mater and Rock Chalk Chant before basketball games is just as sacred to the University as the creation of the sport itself. Jayhawk basketball is more than just a game — it's a deeply rooted tradition. The tradition of Kansas basketball began with the one man who invented the game, James Naismith
Naismith.
James Naismith was born in 1861 in Ramsay Township, Ontario. He grew up in Canada and attended McGill University in Montreal for his undergraduate degree.
Amidst his love for sports, Naismith believed that spirituality was a main component of good health and physical fitness, and he achieved many accomplishments before he ended up in Lawrence. He graduated with a degree in religion from Presbyterian College in Montreal in 1890. This degree was the first of many accomplishments that led him to his most influential milestone of all: the invention of basketball.
After he served as the director of athletics at McGill University, Naismith went to the YMCA International Training School in Springfield, Mass., in 1891 to pursue a degree in physical education. His passion for sports and physical activity was obvious from the beginning of his career.
At the YMCA, Naismith was tasked with creating a sport that could be played indoors during frigid Massachusetts winters. Naismith wanted to design a game that was focused on skill more than on strength. In December 1891, he did just that. He wrote the 13 original rules of "Basket Ball," which was
played with a soccer ball and two peach baskets. This was just the beginning of what would become a Jayhawk basketball tradition, as well as one of the most popular sports in the world.
After completing his degree from the YMCA, Naismith was still eager to expand his knowledge about the human body, mind and soul. This led him to Gross Medical School in Denver, where he earned a degree in medicine with a focus on sports physiology. He became a doctor in 1898.
While Naismith was in medical school, the YMCA introduced basketball to the world. The
school set up movements that familiarized many nations with the new sport.
With a degree in religion and medicine, as well as the invention of basketball under his belt, Naismith traveled to Lawrence in 1898. He joined the University's
faculty as both a physical education teacher and a chapel director. Later, he served as the first basketball coach for Kansas.
It was then that the longstanding basketball tradition at the University began. He coached Forrest "Phog" Allen who became one of the winningest coaches in college basketball history.
As basketball's popularity took off in Lawrence, it also gained momentum in the sporting world. Then, in 1936, basketball was introduced at the Berlin Olympics and Naismith awarded the players their medals himself.
Naismith died in Lawrence in 1939 after 40 years at the University. His mission for sports and good health lives on through Jayhawk basketball. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.
Every time Kansas fans gather around the basketball court at Allen Fieldhouse and sing the Alma Mater, the remembrance of Naismith's love for the sport is present. Basketball will forever be a tradition
protected by the crimson and blue.
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