Dr. James Naismith

Coach Field
Jun 14
2 min read

Updated: Jun 20

Life: 1861-1939 Sport: Basketball

Role: Coach

Dr. James Naismith is most famous for inventing one of the most popular sports in the world—basketball. But what many people don’t know is the reason he created the game and the lasting impact he had on those fortunate enough to know him.

Dr. Naismith was a Christian physical educator originally from Canada who invented the game of basketball in 1891 while teaching at the International YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts. This was just one year after graduating from The Presbyterian College in Montreal, where he studied theology. Although the game was initially designed to give young men something to do indoors during the harsh winter months, Dr. Naismith often emphasized that his true goal was “to win men for the Master through the gym.” For him, basketball was a platform, not the purpose.

In 1898, he founded the Kansas Jayhawks basketball program, serving not only as the team’s coach but also as a professor, chaplain, and eventually the university’s athletic director from 1919 to 1937. Among those he coached and mentored were Phog Allen and John McLendon—both of whom went on to become influential figures in the world of basketball.

Interestingly, Dr. Naismith remains the only coach in Kansas basketball history to have a losing record (55–60). Yet, as he reflected on his life, he remained steadfast in his mission: “I want to leave the world a little better than I found it.” Though he was a man who pursued excellence in all he did, he never lost sight of what was ultimately most important—putting God first and loving his neighbor.