Brook Creek in Lawrence in Douglas County, Kansas — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Dr. James Naismith
Born November 6, 1861 in Almonte Ontario, Canada and died November 28, 1939 in Lawrence, Kansas. Buried in Lawrence Memorial Park.
Dr. Naismith invented the game of basketball as a winter indoor sport for the YMCA at Springfield, Massachusetts in 1891.
In 1898 he accepted a position at the University of Kansas. His goal was to develop the University's Physical Education Department. He also agreed to accept the coaching position of K.U.'s first basketball team.
K.U.'s first games were played either in a local low ceiling roller skating rink or away from home due to the poor facilities at K.U. Naismith was instrumental in the development of the first modern gymnasium for basketball, the old "Robinson Gym" on the K.U. campus.
The Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts is named after him. He was elected posthumously to the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 1959.
He also was a 32nd Degree Mason.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Education • Entertainment • Sports. A significant historical month for this entry is November 1939.
Location. 38° 57.372′ N, 95° 12.908′ W. Marker is in Lawrence, Kansas, in Douglas County. It is in Brook Creek. Marker is at the intersection of 15th Street and Elmwood Street, on the right when traveling east on 15th Street. Monument is in Lawrence Memorial Park cemetery. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1517 East 15th Street, Lawrence KS 66044, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Arthur C. "Dutch" Lonborg (here, next to this marker); Larry Brown (here, next to this marker); Dr. F. C. "Phog" Allen (here, next to this marker); Adolph Frederick Rupp (here, next to this marker); Dean Smith (here, next to this marker); Lawrence Veterans' Memorial (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Citizens Memorial Monument (approx. 0.2 miles away); Grand Army of the Republic Memorial (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Lawrence.
Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.
Also see . . . James Naismith at Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. (Submitted on April 16, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.)
Credits. This page was last revised on February 10, 2023. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania. This page has been viewed 1,085 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 15, 2012, by William Fischer, Jr. of Scranton, Pennsylvania.