September 9, 2008 “James Naismith, Inventor of Basketball” In 1891, Naismith invented basketball as a class assignment at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, MA. After completing his medical degree, he came to Lawrence in 1898 to serve as the college chaplain and physical education professor for the University of Kansas. Popularized through the “Y” network across North America and Europe, basketball quickly became Naismith’s legacy. Come and enjoy listening to this Canada-born professor talk about his invention. Our presenter, Bill Worley specializes in Kansas and Missouri history at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

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