Who's James Naismith? Google Celebrates Publishing Anniversary Of 'A New Game?'

The Google Doodle that appears on the home screen of the Google search engine on Friday gives an ode to the father of basketball, James Naismith.

“A New Game” was published in a newspaper on Jan. 15, 1892, outlining the game of basketball and its rules that were created by Naismith.

He was born in 1861 and came up with the game in 1891 while he was teaching in Springfield Massachusetts, at the International YMCA Training School, according to WWLP.

While at the YMCA Training School, the first game of basketball was played on Dec. 21, 1891.

The rules differ a bit from the rules present day. Instead of having five versus five, it was nine verses nine and instead of using a basketball, a soccer ball was used. There were also peach baskets, not two hoops.

When speaking about how and why he created this game, he explained that his students at the YMCA had to participate in some sort of physical activity indoors because it was too cold and snowy outside.

“For days, the students couldn’t go outdoors, so they began roughhousing in the halls. We tried everything to keep them quiet. We tried playing a modified form of football in the gymnasium, but they got bored with that. Something had to be done,” he said, according to CNN.

That’s when the game of basketball was born.

He was given 15 days to come up with the rules of the game.

His background was in physical education while he was living in Ontario, Canada, where he was originally from. With his experience, he taught P.E. at McGill University in Montreal.

After going back to school to receive his doctorate in the States after his time at the YMCA, he went on to become the Kansas Jayhawks’ Athletic Director in 1898 and the coach at the University of Kansas from 1899 to 1907.

Two notable athletes he coached include Adolph Rupp and Dean Smith.

Naismith died at age 78 from a severe brain hemorrhage in 1939.