James “Action” Naismith
Born in Canada in 1861, James Naismith was an accomplished athlete and gifted teacher with degrees in physical education, theology and medicine. Naismith believed in the importance of developing both a healthy body and spirit, inspiring him to invent a game “fair for all players, and free of rough play” – basketball. In 1898, The University of Kansas hired him to be its first basketball coach. He would go on to serve in various roles at the university for more than 40 years.
In 1916, Naismith became a chaplain in the Kansas Army National Guard. Naismith accompanied the Kansas Army National Guard when they joined Brigadier General John Pershing’s punitive expedition to capture Pancho Villa, spending three months serving the spiritual needs of troops at the U.S.-Mexican border.
Naismith desired to continue his service when the United States entered World War I in April of 1917. Because of his age and citizenship status, he could not enlist as a chaplain for the United States Army. Never one to give up, Naismith instead went to work as a volunteer chaplain for the Y.M.C.A. He first traveled as a Y.M.C.A. lecturer, conducting programs at training camps to bolster the moral and physical character of soldiers.
In September 1917, the Y.M.C.A. sent Naismith overseas to work in the war zone. Based out of Paris, he spent much of his time on the front lines improving the social hygiene of troops, including teaching about venereal disease, abstaining from vice and refraining from substance use. Naismith spent 19 months in
France, a longer period than most United States soldiers who served overseas. With his background as an athlete, clergyman, medical doctor, educator and National Guardsman, few of Naismith’s peers could match his skill serving the troops in France.
Naismith returned to the University of Kansas in 1919, where he continued to shape the lives of young people until his retirement in 1938. He received numerous awards and recognitions for his gift of basketball, but the highlight for Naismith was witnessing his game added to the Olympics in 1936. After
watching the world united to play his game, Naismith himself awarded the first Olympic gold medal in basketball to the United States.