#JamesNaismith October 15

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October 2026 several of us are going to take on the 30-Day Celebrity Alma Mater Coach4aday Challenge. Each day we will identify a celebrity and share where they attended college. For Day 15 it is on JAMES NAISMITH.

From 1972 to 1998, October 15 held special significance for me. During those years, I was involved with college basketball teams, and October 15 marked the first day of official NCAA basketball practice—a date that signaled the beginning of a new season filled with anticipation, preparation, and opportunity. Like almost everything associated with college sports the 15th is no longer the start date. In fact, some teams like Duke and UNC have already played scrimmage games.

Although some consider basketball America’s game, its inventor, James Naismith, was Canadian, having created the sport in 1891 while working as a physical education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts.

Celebrity Alma Mater Coach4aday Challenge Guidelines

Basic daily format:

Day 15-James Naismith-McGill University

Celebrity: James Naismith

Alma Mater: McGill University

Why They’re Famous: James Naismith is famous for inventing the game of basketball in December 1891 while working as a physical education instructor in Springfield, Massachusetts. He developed the sport as an indoor activity to keep students active during the winter,

College Connection: He was a standout athlete in rugby football, soccer, and gymnastics, winning the McGill’s Wicksteed Silver Medal in gymnastics in 1886 and Gold Medal in 1887; he also participated in student government, debated in the Literary Society, and sang in the society choir. After graduation, he returned to McGill as a physical education instructor and became its first full-time instructor and director of athletics before leaving for Springfield, Massachusetts.

Interesting Fact: Naismith became the first Head Basketball Coach at the University of Kansas (1898-1907) He is the only basketball coach in Jayhawk history to have a career losing record.