Professor finds rare audio of basketball inventor Naismith

A radio interview from 1939 featuring James Naismith discussing how he invented basketball has emerged, and it may be the only recording of Naismith in existence, according to the New York Times.

“It was exciting to finally hear his voice and hear him speak in his own words about the invention of basketball”, said Michael Zogry, associate professor in the department of religious studies.

The excerpt is taken from a 1939 broadcast radio program titled “We the People” which was hosted in NY by Gabriel Heatter, a radio journalist.

Naismith went on to say that once he banned anyone from running with the ball in their hands, the tackling all but ceased, and thus basketball was on its way to legitimacy.

Naismith starts his interview by talking about how he created the sport of basketball in the winter of 1891. He’s now the namesake for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

Naismith’s grandson, Jim Naismith, first heard his grandfather’s voice once Zogry obtained the audio.

Naismith figured it was time to try his new idea using an “old soccer ball” and two teams of nine players each. I showed them two peach baskets I’d nailed up at either end of the gym, and I told them the idea was to throw the ball into the opposing team’s peach basket.

But compared to the first ever basketball game, we already had Freedom of Movement.

Well I didn’t have enough [rules], and that’s where I made my big mistake. “The boys began tacting, kicking and punching in the clinches”.

You can listen to the full radio interview here, via University of Kansas. “They ended up in a free for all in the middle of the gym floor…it certainly was murder”.

“We tried everything to keep them quiet, ‘ Naismith said on the recording, but the students were bored with a ‘modified” form of football tried in the gym.