Tag: Springfield College

What’s notable about this particular old gym?  Look close and you’ll see a rack of Indian clubs, some light barbells and some other vintage gymnastic equipment which makes it pretty nifty insofar as oldtime training gear goes but there is another reason that this gym stands out… It was at this gym, at the School for Christian Workers at Springfield College in December of 1891, where the first game of organized basketball took place. James Naismith, under orders from Springfield’s physical education director Dr. Luther Halsey Gulick, was to develop a vigorous indoor game which could keep the students in shape during the winter months. The baskets — actual peach baskets — were nailed to the lower rail of the balcony, which happened to be exactly 10 feet from the floor… and the rest is history.

This picture was taken around 1887, so a few years before all the hubbub started.