Honoring a legend

Date: 4/19/2010

April 19, 2010

Last Tuesday, Springfield College, the Birthplace of Basketball, unveiled a bronze statue of James Naismith, who invented the game in 1891. Naismith's descendants were on hand for the statue dedication, including his grandson, Stuart Naismith (far left), who said he thought the statue was "absolutely beautiful and lifelike, right down to the tweed suit."

Mayor Domenic Sarno told the family they should be proud of their ancestor because his ability to use athletics to get students involved in academics was "a combo you can't lose with." Springfield College President Richard Flynn noted that the statue dedication was part of a 10-day long celebration of the Birthplace of Basketball, which is a feature of the college's 125th anniversary.