A letter that was sent by Dr. James Naismith, the coach of "The Lambs" basketball team, to the coaches of the other basketball teams that made up the school league at the International YMCA Training School, now Springfield College, in 1894. Naismith created the game of basketball in 1891 at Springfield College where he was a faculty member until he left in 1895. At Springfield College at this time, there were several teams, made up mostly of students and faculty at the school that played for the gym title. The teams all gave themselves a team nickname. This letter is part of a set of four letters, including one written by Dr. James Naismith, that all consist of what we might call today as "trash talking". Some of the letters include poems, others a warning, but they all make it clear that they are prepared to beat any team that they shall play, showing the competitive personality of these men. All of the letters seem to be meant in good fun, while showing their passion for the game. To learn more about Dr. James Naismith, see: https://springfield.as.atlas-sys.com/agents/people/645. To view the other letters, please follow these links: http://cdm15370.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p15370coll2,349, http://cdm15370.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p15370coll2,352, http://cdm15370.contentdm.oclc.org/u?/p15370coll2,350
Text and images are owned, held, or licensed by Springfield College and are available for personal, non-commercial, and educational use, provided that ownership is properly cited. A credit line is required and should read: Courtesy of Springfield College, Archives and Special Collections. Any commercial use without written permission from Springfield College is strictly prohibited. Other individuals or entities other than, and in addition to, Springfield College may also own copyrights and other propriety rights. The publishing, exhibiting, or broadcasting party assumes all responsibility for clearing reproduction rights and for any infringement of United States copyright law.
Contact host institution for more information.
