James Naismith

Rob Rains is a former National League beat writer for USA Today's Baseball Weekly and for three years covered the St. Louis Cardinals for the St. Louis Globe-Democrat. He is the author or co-author of autobiographies or biographies of Tony La Russa, Ozzie Smith, Mark McGwire, Jack Buck, Red Schoendienst and many other sports celebrities. Hellen Carpenter is the granddaughter of James Naismith. For more than 40 years she had in her possession more than 200 documents from Naismith's files which were instrumental in crafting this biography.

"All of us who played, coached or enjoyed watching the game of basketball owe a great debt of thanks to James Naismith for devising a game that gave people the opportunity to play inside during the winter." -Bob Knight "Dr. Naismith was so much more than the inventor of the sport and James Naismith: The Man Who Invented Basketball is a well written documentation of his outstanding attributes as an educator, religious scholar and leader of young people. Naismith lived his entire life without regard for personal glory or financial rewards, but rather for setting examples of integrity and perseverance for all to follow. Everyone who reads this book will have a better understanding of the evolution of the game, but more importantly, they will realize that when we follow Dr. Naismith's general life principles, we and the game become the real winners." -Billy Packer "The original Dr. J played rugby, not hoops, and rocked a handlebar mustache, not a 'fro. That Doc is the subject of a spiffy new biography...More breezy bio than thatched thesis, Rains traces the foundation of basketball to "Duck on the Rock," a game Naismith played as a child growing up in Canada. Years later, then-YMCA employee Naismith summoned basketball at the 11th hour to win a bet he could invent a new indoor game. If you want to get really old school, James Naismith is where it's at." -Slam

• Foreword by Roy Williams Introduction by Hellen Naismith Dodd Carpenter 1. Growing Up 2. The College Years 3. The Springfi eld Challenge-and a New Game 4. The Game Is Born 5. A New Frontier 6. KU Bound 7. The Student Arrives 8. A Revolution Calls 9. A Raging War 10. Happy Homecoming 11. Becoming a Mentor 12. Olympic Pride 13. The Changing Game 14. Death of a Legend 15. A Great Game 16. The Man, More Than Basketball Index