Throw It in the Peach Basket: What 1891 Basketball Looked Like

Basketball was invented in 1891 by James Naismith. Learn all about the game in its infancy. A hint on the early game design? Peaches.

Basketball Is Born

Naismith was a graduate student and instructor for an exercise class at the institution now known as Springfield College. It was named the International YMCA Training School in 1891.

In fact, James is not just the father of basketball; he also learned from the father of physical education and recreation, Luther Halsey Gulick. But in 1891, he was just a GA thrown in a room full of young men who were required to take a class to burn off energy in the off-season for football and lacrosse.

Things weren’t going well in this course. They had already gone through two instructors, and the students were restless and uncooperative. For a class that boasts “marching” as a top-ranking exercise, that’s not hard to picture. Professor Gulick had challenged his students to create an indoor game in a prior class, and the responsibility was now on James to invent a new sport and engage his students.

Time to Get Academic

Naismith had some tough guidelines. Of course, it was indoors. And because of the confined space, they didn’t want a rough game like lacrosse or football because the chance of injury would be even higher in an enclosed area. That’s debatable. Anyway, he also had access to almost no supplies to work with. 

So James hit the drawing board – he was a smart cookie. He already had a theology degree from a Canadian college. So how did he create a new sport? Take inspiration from a handful of sports and combine them into a new game.

Naismith decided to take the concept of passing from American rugby, the concept of jumping with the ball from European rugby, the goal from lacrosse (and probably hockey too), their ball was inspired by soccer, and the way in which someone lands the ball in the goal was inspired by a childhood Canadian game called Duck on a Rock.

The students were beyond excited when they came back to class, expecting a day of marching. The men were divided into teams, and three centers, three forwards, and three guards headed in to play. A center from either team would go to the center of the court, and it was go-time. 

Picture This: The 13 Rules

Naismith was a man who thought ahead. He started with a strong set of 13 rules and a referee to enforce the rules.

Hands and Fowls

• The ball may be thrown in any direction with one or both hands.
• The ball may be batted in any direction with one or both hands (never with the fist).
• A player cannot run with the ball. The player must throw it from the spot on which he catches it, allowance to be made for a man who catches the ball when running at a good speed if he tries to stop.
• The ball must be held in or between the hands; the arms or body must not be used for holding it.
• No shouldering, holding, pushing, tripping, or striking in any way the person of an opponent shall be allowed; the first infringement of this rule by any player shall count as a foul, the second shall disqualify him until the next goal is made, or, if there was evident intent to injure the person, for the whole of the game, no substitute allowed.
• A foul is striking at the ball with the fist, violation of Rules 3,4, and such as described in Rule 5.
• If either side makes three consecutive fouls, it shall count a goal for the opponents (consecutive means without the opponents in the mean time making a foul).

Goals and Refs

• A goal shall be made when the ball is thrown or batted from the grounds into the basket and stays there, providing those defending the goal do not touch or disturb the goal. If the ball rests on the edges, and the opponent moves the basket, it shall count as a goal.
• When the ball goes out of bounds, it shall be thrown into the field of play by the person first touching it. In case of a dispute, the umpire shall throw it straight into the field. The thrower-in is allowed five seconds; if he holds it longer, it shall go to the opponent. If any side persists in delaying the game, the umpire shall call a foul on that side.
• The umpire shall be judge of the men and shall note the fouls and notify the referee when three consecutive fouls have been made. He shall have power to disqualify men according to Rule 5.
• The referee shall be judge of the ball and shall decide when the ball is in play, in bounds, to which side it belongs, and shall keep the time. He shall decide when a goal has been made, and keep account of the goals with any other duties that are usually performed by a referee.
• The time shall be two 15-minute halves, with five minutes’ rest between.
• The side making the most goals in that time shall be declared the winner. In case of a draw, the game may, by agreement of the captains, be continued until another goal is made.

The Basketball

Naismith didn’t have many resources to work with, so it would be nearly three years before they got an actual basketball. Before that, they used a soccer ball. 

These soccer balls would often swell with water, which would reduce their bounce, but inside, that was a non-factor. It still doesn’t sound like an easy dribble.

The first basketball was invented in 1894 by A.G. Spalding & Bros. (yep, that Spalding). The ball was made out of leather (as all balls were) and laced together. It had a circumference of 32 inches and weighed just over a pound. It would remain this way until 1948.

The Peach Baskets

Naismith needed a hoop. After asking a custodian, he was given two 18-inch wooden peach baskets. James then nails a basket to the lower rail of the gym’s balcony, which was 10 feet up. The hoop is still 10 feet up to this day. 

That feels particularly high when you consider that a man on a ladder had to retrieve the ball from the basket after every goal. Some sources indicate they cut a hole in the box a few years later. Others say it wasn’t 1906, a few years after the metal hoop with the net was invested.

It’s unclear why the concept of the ball coming through the net was so revolutionary. Rugby and hockey nets do capture the ball. However, it’s much easier to retrieve a puck from a net than it is to retrieve a soccer ball from a peach basket 10 feet up. 

The Basketball Uniform

The basketball uniform of the time didn’t look terribly different from the football one. In 1901, there were roughly two materials to make a uniform out of: canvas and wool. Men wore canvas pants on the gridiron, but that wouldn’t fit as well on the basketball court. 

If canvas wasn’t it, wool was in. The men had a uniform that was designed in what this author interprets as a more feminine style. They wore padded wool shorts and long socks that went up above their knees. They didn’t want to defile the young ladies with a bare kneecap at the turn of the 18th century.

On top, they either had a quarter-length sleeve-fitted jersey or a sleeveless-fitted jersey. Typically, a certain design or letter would be on the jersey of each teammate. A woolen tank top would be quite the fashion statement. And not breathable.

By the 1920s, these basketball uniforms were even more scandalous for men. In another awkward fashion choice, the men wore onesies. The visible portion of the onesie looked like the tank top that Tony Soprano wore. The shorts were much shorter without the long socks, so you could *gasp* see a bare calf. Women still had to hide those shoulders and those knee caps.

The Shoes

The shoes are probably the most wild part of the uniform, even with woolen onesies and weirdly short shorts. The advent of the basketball shoe is often tied to the year 1917; however, that’s up for debate.

The first shoe doesn’t make it into a catalog until 1903. Before then, men likely used leather shoes with leather soles. Imagine church shoes on men with tights, shorts, and quarter sleeves. It paints quite an image. 

A.G. Spalding had a real-deal suction cup shoe in 1903 that was supposed to help grip the basketball court. One of the earliest shoes that can be investigated closely is from 1910. If you really, really squint, you can almost see the forefather of the chucks. 

These all-leather shoes (including the sole) were mostly created by machine, but each shoe had to be finished by hand. The most expensive of these leather fashion statements were made out of baby kangaroos, which were more flexible than cowhide. 

Canvas entered the building as a baby kangaroo replacement in the 1910s. Before the 1920s and 1930s, the suction cups were in the leather sole. This sounds uncomfortable, and an ankle sprain waiting to happen.

Coming to the Center of the Court

Alright, let’s bring it in.

Basketball was invented in 1891 in a PE class at a college taught by a graduate student.

People wore head-to-toe cotton with leather shoes that had leather soles. The basketball was a soccer ball, and the hoops were peach baskets. 

With such humble beginnings, it’s remarkable that the sport took off to become the popular sport it is today. Thanks, James Naismith!