Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame

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The birth of the Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, MA-the world's premiere shrine to basketball memorabilia-was not an easy one. Originally envisioned in 1941, it was to be a memorial to Dr. James Naismath, who invented "the 13 rules" for basketball at Springfield College (then The School For Christian Workers) in 1891.

Building the repository for basketball memorabilia was resumed by the NABC immediately after the war, in 1948. In 1949, Edward Hickox, a former Springfield coach, was hired as executive secretary and the site-a red brick building next to the football field"-was selected.

Finally, the collection of basketball memorabilia had a permanent home. However, funding was sporadic-leading one reporter to dub the permanently under-construction site "the hole of fame"-and the museum didn't open until February 17th, 1968. By 1973, the museum registered its 300,000th visitor and several expansions have followed. Today, the museums induction ceremony is a guaranteed sell-out event and every day, it receives many avid basketball enthusiasts there to view the amazing collection of sports memorabilia.