It's basketball tournament time! For over 100 years, basketball has been a cornerstone of North Dakota's sports scene—uniting players, fans, and entire towns in the pursuit of victory. Join us as we celebrate the history of basketball in the region through Dakota Datebook!
Basketball was invented by James Naismith in 1891. Created as an indoor activity for the winter, the game upheld the “Humanics philosophy” of Springfield College in Massachusetts, where Naismith had graduated and was teaching. This philosophy focused on educating students “in spirit, mind, and body for leadership in service to others.”
The game spread quickly across the country, and by August of 1900—just nine years after its invention—the city of Bismarck already had a girls' basketball team!
Both men's and women’s basketball teams appeared in early North Dakota newspapers, with some women’s teams even predating the men’s teams. In 1904, the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks published its first annual, listing only a women’s basketball team. At the Agricultural College in Fargo, now NDSU, a women’s team was formed in 1898, with the men’s team following later. By 1908, both teams at NDSU were well-established, frequently traveling or hosting other teams for competitive matches. These teams included local city teams, high school teams, and other colleges.
In 1911, the Fargo Forum reported on the rapid growth of the sport: "In former years, basketball was called a mollycoddle game by gridiron heroes at the colleges. Yet very few football players have made good at this game. It’s an indoor game, and when played by two first-class teams, it’s even more exciting than football. Soon, all gymnasiums, big and small, will resound with cheers from basketball fans. And let it be known, this sport is played from Florida to Alaska."
Dakota Datebook by Sarah Walker
Sources:
- https://springfield.edu/about/birthplace-of-basketball
- The Bowbells Tribune, August 10, 1900, p2
- 1897 University of Minnesota yearbook
- 1904 University of North Dakota (The Dakotah) Yearbook
- 1908 NDSU (The Agassiz) Yearbook
- The Fargo Forum and Daily Republican, January 20, 1911, p11
