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AFC Road to the SuperBowl
AFC Conference match-ups Indianapolis Colts vs New England Patriats Payton Manning has had a career year, in the much publicized breakinf of Dan Marino's single season TD record. While that stat is impressive, it is not a surprise. Everyone...
An Introduction to the Trampoline
The sport of trampolining reflects man's age-old desire to defy gravity. The trampoline in its current form (a mat mounted on a steel frame) dates back to the early 1800, if newspaper reports are to be believed, when a circus in London displayed...
Cubs back in the chase (is it for real??)
Cubs back in the chase (is it for real??) Just when most everyone (including myself) was ready to put the proverbial nail in the Chicago Cubs coffin, looks as though they are back in the NL Wild Card race to stay. After soundly thumping the...
How The Pros Approach Bass Fishing
Let me present you with this little common sense scenario. Suppose there are two guys who are very interested in Bass fishing and decide to take up the sport. Both have very little experience in the sport and both are on a tight budget and only...
New Year's Resolution: Walk Your Way Fit!
"It requires a direct dispensation from Heaven to become a
walker." ~Henry David Thoreau
With the new year upon us, everyone I know is looking for a fun
and easy way to get fit. Here's a solution I've developed that
doesn't involve costly...
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Events And People In Basketball
The father of basketball, Dr. James Naismith came up with the
game in 1892 and the first game was played in Beaver Falls
Pennsylvania on April 8 1893 between the New Brighton YMCA and
the Geneva College. The game was very popular and by 1914 as
many as 360 colleges boasted basketball teams. In 1939, the
first NCAA Men's College Basketball Championship tournament was
held which was won by the University of Oregon.
The formation of Pro basketball in 1896 came about from a
dispute between YMCA team members and officials and ended in the
members forming a professional team that played for money. In
1898, the NBL (National Basketball League) was formed and
produced the first basketball stars - Ed Wachter and Barney
Sedran.
The first two professional basketball teams to achieve success
were the Buffalo Germans and the Celtics but during the 1930's
favorites included the New York Renaissance and the Harlem
Globetrotters. During this time, womens basketball was also
popular and produced great players such as Babe Didrikson and
Alline Banks Sprouse.
In 1940, the first college basketball game was shown on TV. This
game was played between Pittsburgh and Fordham at Madison Square
Garden, and catapulted basketball into a national sensation.
Since then basketball has been one of the most watched sports
and in fact the March Madness, when almost 350 American colleges
compete for the NCAA basketball crown is the most watched event
in the United States.
In Pro basketball during the 1940's and 50's the Minneapolis
Lakers were a huge favorite of many winning 5 NBA championship
titles and producing starts like Bob Cousy and Bob Pettit. But
during the late 1950's up until
1969, the Celtics had the court
winning 11 NBA titles (8 f them right in a row). During this era
favorite players included Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlin of
the Philadelphia Warriors.
During 1963 to 1975 The University of California, Los Angeles
was in the spotlight winning 10 national championships,
including seven in a row. Some of the great players of this UCLA
team include Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jamaal Wilkes, Bill Walton,
Gail Goodrich and Marques Johnson.
In 1967 the American Basketball Association (ABA) was formed and
many will remember one of the satart players Julius Erving as
well as their red white and blue basketballs. The ABA only
lasted until 1976 when it broke up and many of the teams joined
the NBA.
In the 1960's, womens basketball introduced the 5 player full
court format and made dribbling fully legal but it wasn't until
1985 that the Basketball Hall of Fame began inducting woman
coaches and players. Some of the first women to get this honor
include Carol Blazejowski, Ann Meyers, Cheryl Miller; Nancy
Lieberman-Cline and Anne Donovan.
In the late 1970's start players like Larry Bird of Indiana
State University and Michigan State Universities Magic Johnson
emerged and the late 1980s saw such major players as Isiah
Thomas and Dennis Rodman. But perhaps the most beloved player of
all is Michael Jordan who led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA
championships in the 1990s.
About the author:
Lee Dobbins writes for Sports Wise where you can
learn more about all your favorite sports and read more great basket
ball articles.
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