The Father of Indiana Basketball – Ralph Jones

The Father of Indiana Basketball – Ralph Jones
Today the author talks about the Father of Indiana Basketball, a man named Ralpb Jones.
From the Book:
A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition

Transcript:

The Father of Indiana Basketball – Ralph Jones

Greetings, today I want to talk about the Father of Indiana Basketball, a man named Ralpb Jones.

Before getting started, I would encourage you to subscribe to the Mossy Feet Books You Tube channel for more great content. I also entreat you to visit my website, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. There you will find sample chapters, podcasts, a slew of content and links to where you can buy my books. While visiting the web site you can subscribe to it and receive email notifications of when I publish a new book or other content, like this video and podcast. This episode is based on my book, A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition.

Most basketball fans know that the athletic director at the YMCA Training School in Springfield, Massachusetts, James Naismith, invented the game of basketball in 1891.

Fewer may be familiar with the fact that women’s basketball began in 1892 at Smith College when the “Mother of Women’s Basketball” Senda Berenson introduced the game at Smith College.
You can read about both of these individuals in my book, A Short History of Basketball, Indiana Addition. The

An early pioneer of the sport of basketball in Indiana, Ralph Jones played an important role in the growth of the sport in Indiana.
Ralph Jones (September 22, 1880 – July 26, 1951)
Considered by many to be the “Father of Indiana Basketball,” Jones played an instrumental role in the evolution of basketball in Indiana. Native to Martinsville in Morgan County, Indiana, many believe that Jones was the first basketball coach in Indiana. While a senior at Shortridge High School, he organized the first Indiana High School basketball team. Following this he helped the Indianapolis YMCA program to a state championship in. He next joined the program at the Crawfordsville YMCA leading them to a state YMCA championship. Butler University would hire him to be their basketball coach, his first paid coaching position, in 1903. During this time he continued his coaching duties at Crawfordsville High School and also at Wabash College. His teams were highly successful. He compiled a 2-2 record at Butler and a 75-6 record at Wabash. He coached at Purdue from 1910 – 1913, compiling a 32-9 record. From Purdue he moved on to the University of Illinois, where he went 85-34, winning two Big Ten titles from 1913 – 1920. An athletic jack of all trades, Jones had also lettered in football in high school and took the job of coach at Lake Forest Academy in Lake Forest, Illinois. he coached both the football and basketball teams. He posted a combined record in basketball of 94-9 and football 76-6. The Chicago Bears hired him as a player/coach in 1930. This was during the Depression. Even though he compiled a 24–10–7 record in two seasons, owner George Halas laid him off and took over as coach to save the cost of a coach’s salary. Jones went on to coach football at Lake Forest. Overall his records were:
54–37–10 (college football)
232–106 (college basketball)
32–15 (college baseball)
24–10–7 (NFL)
After his death he was interred at Crown Hill Cemetery in Indianapolis. He received induction into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.

The episode is based upon my book, A Short History of Basketball – Indiana Edition, available on the web site, http://www.mossyfeetbooks.com. The book includes a wealth of information about the history of the game of basketball and its beginnings in Indiana. The book includes a listing of the high school championships, both boys and girls, the history of the Indiana/Kentucky All Star Series and the lists of Mr. and Ms. Basketball in Indiana. I encourage you to visit the web site and subscribe to it.
You can find my books locally at the Walnut Street Variety Shop in Batesville, Indiana.
I hope you enjoyed this podcast and thank you for listening.