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Charles O Bemies |
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Athletic Director ∙ Geneva |
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  Every sport has its pioneers: those who blaze
trails on which others may follow and expand. One of the true
basketball pioneers was Charles Bemies. As the first
athletic director at Geneva College, Charles was instrumental in his
tenure from 1889 to 1894 in starting the college’s first baseball,
football, and basketball teams. The most significant aspect of the
first basketball team at Geneva in 1892 was that it was not only
Geneva’s first basketball team but also the very first collegiate
team in the nation. Charles' interest in and connection with basketball
is understandable, considering that he received his
college education at Springfield College in Massachusetts, where he
befriended Dr James A Naismith, the inventor of the game. It was
Charles’ hope to start the sport when he came to Geneva, and the
college was recognized for the fact in 1992 when their basketball team was
a guest at a Cleveland Cavaliers’ game. Besides forming the
baseball, football, and basketball teams at Geneva, Charles also
coached the fencing, boxing, and wrestling squads. |
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© Beaver County Sports Hall of Fame ∙ Established September 18, 1975 ∙ Email: ∙ Website Credits |
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