James Naismith deeply involved with the members, serving as Chapter Counselor for sixteen years, from 1923 until his death in 1939. He eventually married SigEp's Housemother, Mrs. Florence Kincaid. Members interviewed from that era remembered Dr. Naismith: "He was deeply religious" "He listened more than he spoke" "He thought sports were nothing but an avenue to keep young people involved so they could do their studies and relate to their community" "It was real nice having someone the caliber of Dr. Naismith so involved ... he helped many a SigEp!" In 1935, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (created by Naismith's pupil
Town ball with the A's, dropped out of major match play in 1864, and many of the members went back to playing town ball. New Englanders usually called their game "base" or "round ball" (from running 'round the bases). The "Massachusetts game" or "New England game" was a formalized version with many clubs active in the Boston area. A set of rules was drawn up by the Massachusetts Association of Base Ball Players at Dedham, Massachusetts in 1858. This game was played by ten to fourteen players with four bases 60 feet apart and no foul territory. The ball was considerably smaller