Sports in New England Sports in New England Two popular American sports were invented in New England. Basketball was invented by James Naismith in Springfield, Massachusetts, in 1891. Volleyball was invented by William G. Morgan in Holyoke, Massachusetts, in 1895. Also, the first organized ice hockey game in the United States is widely believed to have been played in Concord, New Hampshire in 1883. The region is famous for its passion for baseball and the Boston Red Sox, as well as for the intense rivalry between the Red Sox and the New York Yankees. On November 1, 1924, the Boston Bruins of the National
William G. Norton William G. Norton William G. Norton (year of birth unknown – 1895) was an American college football coach. He attended Dartmouth College, where he competed in track and field, baseball, and earned varsity letters in football in 1889 and 1890. In 1890, "The New York Times" wrote of Norton: "it is safe to say there will not be a better second baseman in the Triangular League. He batted fairly well last year, and has improved much since the first championship game last Spring." He graduated from Dartmouth in 1890, and then attended Yale Law School. In 1894, Norton coached the