Geneva College Athletics Hall of Fame
Charlie O. Bemies (1892-95)
Induction Class of 2019
Charlie O. Bemies is credited with bringing the sport of Basketball to Geneva College in 1892. Geneva’s first athletic director and men’s basketball coach, Bemies was best friends with Dr. James Naismith, who is the documented inventor of basketball. Bemies brought the game, then known as “basket football” to the Beaver Valley where he became the coordinator of the first ever college basketball game played in 1893, which has enabled Geneva to make the claim of “The Birthplace of College Basketball”.
