Arnie Ball Explained

Arnie Ball
Birth Date:November 12, 1944
Birth Place:United States
Homecountry:United States
College:Ball State University, 1967–1971
Coachyears:1978–2015
1978–1988
1983
1985
1987
1988
1993
1993
1994
2000
Coachteams:IPFW Mastodons (men)
IPFW Mastodons (women)

AC, World University Games
HC, Olympic Festival
Director, USVBA Junior Elite Camp
HC, Olympic Festival
HC, World University Games (bronze)
HC, Olympic Festival (gold)
Scout, U.S. Men's National Team
Resultyears:1984
1986
1987
1988
1990
1991
1991
1992
1992
1993
1994
1994
1996
1999
2006
2007
Location:GLVA Conference Championship
GLVA Conference Championship
GLVA Conference Championship
GLVA Conference Championship
MIVA Conference Championship
MIVA Conference Championship
NCAA Final Four
MIVA Conference Championship
NCAA Final Four
MIVA Conference Championship
MIVA Conference Championship
NCAA Final Four
NCAA Final Four
MIVA Conference Championship
NCAA Final Four
NCAA Final Four
Result:1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
3rd
1st
4th
1st
1st
4th
3rd
1st
3rd
2nd
Updated:December 26, 2016

Armond J. "Arnie" Ball (born November 12, 1944) is a retired American volleyball coach best known for his 35 seasons as head coach of the men's volleyball team at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne (IPFW), now known as the Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. He ended his career in 2015 with a total of 570 wins as coach of the IPFW men, and also won 230 games as head coach of the IPFW women's team in the 1980s.

When not on the court actively coaching a competition, Ball operates Team Pineapple, a volleyball clinic that also features his son, Olympic gold medalist Lloy Ball.[1]

Coach Ball and his wife, Sandy, have three children, Lloy, Amy and Jana. They have nine grandchildren, Dyer, Jamison, Caden, Mya, Peyton, Callaway, Alexsandra, Wynn and Kyan.

High school coaching career

Following a successful player career at Ball State, Coach Ball became a high school gym teacher. One of his first positions was at New Haven High School, a part of the East Allen County Schools system. In 1973, Ball moved to Paul Harding High School when EACS opened this new high school. He began his coaching career as Harding's first head baseball coach, and he also founded the school's volleyball program as a non-sanctioned club sport. He led the Hawks to three Indiana Volleyball Coaches Association Championships. In 1978, Ball began coaching at the collegiate level when he introduced volleyball to IPFW. In 1981, Ball made the full-time move to IPFW, taking the helm of both the men's and women's volleyball programs.

IPFW

During Ball's tenure at IPFW, the Mastodons men's team made a significant impact on a sport traditionally dominated by West Coast schools. His resume includes six trips to the NCAA Final Four, seven MIVA Championships and rosters dotted with All-Conference, All-American and U.S. Olympic team selections.

IPFW's best national finish under Ball came in 2007, as the 'Dons took home a National Runner-Up trophy, falling 3–1 to UC-Irvine in Columbus, Ohio. For the storied season, Ball was named both the AVCA Division I-II National Coach of the Year and Asics/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year.

In addition to the Runner-Up season, Ball has led teams to fourth-place finishes in 1992 and 1994 and third-place finishes in 1991, 1996 and 2006. Fifteen players have been named AVCA All-American, six have been honored as the MIVA Player of the Year and two have gone on to play in the Olympics.

At the helm of the women's team, IPFW captured four Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) championships and earned bids in the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1987 and 1988. He wrapped his eight-year women's team tenure with an overall record of 231–102 (.693).

Despite the national and international travels that Ball has enjoyed in the sport, his local focus has always remained a stronghold in the Fort Wayne community. In 2005, Ball was presented with the prestigious Hilliard Gates Achievement Award for his lifetime accomplishments and contributions to the sporting community of Fort Wayne.

Ball's service to IPFW extends beyond the volleyball court sidelines. Ball served as the school's Athletic Director from 1988 to 1995.[2]

National and international activities

During his coaching career, Ball has enjoyed several appointments to US Volleyball coaching staffs:

Notable achievements

Awards and honors

Coaching record

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lloy Ball's Official Site . 2010-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110716195234/http://www.teampineapple.com/default.php . 2011-07-16 .
  2. Web site: Walter e. Helmke Library: Topics . 2010-05-20 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20090516011358/http://www.lib.ipfw.edu/1672.0.html . 2009-05-16 .
  3. https://archive.today/20130414062850/http://www.avca.org/articles/index.cfm?action=view&articleID=3736 American Volleyball Coaches Association
  4. Web site: U.S. Senator Dick Lugar - News . 2010-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110721065238/http://lugar.senate.gov/record.cfm?id=303071& . 2011-07-21 .
  5. Web site: IPFW's Arnie Ball Named 2007 AVCA Division I-II Men's National Coach of the Year . 2010-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110711133747/http://www.gomastodons.com/sports/m-volley/spec-rel/052307aab.html . 2011-07-11 .
  6. Web site: Red Coat Recipients. Mad Anthonys Children's Foundation. 2 December 2016. 2014-12-05.
  7. Web site: Archived copy . 2010-05-19 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20110711134618/http://www.gomastodons.com/hallfame/ipfw-hallfame2006.html . 2011-07-11 .
  8. Web site: Hall of Fame Roster . Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons . October 4, 2021.