Arnie Ball

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.

Arnie Ball
Personal information
Born (1944-11-12) November 12, 1944
United States
HometownUnited States
College / UniversityBall State University, 1967–1971
Coaching information
Previous teams coached
YearsTeams
1978–2015
1978–1988
1983
1985
1987
1988
1993
1993
1994
2000		IPFW Mastodons (men)
IPFW Mastodons (women)
HC, North squad, National Sports Festival
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
Best results
Years Location Result
1984
1986
1987
1988
1990
1991
1991
1992
1992
1993
1994
1994
1996
1999
2006
2007		 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		 1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
3rd
1st
4th
1st
1st
4th
3rd
1st
3rd
2nd
Last updated: December 26, 2016

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:

  • In 1983, Ball served as head coach of the North squad at the National Sports Festival in Colorado Springs, Colo.
  • In 1985, Ball served as an assistant coach for the World University Games US men's team in Kobe, Japan
  • In 1987, 1993 and 1994, Ball took the helm of squads in the Olympic Festival. His 1994 team captured a gold in St. Louis.
  • In 1988, Ball was the director of the USVBA Junior Elite Camp in Boulder, Colo.
  • In 1993, USA Volleyball appointed Ball as the head coach of the U.S. Team in the World University games. Ball rallied the young team to a 3rd place (bronze) finish after a number of impressive wins, including a five-set victory over France.
  • In 2000, Ball had the prestigious honor of serving as a scout for the U.S. National Team, selecting the team for the Olympic Games held in Sydney, Australia.

Notable achievements
  • NCAA National Championship Match (2007)
  • NCAA Final Four – 3rd place (2006, 1996, 1991)
  • NCAA Final Four – 4th place (1994, 1992)

Awards and honors
  • Inducted into AVCA Hall of Fame (2012)[3]
  • Dick Lugar Health and Fitness Award (2008)[4]
  • AVCA Division I-II National Coach of the Year (2007)[5]
  • Asics/Volleyball Magazine Coach of the Year (2007)
  • Red coat recipient, Mad Anthonys (2007)[6]
  • Inducted into Purdue Fort Wayne Athletics Hall of Fame (2006, the inaugural class of the institution then known as the IPFW Athletics Hall of Fame)[7][8]
  • Hillard Gates Achievement Award (2005)[4]

Coaching record
Year Team Overall ConferenceStanding
IPFW Mastodons (men) (MIVA) (1981–2015)
1981 IPFW 14–20
1982 IPFW 13–12
1983 IPFW 9–141–7T-4th
1984 IPFW 21–131–5T-3rd
1985 IPFW 22–122–43rd
1986 IPFW 15–12
1987 IPFW 15–14
1988 IPFW 16–163–33rd
1989 IPFW 21–94–22nd
1990 IPFW 16–155–11st
1991 IPFW 19–96–01stL NCAA National Semi-Finals Match
1992 IPFW 27–96–01stL NCAA National Semi-Finals Match
1993 IPFW 23–75–1T-2nd
1994 IPFW 20–89–11stL NCAA National Semi-Finals Match
1995 IPFW 13–198–4T-3rd
1996 IPFW 10–156–8T-4thL NCAA National Semi-Finals Match
1997 IPFW 17–913–33rd
1998 IPFW 17–57–32nd
1999 IPFW 23–412–2T-1st
2000 IPFW 21–812–22nd
*2001 IPFW 9–158–86th
*2002 IPFW 8–166–10T-6th
*2003 IPFW 15–1010–65th
2004 IPFW 14–1112–4T-2nd
2005 IPFW 13–178–85th
2006 IPFW 23–79–32ndL NCAA National Semi-Finals Match
2007 IPFW 23–89–32ndL NCAA National Championship Match
2008 IPFW 12–155–75th
2009 IPFW 12–153–75th
2010 IPFW 12–174–85th
2011 IPFW 16–125–75th
2012 IPFW 13–155–7T-4th
2013 IPFW 13–135–9T-6th
2014 IPFW 21–79–54th
2015 IPFW 18–128–84th
IPFW men: 570–421206–146
IPFW Mastodons (women) (GLVC) (1981–1988)
1981 IPFW 25–19
1982 IPFW 28–17
1983 IPFW 33–16
1984 IPFW 34–14
1985 IPFW 24–13
1986 IPFW 30–4
1987 IPFW 29–7L NCAA Regional Championship Match
1988 IPFW 27–12L NCAA Regional Semi-Finals Match
IPFW women: 230–102
Total:800–523
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth
  • – Conference member Lewis had all wins vacated for seasons 2001, 2002, and 2003. The records included above reflect the actual outcome of matches with Lewis for those years. If the vacated matches were reflected as IPFW wins, then the IPFW conference record for those years would be 10–6, 7–9, and 12–4, respectively.

References
  1. "Lloy Ball's Official Site". Archived from the original on 2011-07-16. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  2. "Walter e. Helmke Library: Topics". Archived from the original on 2009-05-16. Retrieved 2010-05-20.
  3. American Volleyball Coaches Association
  4. "U.S. Senator Dick Lugar - News". Archived from the original on 2011-07-21. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  5. "IPFW's Arnie Ball Named 2007 AVCA Division I-II Men's National Coach of the Year". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-05-19.
  6. "Red Coat Recipients". Mad Anthonys Children's Foundation. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2 December 2016.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-07-11. Retrieved 2010-05-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Hall of Fame Roster". Purdue Fort Wayne Mastodons. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
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