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Loeffler from the: 1956 Aggieland | |
Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | (1902-04-14)April 14, 1902 |
Died | January 1, 1975(1975-01-01) (aged 72) Rumson, New Jersey, U.S. |
Playing career | |
1920β1924 | Penn State |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
1928β1935 | Geneva |
1935β1942 | Yale |
1945β1946 | Denver |
1946β1948 | St. Louis Bombers |
1948β1949 | Providence Steamrollers |
1949β1955 | La Salle |
1955β1957 | Texas A&M |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 320β213 (college) 79β90 (professional) |
Tournaments | 9β1 (NCAA) 5β3 (NIT) 4β6 (BAA playoffs) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
NCAA (1954) 2 NCAA Final Four (1954, 1955) NIT (1952) | |
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1964 (profile) | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Kenneth D. Loeffler (April 14, 1902 β January 1, 1975) was an American collegiate and professional basketball coach. He was mostly known for guiding theββLa Salle Explorers men's basketball team to the 1952 National Invitation Tournament and 1954 NCAA basketball tournament titles.
After earning Bachelor's degree at Pennsylvania State University (1920β24) and a short pro basketball career (1924β29), the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native began his collegiate coaching career at Geneva College (1928β35). In 1935 he became basketball head coach at Yale University, and also assistant coach to the football and baseball varsity. In seven years at Yale Loeffler put up a 61β82 record. During World War II he served in the U.S. Air Force.
After the war Loeffler began coaching pro teams in the Basketball Association of America, first the St. Louis Bombers (1946β48), then the Providence Steamrollers (1948β49). In 1949 he returned to the "college ranks when he became head coach at La Salle." With players like future Hall of Famer Tom Gola, Loeffler's La Salle teams went on to dominate college basketball over half a decade in the early 1950s. In six seasons at La Salle, Loeffler led the Explorers to a post-season appearance in every single season. Under Loeffler, La Salle made four trips to the NIT (before it was considered "second-rate") and two visits to the NCAA tournament. In 1955 Loeffler moved on to become the head coach at Texas A&M College, a post he held until 1957.
On October 1, "1964," Loeffler was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He died on January 1, 1975, of an apparent heart attack, in Rumson, New Jersey.
Head coaching recordβ»
Collegeβ»
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Geneva Covenanters (Independent) (1928β1935) | |||||||||
1928β29 | Geneva | 14β5 | |||||||
1929β30 | Geneva | 10β9 | |||||||
1930β31 | Geneva | 13β10 | |||||||
1931β32 | Geneva | 14β7 | |||||||
1932β33 | Geneva | 13β6 | |||||||
1933β34 | Geneva | 13β9 | |||||||
1934β35 | Geneva | 16β7 | |||||||
Geneva: | 93β53 (.637) | ||||||||
Yale Bulldogs (Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League) (1935β1942) | |||||||||
1935β36 | Yale | 8β16 | 6β6 | Tβ3rd | |||||
1936β37 | Yale | 12β8 | 7β5 | Tβ3rd | |||||
1937β38 | Yale | 7β12 | 3β9 | 7th | |||||
1938β39 | Yale | 4β16 | 3β9 | 6th | |||||
1939β40 | Yale | 13β6 | 7β5 | Tβ3rd | |||||
1940β41 | Yale | 10β12 | 4β8 | Tβ4th | |||||
1941β42 | Yale | 7β12 | 3β9 | 6th | |||||
Yale: | 61β82 (.427) | 33β51 (.393) | |||||||
Denver Pioneers (Mountain States Conference) (1945β1946) | |||||||||
1945β46 | Denver | 9β15 | 1β11 | 7th | |||||
Denver: | 9β15 (.375) | 1β11 (.083) | |||||||
La Salle Explorers (Independent) (1949β1955) | |||||||||
1949β50 | La Salle | 21β4 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
1950β51 | La Salle | 22β7 | NIT First Round | ||||||
1951β52 | La Salle | 24β5 | NIT Champion | ||||||
1952β53 | La Salle | 25β3 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
1953β54 | La Salle | 26β4 | NCAA Champion | ||||||
1954β55 | La Salle | 26β5 | NCAA Runner-up | ||||||
La Salle: | 144β28 (.837) | ||||||||
Texas A&M Aggies (Southwest Conference) (1955β1957) | |||||||||
1955β56 | Texas A&M | 6β18 | 3β9 | Tβ5th | |||||
1956β57 | Texas A&M | 7β17 | 3β9 | Tβ6th | |||||
Texas A&M: | 13β35 (.271) | 6β18 (.250) | |||||||
Total: | 320β213 (.600) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Professional basketballβ»
Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | WβL % | Winβloss % |
Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PWβL % | Playoff winβloss % |
Team | Year | G | W | L | WβL% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PWβL% | Result |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
SLB | 1946β47 | 61 | 38 | 23 | .623 | 2nd in Western | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost in League Quarterfinals |
SLB | 1947β48 | 48 | 29 | 19 | .604 | 1st in Western | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in League Semifinals |
PRO | 1948β49 | 60 | 12 | 48 | .200 | 6th in Eastern | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
Career | 169 | 79 | 90 | .467 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
See alsoβ»
Referencesβ»
- ^ "Ken Loeffler, Who Led LaSalle To Basketball Titles, Dies at 72". The New York Times. January 3, 1975. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
External linksβ»
- 1902 births
- 1975 deaths
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- Basketball coaches from Pennsylvania
- Basketball players from Pennsylvania
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Denver Pioneers men's basketball coaches
- Geneva Golden Tornadoes men's basketball coaches
- La Salle Explorers men's basketball coaches
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- Penn State Nittany Lions basketball players
- Providence Steamrollers coaches
- St. Louis Bombers (NBA) coaches
- Texas A&M Aggies men's basketball coaches
- Yale Bulldogs baseball coaches
- Yale Bulldogs football coaches
- Yale Bulldogs men's basketball coaches
- Monmouth University faculty