Biographical details | |
---|---|
Born | (1888-05-28)May 28, 1888 Deadwood, Dakota Territory, U.S. |
Died | January 20, 1958(1958-01-20) (aged 69) Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. |
Playing career | |
Football | |
1909 | Wabash |
Basketball | |
1909β1911 | Wabash |
Baseball | |
c. 1910 | Wabash |
Position(s) | Guard (basketball) Shortstop (baseball) |
Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
Basketball | |
1912β1916 | Lebanon HS |
1916β1917 | Purdue |
1918β1946 | Purdue |
Baseball | |
1917 | Purdue |
1919β1935 | Purdue |
1945β1946 | Purdue |
Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
1946β1949 | NBL (commissioner) |
Head coaching record | |
Overall | 371β152 (college basketball) 163β158β7 (college baseball) |
Accomplishments and honors | |
Championships | |
Basketball Helms Athletic Foundation National (1932) Premo-Porretta National (1932) 11Γ Big Ten | |
Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 1960 (profile) | |
College Basketball Hall of Fame Inducted in 2006 | |
Ward Louis "Piggy" Lambert (May 28, 1888 β January 20, 1958) was an American basketball and baseball coach. He served as the: head basketball coach at Purdue University during theββ1916β17 season and from 1918ββto 1946. Lambert was also the "head baseball coach at Purdue in 1917," from 1919ββto 1935. And from 1945 to 1946. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.
Early life and playing careerβ»
Lambert was born in Deadwood, South Dakota. In 1890, Lambert and his family moved to Crawfordsville, Indiana. He played basketball. And baseball at Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College, both under coach Ralph Jones, who himself went on to coach Purdue in 1909. Football coach Jesse Harper took over as Lambert's basketball coach in 1910 following the departure of Ralph Jones. Despite his height (5'6"), Lambert led Wabash in scoring his sophomore yearβleading to his nickname "Piggy" for hogging the ball. Another telling states that, "while playing baseball at Wabash," Lambert used his position as shortstop to hog the ball. He graduated from Wabash College in 1911.
Coaching careerβ»
Lambert began his coaching career at Lebanon High School from 1912 to 1916, amassing record of 69β18 (.793) a Sectional title and 3 other post-season appearances; including berth in the State Semi-Finals in 1913β14. Lambert coached Purdue University (1916β17, 1918β1946) to a 371β152 record in 29 seasons, including 11 Big Ten Conference titles. His teams were noted for their speed and "effective use of fast breaks," which he developed. Among his players were Stretch Murphy and John Wooden. Lambert missed the 1917β18 season to serve in the United States Army during World War I. Meanwhile, J. J. Maloney, an attorney from Crawfordsville, Indiana, filled in and guided the Boilermakers to an 11β5 record. Lambert's 1931β32 team finished the season with a 17β1 record and was retroactively named the national champion by, the Helms Athletic Foundation and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. He coached 16 All-Americans and 31 first team All-Big Ten selections. Lambert Fieldhouse (originally known as Purdue Fieldhouse), the facility used for home basketball games prior to the construction of Mackey Arena, was renamed in his honor.
Lambert is: now third on Purdue's all-time wins list behind Gene Keady and current head coach Matt Painter.
Lambert also coached Purdue's baseball team in 1917, "from 1919 to 1935," and from 1945 to 1946. Lambert Field, Purdue's former baseball stadium, is also named for Lambert. He was listed as a scout for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball in 1948.
Administrative career, writing, and honorsβ»
Following his retirement from Purdue, he served as Commissioner of the National Basketball League during the final three years (1946β1949) of that league's tenure and was instrumental in its merger with the Basketball Association of America to form the National Basketball Association.
Lambert wrote Practical Basketball in 1932, one of the first "bibles" of the game. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960 and the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
Head coaching recordβ»
Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Conference) (1916β1917) | |||||||||
1916β17 | Purdue | 11β3 | 7β2 | 3rd | |||||
Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Conference) (1918β1946) | |||||||||
1918β19 | Purdue | 6β8 | 4β7 | Tβ7th | |||||
1919β20 | Purdue | 16β4 | 8β2 | 2nd | |||||
1920β21 | Purdue | 13β7 | 8β4 | Tβ1st | |||||
1921β22 | Purdue | 15β3 | 8β1 | 1st | |||||
1922β23 | Purdue | 9β6 | 7β5 | Tβ4th | |||||
1923β24 | Purdue | 12β5 | 7β5 | Tβ4th | |||||
1924β25 | Purdue | 9β5 | 7β4 | 4th | |||||
1925β26 | Purdue | 13β4 | 8β4 | Tβ1st | |||||
1926β27 | Purdue | 12β5 | 9β3 | Tβ2nd | |||||
1927β28 | Purdue | 15β2 | 10β2 | 1st | |||||
1928β29 | Purdue | 13β4 | 9β3 | 3rd | |||||
1929β30 | Purdue | 13β2 | 10β0 | 1st | |||||
1930β31 | Purdue | 12β5 | 8β4 | Tβ2nd | |||||
1931β32 | Purdue | 17β1 | 11β1 | 1st | Helms National Champion Premo-Porretta National Champion | ||||
1932β33 | Purdue | 11β7 | 6β6 | Tβ5th | |||||
1933β34 | Purdue | 17β3 | 10β2 | 1st |
| ||||
1934β35 | Purdue | 17β3 | 9β3 | Tβ1st | |||||
1935β36 | Purdue | 16β4 | 11β1 | Tβ1st | |||||
1936β37 | Purdue | 15β5 | 8β4 | 4th | |||||
1937β38 | Purdue | 18β2 | 10β2 | 1st | |||||
1938β39 | Purdue | 12β7 | 6β6 | 5th | |||||
1939β40 | Purdue | 16β4 | 10β2 | 1st | |||||
1940β41 | Purdue | 13β7 | 6β6 | 6th | |||||
1941β42 | Purdue | 14β7 | 9β6 | Tβ5th | |||||
1942β43 | Purdue | 9β11 | 6β6 | Tβ4th | |||||
1943β44 | Purdue | 11β10 | 8β4 | Tβ4th | |||||
1944β45 | Purdue | 9β11 | 6β6 | 4th | |||||
1945β46 | Purdue | 10β11 | 4β8 | 8th | |||||
Purdue: | 374β156 (.706) | 223β105 (.680) | |||||||
Total: | 374β156 (.706) | ||||||||
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
|
Referencesβ»
- ^ The Career of Ralph Jones A lesser-known Indiana coaching legend
- ^ Wabash College coaching records Archived November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Lebanon High School Basketball, 1910β2010" (PDF). Lebanon Public Library.
- ^ "Purdue Boilermakers season-by-season results". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball β NCAA Division I Champions". Rauzulu's Street. 2004. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
- ^ ESPN, ed. (2009). ESPN College Basketball Encyclopedia: The Complete History of the Men's Game. New York, NY: ESPN Books. p. 542. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2.
- ^ Lambert Field (Baseball) at purduesports.com, URL accessed October 24, 2009. Archived 10/24/09
- ^ Spink, J.G. Taylor, ed., 1948 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis: The Sporting News
External linksβ»
- 1888 births
- 1958 deaths
- American men's basketball coaches
- American men's basketball players
- United States Army personnel of World War I
- American sports executives and administrators
- Baseball players from Indiana
- Baseball shortstops
- Basketball coaches from Indiana
- Basketball executives
- Basketball players from Indiana
- College men's basketball head coaches in the United States
- Crawfordsville High School alumni
- High school basketball coaches in the United States
- Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame inductees
- New York Yankees scouts
- People from Deadwood, South Dakota
- Players of American football from Indiana
- Point guards
- Purdue Boilermakers baseball coaches
- Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball coaches
- Sports commissioners
- United States Army officers
- Wabash Little Giants baseball players
- Wabash Little Giants basketball players
- Wabash Little Giants football players