Lorin Ball
{{Short description|American ice hockey player}}
{{Infobox college coach
| name = Lorin Ball
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_date = {{birth year|1898}}
| birth_place = Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
| death_date = {{death year and age|1969|1898}}
| death_place = Amherst, Massachusetts, U.S.
| alma_mater = Massachusetts Agricultural College
| player_years1 = 1917–1921
| coach_sport1 = Basketball
| coach_years2 = 1921–1925
| coach_team2 = Massachusetts Ag. (freshmen)
| coach_years3 = 1946–1952
| coach_team3 = Massachusetts
| coach_sport4 = Baseball
| coach_years5 = 1922–1924
| coach_team5 = Massachusetts Ag. (freshmen)
| coach_years6 = 1925–1931
| coach_team6 = Massachusetts Ag.
| coach_sport7 = Ice Hockey
| coach_years8 = 1924–1939
| coach_team8 = Massachusetts State
| overall_record = 35–57–2 ({{winpct|35|57|2}}) [baseball]
26–74 ({{winpct|26|74}}) [basketball]
47–61–7 ({{winpct|47|61|7}}) [hockey]
| tournament_record =
| championships =
| awards =
| coaching_records =
}}
Lorin Earl "Red" Ball was an American baseball, basketball and ice hockey player and coach. He led all three programs at his alma mater University of Massachusetts Amherst at various times during his 40-year tenure at the university.
Career
Born and raised in Amherst, Ball graduated from Amherst High School in 1916 and began attending Massachusetts Agricultural College (later the University of Massachusetts Amherst) the following fall. From the start, Ball was involved with many of the school's sports teams, playing on class teams in baseball, basketball, football and ice hockey.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/index1919univ/page/72/mode/2up?q=lorin |title=Index 1919 |work=Massachusetts Agricultural College |accessdate=July 26, 2023}} Ball joined the varsity baseball and basketball teams as an upperclassman and was remained with the two until his graduation. Though originally a member of the class of 1920, Ball took a year off after his junior season and returned to finish his degree in 1921. After receiving a bachelor's in Agricultural Education, Ball was hired by the school's athletic department to coach the freshman baseball and basketball teams.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/index1923univ/page/180/mode/2up?q=lorin |title=Index 1923 |work=Massachusetts Agricultural College |accessdate=July 26, 2023}} While working in that capacity, he filled up his free time by working at various camps and sports academies.
In 1924, Ball agreed to take over as the head coach for the ice hockey team, despite playing just a few games on the freshman class team. After pulling double-duty with the freshman basketball and varsity ice hockey teams, Ball was promoted to varsity baseball coach as well.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/index1926univ/page/18/mode/2up?q=lorin |title=Index 1926 |work=Massachusetts Agricultural College |accessdate=July 26, 2023}} Now a full-time faculty member, Ball decided that his commitment to the varsity teams was too great and had to end his tenure as freshman basketball coach. Over the next six years, he coached the baseball and hockey teams. on the field, his teams never produced a winning record, though some came close, and he agreed to step down after the 1931 season.{{cite web |url=https://umassathletics.com/documents/2023/5/24/Baseball_Record_Book_2023_FINAL.pdf |title=Baseball_Record_Book_2023_FINAL |work=UMass Minutemen |accessdate=July 26, 2023}} On the ice, however, Ball found more success. Though his tenue got off to a rough start, (including a winless season in 1928), Ball's hockey teams produced five consecutive winning seasons in the early 30's.{{cite web |url=https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/sidearm.nextgen.sites/umassathletics.com/documents/2022/9/13/MassachusettsHockeyRecordBook2223.pdf?timestamp=20220913095748 |title=UMASS HOCKEY 2022-23 RECORD BOOK |work=UMass Minutemen |accessdate=July 26, 2023}} Due primarily to the lack of a permanent, enclosed home rink, the team could not sustain that level of play and the latter half of the decade was mired in subpar records and shortened seasons. With no home venue on the horizon, the hockey program was shuttered in 1939.
After the suspension of the hockey program, Ball remained at the school as an instructor of Physical Education and eventually found his way back to the basketball team. After World War II, Ball took over as head coach on the court and remained in that position until 1952. Similar to his stint with the baseball team, none of basketball teams finished with a winning record. While coaching basketball, Ball was promoted to assistant professor of physical education and also worked part time as an assistant on the varsity football team. Ball retired in 1954 but remained at the school as an emeritus professor afterwards.{{cite web |url=https://archive.org/details/index1956univ/page/180/mode/2up?q=lorin |title=Index 1956 |work=University of Massachusetts |accessdate=July 26, 2023}}
Head coaching record
=Baseball=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = UMass Minutemen baseball
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1925
|conflong = NCAA Division III independent schools
|conference = Independent
|endyear = 1931
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1925
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 6–8–2
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1926
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 4–12
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1927
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 7–8
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1928
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 2–9
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1929
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 3–11
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1930
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 7–9
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1931
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 6–10
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 35–57–2
| confrecord =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
| overall = 35–57–2
}}
=Ice hockey=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = UMass Minutemen ice hockey
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1924
|conflong = NCAA Division I independent schools (ice hockey)
|conference = Independent
|endyear = 1931
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1924–25
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 2–5–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1925–26
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 3–4–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1926–27
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 2–4–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1927–28
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 0–6–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1928–29
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 7–5–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1929–30
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 7–4–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1930–31
| name = Massachusetts Agricultural
| overall = 9–4–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = {{color|white|Massachusetts State Aggies}}
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1931
|conflong = NCAA Division I independent schools (ice hockey)
|conference = Independent
|endyear = 1939
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1931–32
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 3–1–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1932–33
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 5–2–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1933–34
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 0–8–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1934–35
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 3–3–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1935–36
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 1–4–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1936–37
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 3–3–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1937–38
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 2–4–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1938–39
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 0–4–1
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 47–61–7
| confrecord =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall = 47–61–7
|confrecord =
}}
=Basketball=
{{CBB Yearly Record Start
|type=coach
|conference=
|postseason=
|poll=no
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = UMass Minutemen basketball
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1945
|conflong = NCAA Division I independent schools
|conference = Independent
|endyear = 1946
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1945–46
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 4–8–0
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = {{color|white|Massachusetts State Aggies}}
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1946
|conflong =
|conference = Yankee Conference
|endyear = 1947
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1946–47
| name = Massachusetts State
| overall = 4–5 †
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = {{color|white|Massachusetts Aggies}}
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1947
|conflong =
|conference = Yankee Conference
|endyear = 1948
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1947–48
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 2–14
| conference =
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CIH yearly record subhead
|name = {{color|white|Massachusetts Redmen}}
|color = color:white; background:#881C1C; {{box-shadow border|a|#27251F|2px}}
|startyear = 1948
|conflong =
|conference = Yankee Conference
|endyear = 1952
|}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1948–49
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 6–12
| conference = 2–2
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1949–50
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 8–11
| conference = 2–3
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1950–51
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 6–14
| conference = 1–3
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Entry
| championship =
| season = 1951–52
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 4–17
| conference = 0–6
| confstanding =
| postseason =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record Subtotal
| name = Massachusetts
| overall = 26–74
| confrecord =
}}
{{CBB Yearly Record End
|overall = 26–74
|confrecord =
}}
† Ball finished the year after Walter Hargesheheimer began the season 0–7.
References
{{reflist|50em}}
{{UMass Minutemen baseball navbox}}
{{UMass Minutemen basketball navbox}}
{{UMass Minutemen ice hockey navbox}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Lorin}}
Category:Sportspeople from Amherst, Massachusetts
Category:Baseball players from Hampshire County, Massachusetts
Category:Basketball players from Massachusetts
Category:Ice hockey people from Massachusetts
Category:UMass Minutemen baseball players
Category:UMass Minutemen basketball players
Category:UMass Minutemen ice hockey coaches
Category:UMass Minutemen baseball coaches