Ward Lambert

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Ward Lambert
Wabash
Position(s)
Guard (basketball)
Shortstop (baseball)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Basketball
1912–1916Lebanon HS
1916–1917Purdue
1918–1946Purdue
Baseball
1917Purdue
1919–1935Purdue
1945–1946Purdue
Administrative career (AD unless noted)
1946–1949NBL (commissioner)
Head coaching record
Overall371–152 (college basketball)
163–158–7 (college baseball)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Basketball
Helms Athletic Foundation National (1932)
Premo-Porretta National (1932)
11× 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 – January 20, 1958) was an American basketball and baseball coach. He served as the head basketball coach at Purdue University during the 1916–17 season and from 1918 to 1946. Lambert was also the head baseball coach at Purdue in 1917, from 1919 to 1935, and from 1945 to 1946. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.

Early life and playing career

Lambert was born in

Crawfordsville High School and Wabash College, both under coach Ralph Jones, who himself went on to coach Purdue in 1909.[1] Football coach Jesse Harper took over as Lambert's basketball coach in 1910 following the departure of Ralph Jones.[2] Despite his height (5'6"), Lambert led Wabash in scoring his sophomore year—leading 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 career

Lambert began his coaching career at

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

scout for the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball in 1948.[8]

Administrative career, writing, and honors

Following his retirement from Purdue, he served as Commissioner of the National Basketball League during the final three years (1946–1949) 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 record

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Conference) (1916–1917)
1916–17 Purdue 11–3 7–2 3rd
Purdue Boilermakers (Big Ten Conference) (1918–1946)
1918–19 Purdue 6–8 4–7 T–7th
1919–20 Purdue 16–4 8–2 2nd
1920–21 Purdue 13–7 8–4 T–1st
1921–22 Purdue 15–3 8–1 1st
1922–23 Purdue 9–6 7–5 T–4th
1923–24 Purdue 12–5 7–5 T–4th
1924–25 Purdue 9–5 7–4 4th
1925–26 Purdue 13–4 8–4 T–1st
1926–27 Purdue 12–5 9–3 T–2nd
1927–28 Purdue 15–2 10–2 1st
1928–29 Purdue 13–4 9–3 3rd
1929–30 Purdue 13–2 10–0 1st
1930–31 Purdue 12–5 8–4 T–2nd
1931–32 Purdue 17–1 11–1 1st Helms National Champion
Premo-Porretta National Champion
1932–33 Purdue 11–7 6–6 T–5th
1933–34 Purdue 17–3 10–2 1st


1934–35 Purdue 17–3 9–3 T–1st
1935–36 Purdue 16–4 11–1 T–1st
1936–37 Purdue 15–5 8–4 4th
1937–38 Purdue 18–2 10–2 1st
1938–39 Purdue 12–7 6–6 5th
1939–40 Purdue 16–4 10–2 1st
1940–41 Purdue 13–7 6–6 6th
1941–42 Purdue 14–7 9–6 T–5th
1942–43 Purdue 9–11 6–6 T–4th
1943–44 Purdue 11–10 8–4 T–4th
1944–45 Purdue 9–11 6–6 4th
1945–46 Purdue 10–11 4–8 8th
Purdue: 374–156 (.706) 223–105 (.680)
Total: 374–156 (.706)

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. ^ The Career of Ralph Jones A lesser-known Indiana coaching legend
  2. ^ Wabash College coaching records Archived November 21, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Lebanon High School Basketball, 1910–2010" (PDF). Lebanon Public Library.
  4. ^ "Purdue Boilermakers season-by-season results". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. 2014. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  5. ^ "NCAA Division I Men's Basketball – NCAA Division I Champions". Rauzulu's Street. 2004. Retrieved June 17, 2014.
  6. ISBN 978-0-345-51392-2
    .
  7. ^ Lambert Field (Baseball) at purduesports.com, URL accessed October 24, 2009. Archived 10/24/09
  8. ^ Spink, J.G. Taylor, ed., 1948 Official Baseball Guide and Record Book. St. Louis: The Sporting News

External links

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