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 Loeffler from the 1956Aggieland | |
| 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 | |
| 1920–1924 | Penn State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1928–1935 | Geneva |
| 1935–1942 | Yale |
| 1945–1946 | Denver |
| 1946–1948 | St. Louis Bombers |
| 1948–1949 | Providence Steamrollers |
| 1949–1955 | La Salle |
| 1955–1957 | Texas A&M |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 320–213 (college) 79–90 (professional) |
| Tournaments | 9–1 (NCAA) 5–3 (NIT) 4–6 (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 – January 1, 1975) was an American collegiate and professionalbasketball coach. He was mostly known for guiding theLa Salle Explorers men's basketball team to the1952 National Invitation Tournament and1954 NCAA basketball tournament titles.
After earning aBachelor's degree atPennsylvania State University (1920–24) and a short pro basketball career (1924–29), theBeaver Falls, Pennsylvania native began his collegiate coaching career atGeneva College (1928–35). In 1935 he became basketball head coach atYale University, and also assistant coach to thefootball andbaseball varsity. In seven years at Yale Loeffler put up a 61–82 record. DuringWorld War II he served in theU.S. Air Force.
After the war Loeffler began coaching pro teams in theBasketball Association of America, first theSt. Louis Bombers (1946–48), then theProvidence Steamrollers (1948–49). In 1949 he returned to the college ranks when he became head coach at La Salle. With players like future Hall of FamerTom 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 theExplorers 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 theNCAA tournament. In 1955 Loeffler moved on to become the head coach atTexas A&M College, a post he held until 1957.
On October 1, 1964, Loeffler was elected to theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. He died on January 1, 1975, of an apparent heart attack, inRumson, New Jersey.[1]
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Covenanters(Independent)(1928–1935) | |||||||||
| 1928–29 | Geneva | 14–5 | |||||||
| 1929–30 | Geneva | 10–9 | |||||||
| 1930–31 | Geneva | 13–10 | |||||||
| 1931–32 | Geneva | 14–7 | |||||||
| 1932–33 | Geneva | 13–6 | |||||||
| 1933–34 | Geneva | 13–9 | |||||||
| 1934–35 | Geneva | 16–7 | |||||||
| Geneva: | 93–53 (.637) | ||||||||
| Yale Bulldogs(Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League)(1935–1942) | |||||||||
| 1935–36 | Yale | 8–16 | 6–6 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1936–37 | Yale | 12–8 | 7–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1937–38 | Yale | 7–12 | 3–9 | 7th | |||||
| 1938–39 | Yale | 4–16 | 3–9 | 6th | |||||
| 1939–40 | Yale | 13–6 | 7–5 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1940–41 | Yale | 10–12 | 4–8 | T–4th | |||||
| 1941–42 | Yale | 7–12 | 3–9 | 6th | |||||
| Yale: | 61–82 (.427) | 33–51 (.393) | |||||||
| Denver Pioneers(Mountain States Conference)(1945–1946) | |||||||||
| 1945–46 | Denver | 9–15 | 1–11 | 7th | |||||
| Denver: | 9–15 (.375) | 1–11 (.083) | |||||||
| La Salle Explorers(Independent)(1949–1955) | |||||||||
| 1949–50 | La Salle | 21–4 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
| 1950–51 | La Salle | 22–7 | NIT First Round | ||||||
| 1951–52 | La Salle | 24–5 | NIT Champion | ||||||
| 1952–53 | La Salle | 25–3 | NIT Quarterfinal | ||||||
| 1953–54 | La Salle | 26–4 | NCAA Champion | ||||||
| 1954–55 | La Salle | 26–5 | NCAA Runner-up | ||||||
| La Salle: | 144–28 (.837) | ||||||||
| Texas A&M Aggies(Southwest Conference)(1955–1957) | |||||||||
| 1955–56 | Texas A&M | 6–18 | 3–9 | T–5th | |||||
| 1956–57 | Texas A&M | 7–17 | 3–9 | T–6th | |||||
| Texas A&M: | 13–35 (.271) | 6–18 (.250) | |||||||
| Total: | 320–213 (.600) | ||||||||
National champion Postseason invitational champion | |||||||||
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win–loss % |
| Playoffs | PG | Playoff games | PW | Playoff wins | PL | Playoff losses | PW–L % | Playoff win–loss % |
| Team | Year | G | W | L | W–L% | Finish | PG | PW | PL | PW–L% | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Louis | 1946–47 | 61 | 38 | 23 | .623 | 2nd in Western | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost inLeague Quarterfinals |
| St. Louis | 1947–48 | 48 | 29 | 19 | .604 | 1st in Western | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost inLeague Semifinals |
| Providence | 1948–49 | 60 | 12 | 48 | .200 | 6th in Eastern | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 169 | 79 | 90 | .467 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
