 | |
| 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 | |
| 1909–1911 | Wabash |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1910 | Wabash |
| Positions | Guard (basketball) Shortstop (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1912–1916 | Lebanon HS |
| 1916–1917 | Purdue |
| 1918–1946 | Purdue |
| Baseball | |
| 1917 | Purdue |
| 1919–1935 | Purdue |
| 1945–1946 | Purdue |
| Administrative career (AD unless noted) | |
| 1946–1949 | NBL (commissioner) |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 371–152 (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 Americanbasketball andbaseball coach. He served as the head basketball coach atPurdue 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 theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.
Lambert was born inDeadwood, South Dakota. In 1890, Lambert and his family moved toCrawfordsville, Indiana. He played basketball and baseball atCrawfordsville High School andWabash College, both under coachRalph Jones, who himself went on to coach Purdue in 1909.[1]Football coachJesse 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 asshortstop to hog the ball. He graduated fromWabash College in 1911.
Lambert began his coaching career atLebanon High School from 1912 to 1916, amassing a record of 69–18 (.793) a Sectional title and 3 other post-season appearances; including a berth in the State Semi-Finals in 1913–14.[3] Lambert coachedPurdue University (1916–17, 1918–1946) to a 371–152 record in 29 seasons, including 11Big Ten Conference titles. His teams were noted for their speed and effective use of fast breaks, which he developed. Among his players wereStretch Murphy andJohn Wooden. Lambert missed the 1917–18 season to serve in theUnited States Army duringWorld War I. Meanwhile,J. J. Maloney, an attorney fromCrawfordsville, Indiana, filled in and guided the Boilermakers to an 11–5 record. Lambert's1931–32 team finished the season with a 17–1 record[4] and was retroactively named the national champion by theHelms Athletic Foundation and thePremo-Porretta Power Poll.[5][6] He coached 16All-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 ofMackey Arena, was renamed in his honor.
Lambert is now third on Purdue's all-time wins list behindGene Keady and current head coachMatt Painter.
Lambert also coachedPurdue'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.[7] He was listed as ascout for theNew York Yankees ofMajor League Baseball in 1948.[8]
Following his retirement from Purdue, he served as Commissioner of theNational 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 theNational Basketball Association.
Lambert wrotePractical Basketball in 1932, one of the first "bibles" of the game. He was inducted into theNaismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960 and theNational Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Purdue Boilermakers(Western 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 | |||||||||