Ken Loeffler
| Ken Loeffler | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | April 14, 1902 |
| Died | January 1, 1975 (aged 72) |
| Playing career | |
| 1920-1924 | Penn State |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1928–1934 1935–1942 1945–1946 1946–1948 1948–1949 1949-1955 1955-1957 |
Geneva Yale Denver St. Louis Bombers (BAA) Providence Steamrollers (NBA) La Salle Texas A&M |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall |
College 370–213 (.635) Professional 79–90 (.467) |
| Tournaments |
NCAA: 9-1 (.900) NIT: 5-3 (.625) NBA Playoffs: 4-6 (.400) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
|
Championships
NCAA Champion (1954) NCAA Final Four (1954, 1955) NIT Champion (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 professional basketball coach. He was mostly known for guiding the La Salle University men's basketball team to the 1954 NCAA Championship and the 1952 National Invitation Tournament Championship.
After earning a Bachelor's degree at Pennsylvania State University (1920–24) and a short pro basketball career (1924–29), the Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania native began his collegiate coaching career at Geneva College (1928–34). In 1934 he became basketball head coach at Yale University, and also assistant coach to the football and baseball varsity. In seven years at Yale Loeffler put up a 61-82 record. During World War II he served in the U.S. Air Force.
After the war Loeffler began coaching pro teams in the Basketball Association of America. First the St. Louis Bombers (1946–48), then the Providence 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 Fameer Tom 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 the Explorers 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 the NCAA Tournament. In 1955 Loeffler moved on to become the head coach at Texas A&M College, a post he held until 1957.
On October 1, 1964, he was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Head coaching record
College basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Geneva Covenanters (Independent) (1928–1934) | |||||||||
| 1928–1929 | Geneva | 14-5 | |||||||
| 1929–1930 | Geneva | 10-9 | |||||||
| 1930–1931 | Geneva | 13-10 | |||||||
| 1931–1932 | Geneva | 14-7 | |||||||
| 1932–1933 | Geneva | 13-6 | |||||||
| 1933–1934 | Geneva | 13-9 | |||||||
| Geneva: | 93–53 (.637) | ||||||||
| Yale Bulldogs (Eastern Intercollegiate Basketball League) (1935–1942) | |||||||||
| 1935–1936 | Yale | 8-16 | 6-6 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1936–1937 | Yale | 12-8 | 7-5 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1937–1938 | Yale | 7-12 | 3-9 | 7th | |||||
| 1938–1939 | Yale | 4-16 | 3-9 | 6th | |||||
| 1939–1940 | Yale | 13-6 | 7-5 | T-3rd | |||||
| 1940–1941 | Yale | 10-12 | 4-8 | T-4th | |||||
| 1941–1942 | Yale | 7-12 | 3-9 | 6th | |||||
| Yale: | 61–82 (.427) | 33–51 (.393) | |||||||
| Denver Pioneers (Mountain States Conference) (1945–1946) | |||||||||
| 1945–1946 | Denver | 9-15 | 1-11 | 7th | |||||
| Denver: | 9–15 (.375) | 1–11 (.083) | |||||||
| La Salle Explorers (Independent) (1949–1955) | |||||||||
| 1949–1950 | La Salle | 21-4 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
| 1950–1951 | La Salle | 22-7 | NIT First Round | ||||||
| 1951–1952 | La Salle | 24-5 | NIT Champions | ||||||
| 1952–1953 | La Salle | 25-3 | NIT Quarterfinals | ||||||
| 1953–1954 | La Salle | 26-4 | NCAA Champions | ||||||
| 1954–1955 | La Salle | 26-5 | NCAA Runner-up | ||||||
| La Salle: | 144–28 (.837) | ||||||||
| Texas A&M Aggies (Southwest Conference) (1955–1957) | |||||||||
| 1955–1956 | Texas A&M | 6-18 | 3-9 | T-5th | |||||
| 1956–1957 | Texas A&M | 7-17 | 3-9 | T-6th | |||||
| Texas A&M: | 13–35 (.271) | 6–18 (.250) | |||||||
| Total: | 370–213 (.635) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Professional basketball
| Legend | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Regular season | G | Games coached | W | Games won | L | Games lost | W–L % | Win-loss % | |
| Post season | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SLB | 1946–47 | 61 | 38 | 23 | .623 | 2nd in Western | 3 | 1 | 2 | .333 | Lost in League Quarterfinals |
| SLB | 1947–48 | 48 | 29 | 19 | .604 | 1st in Western | 7 | 3 | 4 | .429 | Lost in League Semifinals |
| PRO | 1948–49 | 60 | 12 | 48 | .200 | 6th in Eastern | - | - | - | - | Missed Playoffs |
| Career | 169 | 79 | 90 | .467 | 10 | 4 | 6 | .400 |
References
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