Phillip Roy Ball (October 19, 1925 – November 16, 2008) was an
American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Central State College (and University)—now the
University of Central Oklahoma—from 1964 to 1976, compiling a career
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
record of 83–45–6, and one conference championship.
He ranks 4th all-time for Broncho coaches in winning percentage, and 3rd number of games coached and victories.
Early life and education
Ball grew up in
Yukon, Oklahoma, and graduated from
Yukon High School
Yukon High School is a secondary school located within Canadian County in Yukon, Oklahoma
Yukon is a city in eastern Canadian County, Oklahoma, United States. It is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. The population was 22,709 at ...
in 1943. After high school Ball joined the
United States Navy and enrolled in the
University of South Carolina.
While at South Carolina he was a
guard on the
football team.
After graduating from South Carolina, Ball began coaching at several Oklahoma high schools including:
Wewoka Walters,
Seminole, and
Muskogee.
Central State
Ball was hired as the head coach of
Central State University
Central State University (CSU) is a public, historically black land-grant university in Wilberforce, Ohio. It is a member-school of the Thurgood Marshall College Fund.
Established by the state legislature in 1887 as a two-year program for te ...
in 1964 and coached the
Central State Bronchos until 1976.
During that span his teams went 83–45–6, including one conference championship, and one NAIA playoff appearance. Also at CSU he was known for compiling his own stats.
After coaching
Ball earned a Ph.D. from
Oklahoma State University. He remained on the faculty at Central State/Central Oklahoma until his retirement in 1993. He died on November 16, 2008.
Head coaching record
College
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ball, Phil
1925 births
2008 deaths
American football guards
Central Oklahoma Bronchos football coaches
South Carolina Gamecocks football players
High school football coaches in Oklahoma
Oklahoma State University alumni
University of Central Oklahoma faculty
United States Navy personnel of World War II
People from Yukon, Oklahoma
Coaches of American football from Oklahoma
Players of American football from Oklahoma
Military personnel from Oklahoma