LAMBERT, PIGGY

born May 28, 1888, Deadwood, S.D., U.S. died Jan. 20, 1958, Lafayette, Ind. byname of Ward L. Lambert U.S. collegiate basketball coach who pioneered the fast break, an offensive drive down the court at all-out speed. Lambert got his nickname from the pigtails he wore as a child. As a basketball player at Crawfordsville (Ind.) High School and at Wabash College (Crawfordsville; B.S. in chemistry, 1911), Lambert was considered by many to be the greatest small-college player. He was obsessed with motion and speed. After graduate study in chemistry at the University of Minnesota (Minneapolis), he taught physics and chemistry and coached at Lebanon (Ind.) High School (191216) before becoming coach at Purdue University (West Lafayette, Ind.), where his teams won or shared in 11 Big Ten (Western Conference) championship titles. As a coach Lambert stressed self-confidence, aggressiveness, speed, and positive attitude. Among his All-American players was John Wooden, who became a foremost collegiate coach. Lambert retired from coaching in 1946, served until 1949 as commissioner of the professional National Basketball League, and then returned to Purdue as head freshman basketball and baseball coach, giving up the former in 1955 but retaining the latter. He also worked as a chemist. Lambert was elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1960.