His soccer journey in America has been a whirlwind that has taken the native of Chatham, England, to the land of Rocky Top and to multiple stops nestled within America’s heartland. In Seward, Neb., Dan Ball came to appreciate the rural sunsets that paint impossible colors above acres of seemingly endless fields of corn. It’s not necessarily what he predicted or what he expected, but in many ways the experiences have surpassed his expectations.
It was as Concordia University’s men’s and women’s goalkeeper coach during the 2016 season that Ball found his true calling. He realized he had a passion for coaching and an ability to develop goalkeepers, relate to them and make them smile.
“I didn’t know I wanted to coach until I got to Concordia,” Ball said. “At the end of the first season at Concordia I realized that coaching was something I wanted to do … I really revel in the challenge of something new. I want to continue to grow and surround myself with people at the top of the profession, who I can lean on for advice and who respect my opinion too.
“If you would have told me as a senior at Milligan (College in Milligan, Tenn.) that I would end up in Nebraska, I would have said, ‘no.’”
These days, Ball is a proud owner of a Master’s in Business Administration from Concordia. Less than two years after finishing his education at Concordia, Ball has made his way to Iowa State University as the Cyclones’ goalkeeper coach. He previously served the same role at Bowling Green State University (for the 2018 and 2019 seasons). Ball made such an impression upon his boss that when Matt Fannon moved from BGSU to ISU as head coach, Fannon took Ball along for the ride.
Ball is known as energetic to the max, an outgoing personality, a student of the game and someone with a keen interest in social media and technological gadgets. While at Concordia, Ball flew his own drone around campus to pick up footage for hype videos he created. He documented several team trips and coaching sessions on social media. More importantly, Ball has made a positive impact on the student-athletes he’s worked with.
“I got about a year-and-a-half with Dan,” said Lindsey Carley, the 2017 GPAC Defensive Player of the Year. “He was my first legitimate college goalkeeper coach. He definitely impacted my development here a lot and improved my confidence.”
No one would consider Ball as someone lacking confidence. He’ll tell you he’s not surprised to be coaching at a Big 12 school. He expected to make waves once he settled on coaching as a career choice. Ball was hired on at Iowa State in January and got to work with his new team during the first half of the spring semester. The Cyclones played three spring exhibition games before being shut down by the coronavirus pandemic. In those three matches, Iowa State allowed a combined two goals.
Ball was part of Fannon’s staff that turned things around at Bowling Green and won a pair of Mid-American Conference titles. Now Ball is attempting to live up to the high praise that has come his way. In the press release announcing Ball’s hiring at Iowa State, Fannon stated, “We are really happy to be able to add Dan to the staff. He has proven to be one of the best young goalkeeper coaches around, and is excellent in all aspects of what we do.”
Everything has happened fast for Ball. As Ball answers questions via a phone interview, it’s been exactly two years since his graduation from Concordia. Says Ball, “It’s flown by. It seems like just yesterday we were hosting Hastings in a conference final. I couldn’t be more grateful for the last couple of years … Matt called after Iowa State offered him the job and asked if I wanted to come. I’ve lived in four different states and a new opportunity doesn’t scare me. It came along really quickly. To be part of this environment (at Iowa State) is really, really exciting.”
Over his two years wearing Bulldog blue, Ball worked for Concordia head coaches featuring entirely different personalities in men’s coach Jason Weides and women’s coach Greg Henson. Ball aided in Carley earning GPAC Defensive Player of the Year accolades and proved instrumental in developing additional all-conference keepers in Jack Bennett, Mark Horsburgh and Chrissy Lind. Concordia gave Ball his first chance as a coach and that fact will never be lost on Ball.
“I wasn’t too much older than the people I was coaching,” Ball said. “It was a challenge but something that I think has helped shape me. I worked for two bosses that were two very different people. Bouncing in between their offices was like bouncing between two different universes. Having to navigate that was interesting. The opportunities at Concordia were incredible for both programs. I was so blessed to be part of it.”
Like everyone else, Ball is finding ways to stay sharp during the current pandemic. He has taken it upon himself to organize Zoom discussions with other coaches, including many of impressive stature. Of course there’s also a focus on keeping contact with the goalkeepers at Iowa State. The goal is to reverse the fortunes of the Cyclone program as Ball and this staff did at Bowling Green. The future seems to have endless possibilities for Ball, whose network throughout the soccer world is growing.
No matter where he goes, Ball will remember Concordia as the start. He is looking forward to possible return to Nebraska in the fall and a chance to reunite with familiar faces. Ball thanked Henson and Weides and athletic leadership Devin Smith and Angela Muller for what he learned as a Bulldog.
“I can definitely say that I wouldn’t be in a coaching position in the Big 12 if Greg and Jason hadn’t trusted me to sharpen my teeth with their programs,” Ball said. “They very rarely pushed back and if they did, it was in a really constructive fashion. They were mentors and now we’re friends that lean on each other. The whole GA position at Concordia can serve as a springboard.”