Date: Fri 26-Jan-1996

Publication: Bee

Author: TOMW

Illustration: I

Quick Words:

John-Ball-Feature

Full Text:

John Ball, '96 Sportsman

B Y T.W YATT

The Newtown Bee Sportsman Award is presented annually to recognize a person

for long-term achievement or contribution to sports in the town of Newtown.

In this, the award's tenth year, we have had more nominations than ever

before. This would seemingly make this year's decision our toughest yet but,

conversely, the 1995 Newtown Bee Sportsman meeting was the shortest in

history. This year's clear-cut winner, John Ball, is only the second athlete

ever to earn the award. And we think he is a most deserving one.

The past two decades have seen John Ball's name and photo grace the Sports

pages countless times.

Since he was a small boy, it was evident that John was a very special athlete.

Soccer became his family's passion and John Ball's name quickly became

synonymous with the sport in the town of Newtown as he, playing alongside his

brothers Robbie and Chris, blistered opponents' nets for dozens of goals as a

member of the Little Strikers.

From the moment, as an eight-year-old forward, when he deaked his first

defender and slammed the ball into the net, little John was a star on the

rise. Nobody who ever saw him play would doubt that John could someday achieve

great success with his talent in the game of soccer. But few would have bet

that he had the desire and the maturity to get there.

Today, John Ball has a college degree, two national championship rings, a

professional soccer contract. Like no Newtown soccer player ever before him,

he has reached the pinnacle of his game.

" Right from the start, soccer was the perfect game for John, " said his

father, Joe Ball, who attended The Newtown Bee Sportsman Award dinner in

John's absence on the night of January 23. " As a baby, John never learned to

walk. He went from crawling to running. "

A ripe young soccer novice, at the age of eight, John helped the Little

Strikers to a 9-0 record in 1979, scoring nine goals in nine games. The

following spring, Ball scored ten goals in an 8-0 campaign and, in the fall of

1980, the nine-year-old scored a total of 16 goals in eight games as his team

went 7-0-1.

Joe Ball recollected a day when John, at age nine, stole the ball from a

defender and raced downfield, laughing hysterically all the way to the goal

where he made the deposit. John's coach, Jim Cardin, pulled him out of the

game and scolded him about showing up the opponent, but John hadn't been

laughing to taunt the other team. The boy was laughing because he was having

such a good time.

" John was always good at other sports, " said his father, " but I knew soccer

was his game one day when I watched him making a throw-in. He held the ball

over his head and his eyes were moving back-and-forth, a hundred

miles-an-hour. Sure enough, when he threw the ball in it went to the one

player on the field who wasn't being marked at the time. "

John was a natural at the game of soccer, and nearly every team he ever played

for was a winner.

In addition to his exploits on the field, Ball also volunteered his time to

offer his advice on the sidelines, as a Newtown Soccer Club coach. And when he

wasn't playing or coaching, John was making a few bucks as an official.

He went on to play at Newtown High School and led the team in scoring in his

sophomore, junior, and senior years on the way to becoming the school's

all-time leading goal scorer with 50 goals.

The varsity soccer team played to a record of 49-6 in three years with John

Ball to lead its offense. In his senior year, a story-book season to be sure,

Ball scored 25 goals including the winning goal in both the Western

Connecticut Conference finals and the Class L state championship.

When he left NHS, he did so having earned every soccer honor possible

including All-State.

John's grades were a concern when he went to Southern Connecticut State

University to play soccer for the Division II Owls, but he eventually got his

house in order.

John was moved from offense to defense and saw limited playing time when

Southern won the NCAA National Championship in his freshman year. John's next

two years saw Southern reach the National semifinals twice more but the team

couldn't capture the crown.

As captain of the 1995 team last fall, John helped lead the Owls to a 21-1-1

record - one of the greatest in school history - which included another NCAA

National Championship.

" I think, over and above all of the things he accomplished on the soccer

field, I was most proud of John when he was called to the center of the field,

as the captain, to receive the plaque for the national championship, " Joe

Ball said. " John got many things because of his soccer talent, but he was

made a captain because of his character. "

Right around Christmas time, Ball was drafted in the second round of the

National Professional Soccer League draft by the first-place Cleveland Crunch.

Having graduated Southern in December, he signed his first pro contract on

January 10, and is currently working out with the team in Ohio.

Ball was also honored in Cromwell on Thursday night, January 25, as the

Connecticut Junior Soccer League Player of the Year - another banquet that he

unfortunately had to miss out on.

The Newtown Bee would like to congratulate John on his soccer fortunes and

wish him the very best of luck in the future. Ball is the tenth person to be

honored as The Newtown Bee Sportsman. Past winners have included Jack

McAuliffe, Rich Pesce, Ray Craven, Jack Shpunt, Patty Murren, Bob Sveda, Bob

Zito, Bob Stampp, and Larry Ashmore.