ROLLA, Mo. – Andy Ball, who has served two stints on the Missouri S&T football coaching staff and most recently as the associate head coach, has been elevated to the head coaching position for the Miner program.

After serving on the S&T staff as offensive line coach and special teams coordinator from 2007-10, Ball returned to the Miner program prior to the 2018 season to be the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach.  He added the title of associate head coach a year later and was in that position until being named interim head coach after Todd Drury stepped down from the post on March 9.

I am beyond humbled to accept the position of head coach here at Missouri S&T," Ball said.  "My wife and I fell in love with this university and town during our first stint in Rolla.  It was an answered prayer when Coach Tyler Fenwick offered us the opportunity to come back and rejoin the Miner family. 

"Coach Fenwick and Coach Drury have built an incredible football program and I'm incredibly excited to follow where they left off," Ball added.  "We have a tremendous group of players who inspire me every day and I can't wait to get on the field with them this spring.  I'm excited to get to work with this great staff.  I want to thank director of athletics Melissa Ringhausen for this wonderful opportunity. 

"Coach Ball has shown a proven commitment to S&T and his coaching philosophy mirrors the mission of the university," Ringhausen said. "He understands the rigorous academic curriculum and how to balance that with a winning football program.  He is already connected with many of the alumni and is well-respected in the community.  We are excited to have him as our next head coach and look forward watching the team excel under his leadership.  "

Over the three full seasons S&T has played since Ball's return to the staff, the Miners have averaged 35.5 points, 158.7 rushing yards and 429.7 total yards per game as they went a combined 23-11 during those seasons.  S&T also played three games in the spring of 2021 after the 2020 season was not played in the fall due to the COVID-19 pandemic, where the Miners went 2-1 and averaged 41.3 points, 283 rushing yards and 477.3 yards per game.

Since the 2018 season, the Miners have had two of their top four seasons in program history for yards gained, three of their top seven scoring seasons all-time and have had three seasons among the their top eight for passing yards in a season.  In his first season after his return in 2018, the Miners went 10-2 and won the Mineral Water Bowl in S&T's first post-season appearance since 1950.

During Ball's first stint on the Miner staff, the Miners set offensive records during the 2008 season when they captured the Great Lakes Football Conference title, as they racked up 4,945 offensive yards – a mark that was just broken in 2017 – and averaged 37.1 points per game.  The Miners' best offensive day in school history, a 697-yard performance against Kentucky Wesleyan, also came during that year as S&T recorded a 7-4 record.

In 2007, the Miners led NCAA Division II in kickoff returns, as the unit averaged 27.2 yards per runback and returned four of those kicks for touchdowns.  Ashton Gronewold, who had two of those touchdown returns, was among the national leaders in kickoff return yardage that season.

In his first four seasons at Missouri S&T, Ball helped produce eight players on the offensive line that earned all-conference honors, including two that were named as the offensive lineman of the year in the conference.  Over the last four seasons, the Miners have had 10 offensive linemen earn All-GLVC honors which includes four that were selected to the first team.

After the 2010 season, Ball moved on to Truman State, where he served as the defensive line coach and special teams coordinator for the Bulldogs for four years.  Truman had two All-America performers in placekicker Derek Koon and punter Eric Phillips, as well as seven all-conference defensive linemen during his tenure.  The Bulldog special teams unit routinely ranked among the national leaders in several categories in those four seasons.

Ball served as the offensive line coach at Missouri Western during the 2015 and 2016 seasons and coached six players that were all-conference selections for a unit that averaged 218 yards per game on the ground in his second year on the staff.  In 2017, Ball served as the head coach at St. Joseph Central High School where he mentored Bobby Lawrence, who signed to play at the University of Missouri.

Before his initial stint at Missouri S&T, Ball was a graduate assistant coach at the University of Central Missouri – where he earned his bachelor's degree from in 2002 and his master's degree two years later – and was an assistant coach at Culver-Stockton College for three seasons as the offensive line coach and special teams coordinator before joining the S&T staff prior to the 2007 campaign.

Ball's father, Randy, previously served as the head coach at Western Illinois University and Missouri State University.