Lonnie Noojin

Balpha Lonnie Noojin, Sr (born August 10, 1885 in Attalla; died September 7, 1950 in Gadsden) was a baseball player, educator, coach and athletics director, and owner of the Noojin Supply Company.

Noojin was the son of Joshua Thompson and Margaret Whitt Noojin of Etowah County. He earned his bachelor of science from the University of Alabama in 1908, having edited the Crimson White and played on the Alabama Crimson Tide baseball team. He went on to sign professionally with the Cincinnati Reds and played for the Charlotte Hornets, Greenville Spinners, Augusta Tourists, Chattanooga Lookouts, Columbia Commies and Asheville Mountaineers before hanging up his bat in 1913. In six seasons in the minors, Noojin appeared in 460 games and got 468 hits in 1680 at bats for a career average of .279. He had 3 home runs, 5 triples and 13 doubles.

During the off-season Noojin coached football and taught at Blountsville and Albertville High Schools. His 1911 Albertville Aggies went undefeated in seven games outscoring their opponents (which included three colleges, Alabama's junior varsity, and the Marion Institute scrubs) by a total of 247-12. He was later appointed football coach and director of athletics for Howard College in Birmingham. From 1912 to 1914 his Bulldogs compiled a 10-13-2 record. The 1913 season was his best as the team went 5-3-1. When Howard lost to Alabama 44-0 in Tuscaloosa, Noojin was head coach of the Bulldogs as well as an assistant to Thomas Kelly on the Crimson Tide staff.

Noojin married the former Willie Lucille McNaron in 1916

Noojin returned to the University of Alabama as a baseball and football coach and athletics director in 1915. He also taught English, French, Spanish, Physics and Chemistry at the university. He and fellow assistant Farley Moody coached the last four games of the 1915 Alabama Crimson Tide football season while Thomas Kelley was hospitalized with typhoid fever. Over the next six years he lead the Crimson Tide baseball team to five Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference championships, amassing an overall record of 70-20. In 1918 he coached the men's basketball team to a 2-5 record. He resigned in 1919 to join his brother's hardware business in Gadsden. In 1922 he ran unsuccessfully to represent the 7th Congressional District of Alabama.

The Noojin brothers closed their retail hardware store in 1923 to focus on wholesaling as the Noojin Supply Company. Noojin bought out his brother's interest in 1926. He served on the board of directors for the American National Bank of Gadsden, Alabama Power Company, and the Gadsden Chamber of Commerce and on the board of trustees for the University of Alabama. He was active in Republican Party politics, serving on the state committee and national convention. He purchased the site of the former Bellevue Hotel overlooking Gadsden to construct his home.

Noojin died in 1950. He is buried at Forrest Cemetery in Gadsden. He was inducted into the Alabama Business Hall of Fame in 1979.

Preceded by: John Longwell	Samford Bulldogs head football coach 1912–1914	Succeeded by: Eugene Caton
Preceded by: unknown	Samford Bulldogs athletics director 1912–1914	Succeeded by: unknown
Preceded by: D. V. Graves	Alabama Crimson Tide head baseball coach 1916–1922	Succeeded by: Gordon Lewis
Preceded by: unknown	Alabama Crimson Tide athletics director 1916–1922	Succeeded by: unknown
Preceded by: Thomas Kelly	Alabama Crimson Tide head basketball coach 1918	Succeeded by: Yancey Goodall

References

• "Balpha Lonnie Noojin at the Alabama Business Hall of Fame
• "B. L. Noojin." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 8 Dec 2008, 16:38 UTC. 15 Oct 2009 [1].