Rudi Ball

Rudi Ball was the best pre-war ice hockey player in Germany, but is best remembered for his 1936 Olympic appearance. He was the only Jewish player in the German Olympic team, and was initially not even selected. Because another star player, Gustave Jaenecke refused to play with his friend Ball out of the team, the Germans recanted, and Ball was allowed to compete. He couldn't match his 1932 performance, when Germany won the bronze in the four team tournament of Lake Placid. As the third-placed European team in Garmisch, Ball did win a European Championship bronze, having won the title in 1930. He played on eight German championship teams between 1928 and 1944, and won the prestigious Spengler Cup in Davos three times. In 1948, he emigrated to South Africa, joining his brothers Heinz and Gerhard, both former ice hockey players. There he continued to play, even winning the South African Championships in 1951. In 2004, Rudi Ball was elected in the International Ice Hockey Hall of Fame.