He completed high school in 1956 and attended Mississippi State University for his undergraduate and Florida Institute of Technology for his graduate degree.

In 1968, he completed the Ordnance Advanced Course at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and, following an assignment with the Defense Contract Administration Services District in Atlanta, he attended the Command and General Staff College course at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, in 1970.

While at Fort Lee, Ball completed a Master of Science degree in Contract and Procurement Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1974.

In July 1986, he was selected for promotion to brigadier general and was assigned as the Program Executive Officer, Combat Support Systems, United States Army Tank-Automotive Command in Warren, Michigan.

With consistent effort by the entire staff, the caliber of the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) graduates attending the Ordnance School underwent substantial improvement.