Flake Laird
|  Laird pictured as a senior in Quips and Cranks 1926, Davidson yearbook | |
| Sport(s) | Basketball, baseball | 
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | December 16, 1902 Decatur, Georgia | 
| Died | April 10, 1992 (aged 89) Blacksburg, Virginia | 
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1922–1925 | Davidson | 
| Basketball | |
| 1922–1926 | Davidson | 
| Baseball | |
| 1923–1926 | Davidson | 
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Basketball | |
| 1926–1928 | Catawba | 
| 1931–1937 | Davidson | 
| 1947–1955 | Virginia Tech | 
| Baseball | |
| 1927–1928 | Catawba | 
| 1932–1939 | Davidson | 
| 1940–1944 | Virginia Tech | 
| 1948–1973 | Virginia Tech | 
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 134–221 (basketball) 409–392–5 (baseball) | 
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards | |
| ABCA Hall of Fame (1971) | |
Green Flake "Red" Laird[1] (December 16, 1902 – April 10, 1992) was an American college basketball and baseball coach.[2][3] He is best known for being Virginia Tech's head baseball coach for 30 seasons and compiling the second most wins in program history through the 2013 season (343).[4] He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1971.[5][6] Virginia Tech's home baseball venue, English Field, has its home team's dugout after him.[7] Laird also coached the men's basketball and baseball teams at Virginia Tech, Catawba College, and Davidson College as well as the freshman football team at Davidson.[8][9][10] Laird attended Davidson between 1922–23 and 1925–26. While there he earned 12 varsity letters – four each in football, basketball and baseball.
Head coaching record
Basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba Indians (Little Six Conference) (1926–1928) | |||||||||
| 1926–27 | Catawba | 6–15 | 1–9 | ||||||
| 1927–28 | Catawba | 8–12 | 4–8 | ||||||
| Catawba: | 14–27 | 5–17 | |||||||
| Davidson Wildcats (Independent) (1931–1936) | |||||||||
| 1931–32 | Davidson | 3–12 | |||||||
| 1932–33 | Davidson | 4–14 | |||||||
| 1933–34 | Davidson | 6–13 | |||||||
| 1934–35 | Davidson | 13–10 | |||||||
| 1935–36 | Davidson | 4–15 | |||||||
| Davidson Wildcats (Southern Conference) (1936–1937) | |||||||||
| 1936–37 | Davidson | 13–10 | 5–8 | ||||||
| Davidson: | 43–74 | 5–8 | |||||||
| Virginia Tech Hokies (Independent) (1947–1955) | |||||||||
| 1947–48 | Virginia Tech | 14–9 | |||||||
| 1948–49 | Virginia Tech | 10–13 | |||||||
| 1949–50 | Virginia Tech | 16–9 | |||||||
| 1950–51 | Virginia Tech | 19–10 | |||||||
| 1951–52 | Virginia Tech | 4–16 | |||||||
| 1952–53 | Virginia Tech | 4–19 | |||||||
| 1953–54 | Virginia Tech | 3–24 | |||||||
| 1954–55 | Virginia Tech | 7–20 | |||||||
| Virginia Tech: | 77–120 | ||||||||
| Total: | 134–221 | ||||||||
Baseball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Catawba Indians (Independent) (1927–1928) | |||||||||
| 1927 | Catawba | 10–13–1 | |||||||
| 1928 | Catawba | 5–9 | |||||||
| Catawba: | 15–22–1 | ||||||||
| Davidson Wildcats (Independent) (1932–1939) | |||||||||
| 1932 | Davidson | 6–11 | |||||||
| 1933 | Davidson | 15–6 | |||||||
| 1934 | Davidson | 3–13 | |||||||
| 1935 | Davidson | 5–11 | |||||||
| 1936 | Davidson | 2–18 | |||||||
| 1937 | Davidson | 6–17 | |||||||
| 1938 | Davidson | 8–8 | |||||||
| 1939 | Davidson | 6–11 | |||||||
| Davidson: | 51–95 | ||||||||
| Virginia Tech Hokies (Independent) (1940–1943) | |||||||||
| 1940 | Virginia Tech | 7–5 | |||||||
| 1941 | Virginia Tech | 6–10 | |||||||
| 1942 | Virginia Tech | 10–5–1 | |||||||
| 1943 | Virginia Tech | 4–8 | |||||||
| Virginia Tech Hokies (Southern Conference) (1948–1965) | |||||||||
| 1948 | Virginia Tech | 14–8–1 | 6–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1949 | Virginia Tech | 10–11 | 5–7 | 10th | |||||
| 1950 | Virginia Tech | 13–9 | 8–2 | 1st (North) | SoCon Tournament[lower-alpha 1] | ||||
| 1951 | Virginia Tech | 8–11 | |||||||
| 1952 | Virginia Tech | 4–9 | 3–6 | 7th | |||||
| 1953 | Virginia Tech | 6–7 | 4–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1954 | Virginia Tech | 14–8 | 10–4 | 1st | NCAA District III Playoffs | ||||
| 1955 | Virginia Tech | 13–8 | 8–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1956 | Virginia Tech | 9–12 | 7–7 | 6th | |||||
| 1957 | Virginia Tech | 9–12 | 8–7 | 4th | |||||
| 1958 | Virginia Tech | 9–11–1 | 6–7 | 6th | |||||
| 1959 | Virginia Tech | 12–7 | 9–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1960 | Virginia Tech | 10–9 | 7–6 | 5th | |||||
| 1961 | Virginia Tech | 9–15 | 7–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1962 | Virginia Tech | 11–6 | 7–5 | 4th | |||||
| 1963 | Virginia Tech | 14–7 | 10–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1964 | Virginia Tech | 12–10 | 9–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1965 | Virginia Tech | 10–13 | 5–11 | 7th | |||||
| Virginia Tech Hokies (Independent) (1966–1973) | |||||||||
| 1966 | Virginia Tech | 10–6 | |||||||
| 1967 | Virginia Tech | 14–10 | |||||||
| 1968 | Virginia Tech | 17–9–1 | |||||||
| 1969 | Virginia Tech | 27–7 | NCAA District III Playoffs | ||||||
| 1970 | Virginia Tech | 15–11 | |||||||
| 1971 | Virginia Tech | 16–10 | |||||||
| 1972 | Virginia Tech | 15–11 | |||||||
| 1973 | Virginia Tech | 15–10 | |||||||
| Virginia Tech: | 343–275–4 | ||||||||
| Total: | 409–392–5 | ||||||||
|       National champion  
      Postseason invitational champion  
 | |||||||||
- ↑ The top two teams in each division were invited to the SoCon Tournament. The North Division was composed of 7 teams, while the South had 9.
References
- ↑ https://archive.org/stream/quipscranks1926davi#page/n5/mode/2up
- ↑ https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VSP5-M2Z
- ↑ http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=73658715
- ↑ "Coaching Records" (PDF). 2011 Baseball Media Guide. Virginia Tech. 2011. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ "ABCA Hall of Fame" (PDF). American Baseball Coaches Association. 2010. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ Smith, Dave. "A Field of Dreams Come True". VT Magazine. Virginia Tech. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ "English Field". HokieSports.com. Virginia Tech. 2013. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Flake "Red" Laird, Davidson Coach for Ten Years, Leaves for Position with V.P.I." (PDF). The Davidsonian. Davidson, North Carolina: Davidson College. April 12, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Coaches". Quips and Cranks. Davidson College. 1933. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
- ↑ "Wildkittens to Meet Pups on Snyder Field" (PDF). The Spartanburg Herald. Spartanburg, South Carolina. October 14, 1932. p. 12. Retrieved July 19, 2013.
External links
- Head men's basketball coaching records for: Davidson/Virginia Tech and Catawba