Buddy Bolding
| Buddy Bolding | |
|---|---|
| Sport(s) | Baseball |
| Current position | |
| Title | Head Coach since 1978 |
| Team | Longwood University |
| Record | 900–495–4 (.646) (33 seasons) |
| Biographical details | |
| Born | Norfolk, Virginia |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Awards NCAA Division II South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year 1991, 1982; Virginia College Division Coach of the Year 1997, 1993, 1991, 1984; Longwood Male Coach of the Year a record seven times |
|
Buddy Bolding is an American baseball coach of the Longwood University Lancers baseball team. Longwood is an NCAA Division I team and a member of the Big South Conference. Longwood's home baseball field, Bolding Stadium, is named after him.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Coaching career
Bolding is one of the winningest coaches in NCAA Baseball, and accomplished the rare feat of moving the Longwood University Lancer Baseball program successfully from Division III beginning in 1978, to Division II in 1981, and up to Division I in 2005.
[edit] Longwood University
Bolding has carried Longwood to 30 winning seasons in 33 years to date. His coaching record stands at 900-495-4 as of 2011.
Bolding's tenure at Longwood is highlighted by six appearances in the NCAA Division II Tournament, and two trips to the Division II College World Series. Bolding's 1982 team was the first team to reach the national championship with a 31-10-1 record. The 1991 squad completed a school-record 41-8 campaign while advancing to the final four of the national championship. Bolding's 2007 and 2010 teams finished 34-19 and 28-20 respectively and was the #1 ranked Independent Division I team in the NCAA in each of those two seasons, and finished 28-18 in 2011 as the #2 ranked team, posting marquee wins over Indiana, Princeton, Army, West Virginia, Virginia Military Institute, James Madison, The Citadel, George Mason, Old Dominion, William and Mary, Samford, Virginia Commonwealth, Delaware, Liberty, Radford, Furman and Richmond from 2005-2011. Bolding's 1991 College World Series team was inducted into Longwood University's Athletics Hall of Fame in 2011.
Longwood was third in the North Atlantic Region Tournament in 1993 after winning seven games in a row at season's end, finishing 26-9-1. Bolding teams have also notched third-place finishes in the North Atlantic in 1992 and the South Atlantic Region Tournament in 1984 and 1987. Bolding reached the 900-victory milestone May 10, 2011 with a 6-4 victory past James Madison University on the road in Harrisonburg, Va. Bolding reached 800 victories in 2008, 700 victories in 2004, 600 victories in 2000, 500 victories in 1997, 400 victories in 1993, 300 victories in 1990, 200 victories in 1986, and 100 victories in 1983. During his five-decade career, 1,399 games to date, he has been ejected only six times.
Fifteen of Bolding's former players either have been chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft (MLB) since 1988 or have signed as Free Agents. Kansas City chose Longwood outfielder Frankie Watson (7th-R) and shortstop Kelvin Davis (24th-R) in 1988, while in 1992, the Royals drafted Lancer shortstop Michael Tucker (1st-R, #10 overall) and catcher Scott Abell (37th-R). Outfielder LaRon Wilson (17th-R) was drafted by the New York Mets in 2002, and catcher Jeremy Knicely (42nd-R) was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2003. Lancer slugger Charlie Yarbrough (7th-R) was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006, Kevin Light signed with the Washington Nationals in 2008, pitcher Paul Heidler signed with the New York Yankees in 2009, third baseman Phil Cerreto was drafted (40th-R) by the St. Louis Cardinals in 2010, and power closer Mark Montgomery (11th-R) was drafted by the New York Yankees in 2011. Additionally pitcher Derrick Ellison signed with the New York Mets in 2008. Former Longwood outfielder Brian Medley signed with the San Diego Padres in 2004. Additionally, pitcher Brian McCullough signed as a Free Agent with teams in the Frontier and Atlantic Leagues in 2007-2011, and catcher Jonathan Quigley signed with the Gateway Grizzlies of the Frontier League in 2009.
Tucker was a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award in 1992 and was the clean-up hitter for team U.S.A in the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona. He later played for Kansas City (twice), Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago (Cubs), San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, and New York (Mets) in his twelve-year Major League Career. Made the National League All-Star Ballot in 1997 with the Atlanta Braves, where he hit the first home run in Turner Field and the first two home runs in Turner Field.
Bolding has served on many NCAA/USA Today/ESPN/ABCA committees. He was a member of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division II National Committee, and was an area representative for the North Atlantic Region of the ABCA—one of eight nationwide as a liaison between the region’s coaches and the ABCA advisory committee. Additionally, Bolding has served on NCAA regional selection committees nine times, and presently serves on national Division I coaches polls for ranking of all Division I teams.
Throughout his career, Bolding has been highly regarded by his players and peers. In 2009, by special resolution of its Board of Visitors, Longwood University named its baseball complex, Bolding Stadium, in honor of the coach and established the Charles B. And Andrea G. Bolding Scholarship in honor of the couple's years of service to the university (Bolding's wife, Andrea, has been the voice of Longwood baseball throughout her husband's career). In 1983 Bolding was appointed to the U.S.A Baseball Tryout Staff by the Olympic Committee for team U.S.A. He has been regarded throughout his long career as a master offensive baseball mind, with Longwood squads winning national team batting titles/categories numerable times. He was voted South Atlantic Region Coach of the Year in 1991 and 1982, and Virginia College Division Coach of the Year in 1997, 1993, 1991, and 1984. Bolding has been chosen Longwood Male Coach of the Year a record seven times.
[edit] Staunton River High School
Graduated from Staunton River High School, Virginia, where he was a multi-sport standout in Football, Baseball, and Track for coaches Jim Hammond and Jerry Eckart. In 1966, he was named the county's Athlete of the Year. As the first Bedford County, Virginia, athlete of American Indian ancestry to win this honor, Bolding was presented the award by legendary Bedford County resident and former Carlisle Indian School quarterback, Gus Welch, teammate of the immortal Jim Thorpe. Bolding later coached the Staunton River High School Golden Eagles to championships in varsity Cross Country, Baseball, and Eighth Grade Basketball before moving to college coaching.
[edit] Playing career
Played his college baseball under Frosty Holt and Bobby Wilson at Carson-Newman College, Tennessee. Later played for the Elizabethton Twins after returning from the Army.
Bolding was a multi-event standout in Track and Field at Milligan College, Tennessee, setting school records in the 440, Pole Vault, Discus, and Javelin. Posted a 47.8 sec 440 outdoor time in the 1972 Davidson Relays. His college track coach was the renowned Duard B. Walker, who also coached NBA coach, Del Harris, and Sonny Smith (Auburn basketball coach and NBA Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley's mentor).
[edit] Personal
Hometown: Hardy, Va. Coached more than 60 baseball players who became highly successful high school and college coaches. Bolding is known to be close to his players.
"I feel he's a player's coach," former All-America shortstop John Sullivan once told a sportswriter. "Coach gets the most out of you he possibly can. When I arrived at Longwood, I was a decent player, and when I left I was an All-American."
A highly successful high school coach, Bolding guided his alma mater, Staunton River High in Bedford County, Virginia to a 47-22 baseball mark before becoming head baseball coach at Longwood.
Bolding served a year tour of duty in Vietnam (1969–70) as a U.S. Army combat medic with Second Field Force, then received his B.S. in health, physical education and recreation from Milligan (Tenn.) College in 1973, and his M.S. from the University of Tennessee in 1974.
Bolding is a Freemason, also having attained both the York Rite - Royal Arch (Knights Templar) and Scottish Rite (32nd Degree). He has been recognized by The Most Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Commonwealth of Virginia for proficiency in all three Masonic Catechisms, and he serves as a Lecturer for Masonic Work from his home Lodge--Burke Lodge #147--in Virginia's 25th Masonic District. Additionally, he is a Shriner of North America and a member of ACCA Shrine, Richmond, Va., dedicated to supporting Shriners Hospitals For Children nationwide. He and his wife of more than forty years also are active members of The Order of the Eastern Star.
Married Andrea Lynne Gobble of Jefferson City, Tennessee; Three children: Lauren, Suzanne, and Brad—all of whom attended and two who graduated from Longwood (Son, Brad, also played as a Lancer before graduating from Old Dominion University).
[edit] References
- ^ "Bolding Stadium". Longwood Lancers. Archived from the original on 2012-2-3. http://www.webcitation.org/65BNIucCt. Retrieved 3 February 2012.
