Greene F. Laird '26 (2016) - Hall of Fame - Davidson College Athletics

Greene F. Laird '26

Induction:
2016
Class:
1926

Laird had an illustrious career as an athlete in several sports at Davidson and became an outstanding coach in several sports at Catawba, Davidson and Virginia Tech. At Davidson, Laird was a baseball pitcher, a tackle in football and a forward in basketball. He captained the 1926 basketball team and won 12 varsity letters in his career. He coached Davidson basketball teams from 1931-37, including 13-10 records in 1935 and ‘37. Laird also coached Davidson’s baseball teams during that period. In 30 seasons as a college baseball coach, Laird won 343 games. At Virginia Tech, where he coached baseball and basketball, Laird was known as “Mr. Baseball.” He coached the Virginia Tech baseball team from 1940-73, except for five years (1943-48) when he served as a U.S. Naval officer. He is a member of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame (inducted Jan. 10, 1971) and the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame (inducted in 1983). He was named to the American Association of College Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame in 1971. Laird was a native of Decatur, Ala. He passed away April 10, 1992.