Buddy Bolding

Buddy Bolding is the highly successful head coach of the Longwood University Lancer baseball team. Longwood is an NCAA Division I Independent competitor.

College coach infobox


Name = Buddy Bolding
Sport = Baseball
College = Longwood University
Title = Head Coach since 1978
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
CurrentRecord = 818-435-4 (.652) (30 seasons)
Birthplace = Norfolk, VirginiaHometown = Hardy, Virginia

Coaching Career

Bolding is one of the winningest coach in NCAA Division I Baseball.

Longwood University

Bolding has carried Longwood to 27 winning seasons in 30 years. His current coaching record stands at 818-435-4.

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. More recently, the 1991 squad completed a school-record 41-8 campaign while advancing to the final four of the national championship.

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 800-victory milestone March 8, 2008 with a 6-5 victory past Binghamton University at Lancer Stadium during a doubleheader sweep (6-5, 4-3). Bolding reached 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.----Seven of Bolding's former players have been chosen in the Major League Baseball Draft (MLB) since 1988. 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. Former Longwood standout Brian Medley signed a free agent contract with the San Diego Padres in 2004, and Lancer slugger Charlie Yarbrough (7th-R) was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in 2006.

Tucker played for Kansas City (twice), Atlanta, Cincinnati, Chicago (Cubs), San Francisco, Philadelphia, Washington, and New York (Mets). He was drafted in the first round of the 1992 Major League Draft and was the Clean-up hitter on the U.S. Olympic team that summer in Barcelona. Later had an eleven-year Major League Career. Made the National League All-Star Ballot in 1997.----Bolding has served on many NCAA/USA Today/ESPN/ABCA committees. He is a former 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.

Highly regarded by his peers, Bolding has served on NCAA regional selection committees nine times. In 1983 he was a member of the Olympic baseball tryout staff for Virginia. 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.

taunton River High School

Graduated from Staunton River High School, Virginia, where he was a multi-sport standout in Football, Baseball, and Track. Named Bedford County, Virginia, Athlete of the Year in 1966.Later coached the Staunton River High School Golden Eagles to championships in Cross Country, Eighth Grade Basketball, and Baseball.

Playing Career

Played his college baseball under the legendary Frosty Holt, and Bobby Wilson at Carson-Newman College, Tennessee.Later played for the [Elizabethton Twins] after returning from the Army.

Was a multi-event standout in Track and Field at Milligan College, Tennessee. Set school records in the 440, Pole Vault, Discus, and Javelin. Posted a 49.7 sec 440 time in the 1972 Davidson Relays. His college track coach was the renowned Duard B. Walker.

Personal

Hometown: Hardy, Va. Coached more than 50 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-American shortstop John Sullivan once told a sportswriter. "He gets the most out of you he possibly can. When I got there I was a decent player, and when I left I was an All-American."

A highly successful high school coach, Bolding guided Staunton River High in Bedford County to a 47-22 mark in three years before coming to Longwood.

Bolding served as a U.S. Army medic in Vietnam 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.

Married Andrea Lynne Gobble of Jefferson City, Tennessee; Three children: Lauren, Suzanne, and Brad -- all of whom attended and two who graduated from Longwood (Brad also played as a Lancer before graduating from Old Dominion University).

External links

* [http://www.longwood.edu/ Longwood University home page]
* [http://www.longwoodlancers.com/ Longwood Athletics website]