Terri Sawyer ’76, former teammate of Nancy Fowlkes ’72, delivers an acceptance speech on Fowlkes’ behalf.
Coach.
It’s a small word that comes with big expectations and big responsibilities—and few have done it better than the three members of the Longwood Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2018.
Recognized for their accomplishments in a daylong campus celebration in February were former baseball head coach Buddy Bolding, wrestling All-American and high-school wrestling coach Aaron Bradley ’01 and high-school field hockey coaching legend Nancy Fowlkes ’72.
With family and friends sharing the moment, Bolding, Bradley and Fowlkes were first honored in a formal ceremony in Dorrill Dining Hall. Later that day, the inductees were recognized at halftime in front of a near sell-out crowd attending the men’s basketball home game against Liberty.
“This year’s class is unique in that, in addition to their impressive achievements as athletes, all three members have enjoyed prolific coaching careers,” said Longwood Athletics Director Troy Austin. “That speaks directly to Longwood’s mission of developing citizen leaders, and as such, it’s fitting that we would induct an entire class made up of Lancers who devoted their professional careers to mentoring young people through sport.”
Aaron Bradley ’01 (left) and former Longwood wrestling coach Brent Newel.
Bolding, Bradley and Fowlkes were each first-ballot selections of the Hall of Fame selection committee, which includes members of Longwood’s Athletics Hall of Fame and the Lancer Club, as well as current Longwood head coaches and athletics administrators.
Bolding served as head coach of Longwood’s baseball program for 35 years, while Fowlkes graduated from Longwood in 1972 and became a nationally renowned field hockey coach at the high-school level in Virginia Beach. Bradley is in the midst of a successful career as the wrestling coach at Hanover High School in Richmond, where he led his team to the 2014 Virginia 5A State Championship.
“Coach Bolding, coach Bradley and coach Fowlkes are Lancers who not only demonstrate Hall of Fame credentials of their own but have bettered the lives of hundreds of individuals during their respective coaching careers,” Austin said.
'This year’s class is unique in that, in addition to their impressive achievements as athletes, all three members have enjoyed impressive coaching careers.'
TROY AUSTIN, ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
“That athletics so affected their lives as to draw them back into the arena as professionals is a testament to how positive a role athletics can play in the lives of our student-athletes. We are proud to award each of them the highest honor our department can bestow upon a Lancer.”
During Bolding’s 35-year tenure as head coach of the baseball team, Longwood amassed a 953-544-4 record, advanced to the College World Series in 1982 and 1991, and played in six NCAA Regionals. He is the third Longwood head coach inducted into the Longwood Athletics Hall of Fame, joining former women’s golf head coach Dr. Barbara Smith (Class of 2005) and former women’s basketball head coach Shirley Duncan (Class of 2016).
Longwood Director of Athletics Troy Austin (left) and former head baseball coach Buddy Bolding.
Bradley was among the most successful wrestlers in Longwood history, posting a two-year career record of 55-9 with back-to-back 20-win seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-01. He became the program’s first All-American in 2001, when he placed eighth at the NCAA Division II Tournament to cap off a 29-6 season that year. Bradley went on to become a high-school teacher and wrestling coach.
After lettering four years in field hockey from 1969-72, Fowlkes embarked on a decades-long coaching career at Frank W. Cox High School in the Hampton Roads area, where she amassed an eye-popping 394-55-20 record, 13 Virginia State Championships and 13 BHSL Beach District Championships before retiring after the 2001 season. She was named Virginia Field Hockey Coach of the Year five times and earned national recognition as a National Coach of the Year finalist in 1995 and 1998.
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