Toby Greene (baseball)

Toby Greene
Sport(s) Baseball
Biographical details
Born (1899-03-29)March 29, 1899
Humphrey, Missouri
Died October 3, 1967(1967-10-03) (aged 68)
Alma mater Phillips '24
Playing career
1918–1924 Phillips
Position(s) Football, baseball
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1942–1943, 1946–1964 Oklahoma State
Head coaching record
Overall 318–132

Theodore Elwood "Toby" Greene (March 29, 1899 – October 2, 1967) was an American college baseball coach, most notable for leading the Oklahoma State Cowboys baseball team to its only national championship in the 1959 College World Series.[1][2][3]

Early life

Toby Greene was born in 1899 at Humphrey, in Sullivan County, Missouri but moved with his parents to Thomas, Oklahoma in 1902. He enrolled at Phillips University in Enid, Oklahoma in 1918, where he enlisted in the Student Army Training Corps, a World War I program. Greene later became a multi-sport athlete, excelling in baseball and football for the Haymakers. He graduated from Phillips in 1924 after playing alongside future New York Giants coach Steve Owen.[2][4]

Coaching career

Greene began his coaching career in 1924 as a baseball coach at Sayre High School in Sayre, Oklahoma. He remained there for two years before moving to Bartlesville High School in Bartlesville, Oklahoma for one year. He then became all-sports coach at Phillips.[2][4]

He later coached at Oklahoma City University before becoming a football assistant at Oklahoma A&M in 1939. In 1942, he added head baseball coach to his duties. Greene coached the team for 22 seasons, only one of which saw a record below .500. Greene earned seven district championships and 8 conference titles to go with his national championship in 1959.[2]

Head coaching record

The following table depicts Greene's record as a head coach.[5]

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Oklahoma A&M Cowboys (Missouri Valley Conference) (1942–1956)
1942 Oklahoma A&M 6–5
1943 Oklahoma A&M 4–3
1946 Oklahoma A&M 15–2
1947 Oklahoma A&M 11–5 11–5 1st District Playoffs
1948 Oklahoma A&M 20–6 20–6 1st Western Playoff
1949 Oklahoma A&M 22–6 5–0 1st Region C Playoff
1950 Oklahoma A&M 15–7 6–3 2nd
1951 Oklahoma A&M 9–8 2–4 5th
1952 Oklahoma A&M 15–5 5–2 2nd
1953 Oklahoma A&M 13–4 4–2 T-2nd
1954 Oklahoma A&M 18–11 8–1 1st CWS
1955 Oklahoma A&M 27–3 8–0 1st CWS
1956 Oklahoma A&M 11–10 7–2 2nd
Oklahoma A&M (MVC): 186–75 76–25
Oklahoma A&M/State Cowboys (Big Eight Conference) (1957–1964)
1957 Oklahoma A&M 12–3 7–2 2nd
1958 Oklahoma State 17–6 13–5 2nd
1959 Oklahoma State 27–5 17–3 1st CWS Champions
1960 Oklahoma State 17–7 12–4 1st CWS
1961 Oklahoma State 27–3 18–1 1st CWS
1962 Oklahoma State 11–9 10–6 2nd
1963 Oklahoma State 15–10 12–9 5th
1964 Oklahoma State 6–14 4–12 7th
Oklahoma State (Big 8): 132–57 93–42
Total: 312–132

      National champion         Postseason invitational champion  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

References

  1. Bill Platt. "National Champions". Oklahoma State Athletics. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Obituary". Genealogy.com. December 1, 2009. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  3. "Toby Greene, six others to be inducted into OSU Hall of Honor". Tulsa World. July 20, 2011. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  4. 1 2 "Toby Greene". Sports Illustrated. January 18, 1960. Retrieved May 21, 2013.
  5. 2013 Media Guide. Oklahoma State Cowboys. pp. 63–. Retrieved May 25, 2013.
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