LARRY LAEDING

Lawrence A. Laeding was born December 29, 1910, in Sutter, Illinois. He graduated from Western Illinois University in 1935 where he was a member of the Lettermen’s Club. He brought the run-and-shoot style of basketball taught in Illinois to Saginaw in 1939 when he became varsity basketball coach at Saginaw High School. Laeding guided the Trojans to a pair of Class A state basketball championships 20 years apart. After losing in 1940-41 to Benton Harbor, the Trojans beat Muskegon 27-24 in overtime one year later for Laeding’s first state title. He then guided Saginaw High to a 69-58 win over Benton Harbor for the 1961-62 state championship, a Trojan team that would finish a perfect 22-0. For his efforts Leading landed Class A Coach of the Year honors. Laeding, who also coached baseball and was an assistant football coach, coached Saginaw High’s basketball team for 24 years. He then became the director of physical education and athletics for Saginaw Public Schools in 1963, retiring from the school system in 1980. He was a member of the Michigan High School Coaches Hall of Fame and the Michigan Sports Sages. Laeding was inducted into the Western Illinois University Hall of Fame in 1982, and the football field at Saginaw High School is named in his honor. He died May 28, 1993, at the age of 82, and is entombed at Roselawn Mausoleum.