Larry D. Striplin, Jr. (November 11, 1929 – January 23, 2012) was an American college basketball and baseball coach. He was also an influential figure in the state of Alabama's sports, having served on numerous boards for halls of fame. Born in

Selma, Alabama Selma is a city in and the county seat of Dallas County, in the Black Belt region of south central Alabama and extending to the west. Located on the banks of the Alabama River, the city has a population of 17,971 as of the 2020 census. Abou ...

, Striplin attended Albert G. Parish High School before enrolling at Spring Hill College. After two years, Striplin transferred to Birmingham–Southern College where he excelled on the school's swimming, basketball, and baseball teams. He graduated in 1951, then pursued his Master's in Education at

Peabody College Vanderbilt Peabody College of Education and Human Development (also known as Vanderbilt Peabody College, Peabody College, or simply Peabody) is the education school of Vanderbilt University, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee ...

(part of

Vanderbilt University Vanderbilt University (informally Vandy or VU) is a private university, private research university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, it was named in honor of shipping and railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provide ...

) in

Nashville, Tennessee Nashville, often known as Music City, is the capital and List of municipalities in Tennessee, most populous city in the U.S. state of Tennessee. It is the county seat, seat of Davidson County, Tennessee, Davidson County in Middle Tennessee, locat ...

. Upon graduation, Striplin established the men's basketball program at Belmont State College (now

Belmont University Belmont University is a Private university, private Christian university in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Descended from Belmont Women's College, founded in 1890 by schoolteachers Ida Hood and Susan Heron, the institution was incorporate ...

) and served as their first head coach. At the same time, he assumed the role of Belmont's

athletic director An athletic director (commonly "athletics director" or "AD") is an administrator at many American clubs or institutions, such as colleges and universities, as well as in larger high schools and middle schools, who oversees the work of coaches a ...

, the first in their history, and Striplin started the baseball program. Like basketball, he served as the first head coach, covering for the 1954 and 1955 seasons. His influence on the athletics program was great, and has been referred to as the "patriarch" of the whole program. Striplin left Belmont, and education altogether, in 1956 to pursue business in

Jackson, Tennessee Jackson is a city in and the county seat of Madison County, Tennessee, United States. Located east of Memphis, Tennessee, Memphis and 130 Miles Southwest of Nashville, it is a regional center of trade for West Tennessee. Its total population wa ...

. Eventually, Striplin owned his own glass company and did well for himself. In 1975, Striplin joined the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and spent 23 years on the board, 13 of them as chairman. He continued to push for sports history and preservation in Alabama throughout his life. He has been inducted into the State of Alabama Academy of Honor in 1997, was the 1998 Alabama Sports Hall of Fame's Distinguished Sportsman of the Year, and was later inducted himself in 2007. Belmont's Striplin Gym is named in his honor. Larry D. Striplin married His college sweetheart, Beverly Ponder Striplin. They had four children, Larry III, Janet, David, and Cynthia.

Head coaching record

Basketball

Baseball

References

He had 9 grandchildren, Beverly Ann Carter, Katie Carter, Holly Carter, Megan Weavil, Scott Fussell, Lauren Striplin, Taylor Striplin, Christy Striplin and Barrett Striplin. Six Great Grandchildren: Olivia Lynch, Michael Striplin, Landon Rives, Lilly Smith, Kaitlyn Rives and Clifton Tubbs. {{DEFAULTSORT:Striplin, Larry 1929 births 2012 deaths Baseball coaches from Alabama Basketball coaches from Alabama Baseball players from Alabama Basketball players from Alabama Belmont Bruins athletic directors Belmont Bruins baseball coaches Belmont Bruins men's basketball coaches Birmingham–Southern Panthers baseball players Birmingham–Southern Panthers men's basketball players Peabody College alumni Sportspeople from Selma, Alabama Sports coaches from Birmingham, Alabama Spring Hill College alumni American men's basketball coaches American men's basketball players 20th-century American sportsmen