Labron Harris

One of the all-time great golf coaches, Labron Harris took up golf at the age of 22. He had just won an invitational tennis tournament and was invited to play a round of golf at the Weatherford, Oklahoma, Country Club. The year was 1930 and Harris was on his way to becoming a golf legend.

By 1941, he was already making a name for himself in the golfing world and was invited to join the faculty of the OSU College of Business. The dean was an avid golfer and wanted help in building an 18-hole golf course in Stillwater. Harris built his first golf course--Lakeside--and served as head pro. In addition to his teaching duties, the school in 1946 asked him to coach the golf team.

In his first year, with mostly walk-ons, OSU won the Missouri Valley Conference title by 30 strokes. The following year, with bo Wininger, Laddie Kempa and Lawrence Glosser, the team won the conference by 103 strokes and took second in the NCAA. In the 27 years from 1946-1973, the Oklahoma State golf team won almost 85% of their dual matches, brought home 24 Missouri Valley and big 8 titles, finished in the top five of the NCAA 19 times and won it all in 1963. Under Harris, the school produced 27 All-Americans and two individual NCAA champions.

Labron's dedication to his players was as solid as his golf. Of all the students who went through his golf program, only four failed to graduate. One of his students, Jimmy Wright, was not making passing grades in his first semester and informed the coach he wanted to drop out of school. Harris offered to help if Wright was willing to try. Three nights each week, Jimmy was at the Harris house, hitting the books for four solid hours. By the time his senior year roled around, his grade point average had soared to 3.57.

This genuine concern to motivate his players was a constant theme throughout Labron's career. He emphasized not only the importance of winning, but the greater importance of trying. A note on the bulletin board of the Cowboy's home course said, "A single effort to improve is worth more than a thousand excuses." One need only glance at the success of his players on and off the course to realize that Harris had no trouble getting his message across. In the words of Grier Jones, the 1967 NCAA winner, "By just being around him, you find out how much you hate to lose. He makes you try so hard you don't ever want to give up."

He held the ideals of positive thinking, a winning attitude, hard work and always giving the best effort as the standard for himself as well as his players. He personally won over 150 tournaments, including championships in the Oklahoma, Colorado, Iowa and wyoming Opens, was well as various sectional competitions and invitational amateur tournaments. In 1969, he tied for second in the National Seniors tournament.

Coaching excellence is measured by the successes and attitudes of one's proteges. Some of those he taught who later went on the tour included Bo Wininger, Mark Hayes, Grier Jones, Danny Edwards, Tom Jones, George Hixon, Jim Hardy, Bob Dickson and Dave Eichelberger. His son, Labron, Jr., won the 1962 U.S. Amateur championship. Labron Harris is a coaching legend who generated a legacy of excellence and winning principles that will not be forgotten.