University of Vermont Athletics

Larry Gardner 1909 - Baseball

Larry Gardner, a 1969 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee and perhaps the greatest baseball player produced by UVM as well as the state of Vermont, was a standout as an undergrad before embarking on a 17-year career in the major leagues. He played third base for four major league world championship teams, three with the Red Sox and one with Cleveland.

Born William L. Gardner on May 13, 1886, he played three years of baseball for Vermont after getting his seasoning right at home in the Franklin County League. He was in the lineup as a freshman in 1906 and made his home debut on April 17 in the first baseball game ever played at Centennial Field, a 10-4 win over Maine. He and pitcher Ray Collins '09, who would join him on the Red Sox, helped lead UVM to a 15-9 mark in 1908. Both players were named to the All-East Team by several newspapers as Vermont was recognized as the New England Champions.

Gardner played for the Red Sox organization during vacation between his junior and senior years at UVM. And although he said he felt like "a lost kid from the green hills," and lost his eligibility to play for Vermont, that summer paved the way for 17 solid years in the big leagues.

After graduation from UVM in 1909 he began his nine-year tenure with the Red Sox. The Enosburg Falls, Vt., native helped Boston to three World Series titles (1912, 1915, 1916) and two second-place finishes in the American League. He hit a sacrifice fly off the Giants' Christy Mathewson in the last of the 10th as the Sox won the final game of the dramatic 1912 World Series. In Game Four of the 1916 World Series, his three-run homer in the second inning was the deciding blow in a 6-2 Boston victory. He went to the Philadelphia Athletics in 1918 and was traded to Cleveland a year later. In 1920, he played on his fourth world championship team this time the Indians.

A left-handed hitter, Gardner had a lifetime batting average of .289 playing in 1,923 career games in the big leagues. Through September 2010, he was one of only 159 hitters in major league history to have over 100 career triples. He finished his career with 129 triples with a career-high 19 for the Red Sox in 1914 to rank second in the American League. He also stole 165 bases including 52 for Boston in 1911 and 1912. Five seasons he hit .300 or higher topped by hitting .319 for the Indians in 1921. He played in 25 postseason contests appearing in four World Series winning the title each time. As of September 2010, he still ranks fifth all-time in Red Sox history in triples (87 with Boston), sixth in stolen bases (134), and third in sacrifice hits (182).

A Boston sports writer in the mid-1960s summed up Larry Gardner's contribution to the game: "A fellow had to be good to hold a job in the majors in those days, and Gardner lasted 17 years."

When his playing days were over, he became UVM's baseball coach and Director of Athletics. He spent 20 seasons as the Catamounts baseball coach from 1929 to 1951, then the longest tenure at the position. He also served the dual capacity of baseball coach and AD from 1928 to 1952.

Gardner and classmate, Ray Collins '09 are linked together on campus as the cage/indoor track portion of Gutterson Fieldhouse is named the Gardner-Collins Cage in honor of the two stars. Also, the Catamounts baseball MVP has received the Larry Gardner Most Valuable Player Award since 1965.

Sports Illustrated selected Gardner as one of the Top 50 Vermont athletes of the 20th Century. The magazine's editors composed a list of the "Top 50 Athletes" in each state in its December 27, 1999 issue to commemorate the millennium. Gardner ranked seventh among the Top 50 Vermonters. He also was named to the Boston Red Sox Hall of Fame in 2000.