Chuck Brayton Explained

Chuck Brayton
Birth Date:October 20, 1925
Birth Place:Vancouver, Washington, U.S.
Death Date:March 28, 2015 (aged 89)
Death Place:Pullman, Washington, U.S.
Alma Mater:Washington State, 1950
Player Years1:1944, 1946–1948
Player Team1:Washington State
Player Positions:Infielder
Coach Years1:1951–1961
Coach Team1:Yakima Valley JC
Coach Years2:1962–1994
Coach Team2:Washington State
Overall Record: (WSU)
Module:
Embed:yes
Allegiance:United States
Branch:U.S. Army Air Forces
Serviceyears:1944–1945

Frederick Charles Brayton (October 20, 1925 – March 28, 2015), usually known as Chuck Brayton or Bobo Brayton, was an American college baseball head coach; he led the Washington State Cougars for 33 seasons, from 1962 to 1994.[1] He is the winningest coach in school history, with a record of 1,162 wins, 523 losses and eight ties—the fourth-best total in NCAA history at the time he retired.[2]

His Cougar teams won 21 conference titles (two Northern Division and 19 Pac-8/10), including 11 in a row from 1970 to 1980. He led the Cougars to the College World Series in 1965 and 1976, and was the fifth baseball head coach in NCAA history to exceed a thousand wins.[3] Win number 1,000 came in 1990 in his 29th season, at home on April 11,[4] [5] and he coached four more years.[6]

Brayton was a three-sport varsity athlete at Washington State and played shortstop in 1944 for interim coach Jack Friel and from 1946 to 1948 for Buck Bailey;[1] he was named the school's first baseball All-American in 1947.[7] As an incoming freshman in September 1943, Brayton hitchhiked across the state to Pullman from Skagit County in northwestern Washington.[8] [9] After his freshman year, he served 18 months in the Army Air Forces.[1] [10] His #14 jersey was retired by the school in 2003,[11] [12] [13] [14] and he was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.[2] [15]

Bailey–Brayton Field, the Cougars' home stadium since 1980, is named for Brayton and his predecessor, Buck Bailey (1896–1964).[16] When the old field was displaced by the new Mooberry track, Brayton constructed the new stadium on a budget, using items salvaged from Sick's Stadium in Seattle, as well as donated materials and volunteer labor.[8] [9] Formerly Buck Bailey Field, Brayton's name joined his mentor's in January 2000.[17]

Prior to coaching at WSU, Brayton was the head coach for over a decade at Yakima Valley Junior College,[18] [19] and also its head football coach for five seasons.[20] [21] He had a record of 251–68 in 11 seasons at Yakima and won ten championships.[9] While at Yakima, a line drive nearly killed him and he was hospitalized for a month; he wore a helmet the rest of his coaching career.[1] [22]

In declining health in his later years, Brayton died at age 89 at his Pullman home in 2015,[23] [24] [25] and was buried at the city cemetery.

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Notes and References

  1. News: WSU's Bobo Brayton: 'Old-school dude' larger than life . Kitsap Sun . Stalwick . Howie . Bremerton, Washington . April 25, 2012 . August 31, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150710074208/http://www.kitsapsun.com/sports/wsus-bobo-brayton-old-school-dude-was-larger . July 10, 2015 . dead .
  2. News: Ex-Cougars honored in college baseball Hall of Fame . Seattle Times . April 11, 2007 . September 8, 2014.
  3. News: This Cougar's still on prowl . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon . Clark . Bob . April 27, 1990 . 1C .
  4. News: WSU's Brayton wins 1,000th game . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington) . Stalwick . Howie . April 12, 1990 . D1 .
  5. News: Bobo gets 1,000 . Idahonian . (Moscow). Schulte . Chris . 1C . April 12, 1990 .
  6. News: Bobo era: It's all over Friday . Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington). Miedema . Laurence . May 19, 1994 . 1D.
  7. News: Admirers salute venerable Brayton . Spokane Chronicle . (Washington). Stalwick . Howie . Feb 5, 1990 . C1 .
  8. News: Bobo: from hitchhiker to legend . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Goodwin . Dale . April 22, 1979 . C6 .
  9. News: A winner in Pullman . Eugene Register-Guard . Oregon . April 1, 1980 . 4C .
  10. News: Brayton leaves unparalleled legacy at WSU . Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington). Fry . Dick . May 1994 . 2, End of an Era.
  11. Web site: Brayton's treasured #14 to be retired May 24 . Washington State University Athletics . May 18, 2003 . September 8, 2014.
  12. News: WSU retires Brayton's No. 14 . Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington) . Missildine . Harry . May 26, 2003 . 1B .
  13. News: Cougs crush UCLA . Lewiston Morning Tribune . (Idaho). Norris . Stephen A. . May 25, 2003 . 5B .
  14. Brayton has his day in the sun, as WSU retires his number . Washington State . Caraher . Pat . Fall 2003 . September 8, 2014.
  15. Web site: Eleven elected to College Baseball Hall of Fame . ESPN . Associated Press . April 10, 2007 . September 8, 2014.
  16. News: Buck Bailey, wife die in smash . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington) . October 28, 1964 . 1.
  17. News: All the right tools . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Blanchette . John . January 23, 2000. C1.
  18. News: Chuck Brayton seeks meal from hand that fed him . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). March 30, 1962 . 17 .
  19. News: Cougars have experience, winning habit in baseball . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). Price . Jim . March 21, 1965 . 3, sports .
  20. News: Brayton is named to succeed Bailey . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). April 20, 1961 . 39 .
  21. News: WSU's Bobo says bye-bye. Moscow-Pullman Daily News . (Idaho-Washington) . January 15, 1994 . 1D.
  22. News: Brayton 'slow changer' . Spokane Daily Chronicle . (Washington). Brown . Bruce . March 10, 1977 . 28 .
  23. News: WSU coaching legend Brayton dies at 89 . Yakima Herald . (Washington) . Underwood . Roger . April 6, 2015 . January 5, 2016.
  24. News: Bobo Brayton, longtime WSU baseball coach, dies . Spokesman-Review . (Spokane, Washington). March 28, 2015 . January 5, 2016.
  25. News: Cougars' coaching legend Bobo Brayton dies . Sports Press Northwest . Stalwick . Howie . March 28, 2015 . January 5, 2016.