Dr. Donald M. Laird Jr.

The story of Don Laird is one of finding a talent and doing the most with it. There is some football and track & field worth mentioning but it was basketball - and unlimited learning and playing of it - that defined the eventual greatness of this inductee.

Donnie got his first taste of athletic success when he placed third in the local Punt Pass and Kick event as a youngster. The NY Giants fan won a real football. Later as a combination offensive lineman and linebacker (despite a stature of 5' 8" 150 lbs) he earned honorable mention all-star status as Sidney won the Sus Northern Division title in the fall of 1971.

On one of Doug Quinney's first successful track teams, Don ran the 110 hurdles and did the high jump. Both events were perfectly suited to help prepare him for basketball.

His best sport didn't start out that way, however. Don's first competitive basketball experience was less than stellar. He never played as a 7th grader under Doug Fessenden and rarely saw the court on Paul Eaton's 8th grade squad.

It was 9th grade, when several teammates got called up to the JV team, that Don was suddenly thrust into the action on the freshman team. He credits coach Andy Christian with working with him to become a skilled ball handler and defensive specialist. Same with JV coach Gary Scavo. Additionally, untold hours of playing pickup games was evidence that the work in progress had its rewards.

By his junior season, Donnie was able to earn his way into the starting lineup on Jack Jones's varsity squad. With the addition of 6' 6" inside force Doug Hobbs, Sidney won the Northern Division crown but learned a stern lesson in the sectional quarterfinal round versus Elmira Notre Dame. A 19-7 first quarter lead melted under an END press that spiraled the Warriors into a tough loss.

On a mission for 1972-73, this tight group of committed athletes spent all their free time playing hoops whenever and wherever, with the aim of taking the division and the Class A sectionals as seniors. Sure enough they went 18-0 in the regular season, A full house at Hartwick's Binder Field House was the scene against a favored Oneonta team in the sectional semifinals. Don held the top OHS scorer to two points through 3 quarters en route to a 55-44 victory. He then produced his best offensive output - 14 points - days later as Sidney capped of a 21-0 season with a 65-59 finals win over Whitney Poin

Despite several NY colleges recruiting Don to play ball, it was the influence of Sidney wrestling grads Rob Cole & Dave Popple who helped him try out at Campbell College, an NAIA school in North Carolina. Coach Danny Roberts offered Don a combined academic and athletic scholarship. After three years of being a backup point guard for Marshall Lovette, Donnie got his chance during a memorable senior (1976-77) season.

Campbell won the district playoffs behind Don's 21 points that included 11-13 free throw shooting, Ranked 22nd nationally, the Camels proceeded to Kansas City, site of the NAIA Tournament. They were dubbed the "Cinderella team" as they defeated schools who were ranked #6, #11 and #14 over several days en route to the finals against Texas Southern. No other unseeded team in the 40-year history of this event had ever made the championship game! Though Campbell lost to the Tigers, Don's play earned him All-Tournament honors, Moreover, he was chosen for the Charles Stevenson Hustle Award. As a final salute to this superb effort, Don was elected to the Campbell Hall of Fame in October 1989.

His teammates went on to various careers playing hoops, but Don had designs on his career and family. Don and Jenny married in 1977 - 45 years! He earned his Master's and PhD in Biochemistry at Wake Forest . The bulk of his professional life has been sent in Illinois (31 years) that allowed travel all over the world, developing blood tests used in the clinical labs to aid in the diagnosis of human disease.

Congratulations Dr. Laird, on your induction into the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.