Charlie Guy, Jr.

Charlie's UVA Coaching History

In 1948 Charlie became the University of Virginia’s first paid lacrosse coach. Although UVA had fielded teams since 1925, they had never experienced a winning season and produced few nationally recognized players. Many longtime and current UVA lacrosse supporters believe that Charlie’s 1949 and 1950 teams represent the Dawning of UVA Lacrosse with:

• Its 1st winning season in the school’s history: 1949 (7-4) 1950 (8-3) Combined record of 15-7 (.682%)

• Its 1st team to defeat a nationally ranked power: in 1949 defeated Rensselear Polytechnic (RPI), 9-8, ending their 34-game winning streak

• Its first nationally recognized lacrosse coach:

In recognition of Charlie’s excellent first year coaching results at UVA, his former Navy coach, William H. (Dinty) Moore, lll, selected him to join Dr. John E. Baxter, coach at Washington and Lee, on the South All-Star Coaching Staff for the 1949 USILA North South Game held at RPI in Troy, NY. This was the first win for the South in four years and the first game outside of Baltimore which drew a record crowd of 5,409. The South outscored the North, 6-2 in the final period to win 11-6.

• Its first ever victory over a Naval Academy lacrosse team: scrimmage held March 1950 (7-5)

• Its development of numerous nationally recognized All American lacrosse players:

Bill Hooper was also UVA’s 1st member of the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame (1975), while Gordon Jones earned the 1952 Jack Turnbull Award as top collegiate attackman.

Once when Charlie was asked about those early days of Virginia lacrosse, he said that he wasn't sure if he was hired more as a lacrosse coach, or because he could help the football team:

Football was a big deal. Lacrosse was not at that time. But I will say they got their money's worth out of me. I was also the freshman wrestling coach, and they gave me a month off in the summertime so I went door-to-door and sold Encyclopedia Brittanica's."

Charlie with brother David, UVA '55 football player, summer 1954. David killed in auto wreck fall '54

In later years when the subject of his UVA coaching successes would be brought up, he would always credit instead his teams and their very special key players. In an interview with him for Lacrosse Magazine, Editor Bill Tanton documented the following quote: 

We won in lacrosse because I had some wonderful players. Bobby Proutt was my captain in 1949 and he was first-team All America. In 1950 Billy Hooper was my captain. He made first-team All America on attack. He became the first Virginia player inducted in the Lacrosse Hall of Fame (in 1975).

In addition to his efforts in coaching lacrosse, Charlie also served as the UVA assistant freshman football coach and the head freshman wrestling coach. In 1950, both teams were undefeated -- football for the first time in two decades. His commitment to UVA sports caused the sports editor in The Cavalier Daily on March 23, 1950, to lament Charlie’s departure to become the head football coach at Johns Hopkins:

Johns Hopkins is indeed fortunate to have obtained Charlie Guy. He is extremely capable and vigorous, and is perhaps the best man on the UVA payroll.

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