AHSAA Mourns Death Of HoF Coach Bailey Yelding


     The AHSAA was saddened to learn of the death of former Fairhope basketball coach Bailey Yelding Jr., who passed away Jan. 22. He had been battling cancer for several months. Mr. Yelding, who was inducted into the AHSAA Sports Hall of Fame in 2009, was also the first black mayor in Daphne city history.
     He left a legacy of winning basketball at Fairhope where his 16 boys teams compiled a 302-130 record, reached the state tournament semifinals once, the quarterfinals three times and won the Baldwin County championship 10 times.
     Yelding also coached football for six seasons compiling a 59-16-1 record. He coached in the 1980 North-South All-Star Game. In addition to the AHSAA Hall of Fame, he was inducted into the Fairhope High School and Baldwin County Coaches Halls of Fame.
     He was a 1957 graduate of Baldwin County Training School in Daphne and earned his college degree from Alabama State.