Charles Gelbert's success story began when
he was an All-American baseball player at
Lebanon Valley College. Later he was a World
Series star for the "Gas House Gang" St. Louis
Cardinals, and for more than two decades was
head baseball coach at Lafayette.
His 307 victories and 172 losses in 21 seasons is one of the finest
coaching records in Lafayette history. Eight of his
teams played in the NCAA District II playoffs with
five (1948, `53, '54, `58, '65) winning the title. No
other college has earned as many District II (Mid-
Atlantic Region) titles. All five teams played in the
College World Series. Gelbert produced seven All-
America baseball players during his coaching
career and was named District II coach of the year
in 1966. That same year he was inducted into the
Pennsylvania Hall of Fame. In 1968, he was
posthumously elected to the American Association
of Collegiate Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame.
