With the 50th anniversary of Title IX's passage this Thursday, the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) will be posting daily to recognize the outstanding student-athletes, coaches and administrators who have exemplified Title IX's promise.

Tiny Laster was a mainstay of Hampton University athletics for nearly three full decades, serving in a variety of coaching and administrative roles with the university before, during and after its transition to Div. I and the MEAC. His tenure at Hampton started in 1988, when he began a seven-year tenure as women's basketball coach -- a tenure that saw him compile four 20-win seasons and a 139-87 record.

But Laster also served as head coach of the volleyball and softball programs, serving both roles from 1994 until his passing in 2007. The head softball coach at Hampton since 1989, Laster built a Lady Pirate program that quickly became one the top teams in the Division II Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA), winning back-to-back conference titles in 1994 and 1995.

When Hampton made the move to Div. I, the success continued as the Lady Pirates snapped Florida A&M’s three-year championship winning streak to capture the 1996 MEAC crown. In 2006, Laster earned his 500th career victory with a win over North Carolina A&T State in the MEAC Softball Championship and just prior to his passing, he led Hampton to the 2007 regular-season title.

Laster was twice named MEAC Coach of the Year in softball (1996, 2007).

Laster also served as the women’s volleyball coach.. In his first season with the Lady Pirates (1994), Laster led Hampton to a 27-5 overall mark in the regular season, and an impressive 22-2 record in conference play (CIAA). In 2005, the Lady Pirates posted their first winning season on the Div. I level with a mark of 20-15.