A lifetime of coaching. That’s what’s exemplified by Lee Holladay — at least to the Alabama Football Coaches’ Association, which honored him Jan. 30 with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

He has won 239 games over the span of more than 42 years as a head coach and seven years as an assistant, and has touched the lives of countless individuals along the way.

“That’s what you get out of it,” said coach Holladay about touching his players lives. “Sure you want to win, but in this end there is more to it than that.”

Holladay was the head coach for several different schools, but his most famous tenure may be his 14 years at Excel High School.

At Excel Holladay went 43 regular season games without suffering a defeat.

His coaching at Excel earned him the Coach of the Decade during 1970-1980 from WMFC Radio in Monroeville.

Holladay has been coaching around his hometown of Orrville for a number of years.

He has been the Head Coach of Meadowview Christian School and Central Christian School.

He serves as the defensive coordinator for Keith High School, which is about a mile from his childhood and current home in Orrville.

“He came in saw that I needed help with the team at Keith,” said Keith head football coach Harry Crum. “And he came in a couple of springs ago and helped with our weight-lifting program.”

Holladay then began to see other ways that he could help.

“That fall he helped install a new defense and our kids immediately gravitated towards it,” said Crum.

That fall coach Holladay began to work with Keith High School.

“He is truly an Alabama icon.  I believe that Keith High School and I are better off for having known coach Lee Holladay,” said Crum.