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Former Aggie standout still bleeds 'purple and gold'
"A friend of mine applied for a job at Vigor four years ago and told me they had an opening for a defensive back coach," Holly said. "I was already working in Mobile so I went by and talked to the head coach. The rest is history." Holly graduated from ASU with a bachelor of science degree in social work with a minor in child welfare. He was hired on at Vigor as defensive back coach and spent one year coaching the Wolves' secondary. In his second season he was moved to the offensive side to coach wide receivers. A former quarterback and safety at Jackson, it was only time before he landed a bigger position with the Wolves. That happened last year when he was promoted to offensive coordinator. Holly helped the Wolves advance to a 7-5 record and the second round of the Alabama High School Athletic Association's playoffs. His star pupil, Burton Scott, rushed for 917 yards and nine touchdowns while passing for another 834 and eight touchdowns from his quarterback position earning him a full scholarship to the University of Alabama. "I watched him (Burton Scott) grow from a baby to a mature young man in his four years. He is a natural leader in both football and baseball. He made my job easy," Holly said. "God has opened a lot of doors for me. It is my calling to impact kids' lives everyday. Life presents itself so much when dealing with these kids. Take a kid like Burton for example. He has been through so much in his life but you would never know it. He is a tireless worker and someone my kids look up to." Holly still lives in Jackson with his wife LaShaunda and three kids, Kendarian Handy, Lev Jr. and Garrison Holly. Even though he says now is not the right time to look for a job closer to home, it is something he has thought about. "Eventually, I would like to come back home to coach. When it is time for that, God will put it there for me," he said. "Being able to wear that purple and gold is special. Jackson will always be close to my heart. I always remember watching the great ones that played at Jackson. It is a tradition, the best in the high school level. Everyone that has ever put on the purple and gold share a bond. I work at Vigor, but my heart will always bleed purple and gold." While Holly lettered in every sport for the Aggies, football has always held a special place in his heart. "I probably could have played pro ball if I would have stuck with baseball. I was 10 times better as a player in baseball. But football is where my heart has always been. "My most memorable moment as a player at Jackson was in '97 in the playoffs against Stanhope- Elmore. We were 21-point underdogs going into the game. Before the game we were in the gym getting ready. All the seniors gathered everyone up in the middle of the floor. I told them it has been a good run but it is not going to end here. Lets go out and give it 110 percent. Then we split up in our groups (offense and defense) and I told the defense to follow me and we would come out victorious. I remember they had a player that wore my number (11). He was talking trash before the game about how they were going to beat us. We ended up winning 14-13. I told him afterwards he didn't deserve to wear my number," Holly said. Jackson High School recently hired former Citronelle and Southern Miss quarterback Jeff Kelly to take over the struggling program. Holly remembers Kelly from his playing days at Citronelle.
"I played against him in high school. We are the one team that shut him down," Holly joked. "This is a great move by the city of Jackson. There is no doubt that he (Kelly) will do a great job. The kids are his top priority. I am one of his biggest fans," he said.
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