Larry Holley inducted into coaches’ hall of fame

Larry Holley, head men’s basketball coach at William Jewell College, was inducted into the Greater Kansas City Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame earlier this month.

Holley is a 1967 graduate of William Jewell College and a 1963 graduate of Jameson High School. He is the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence Holley of Jameson. He is the last Jewell athlete to letter four years in each of three sports – cross country, basketball and track.

Holley completed his 21st season with William Jewell College this year. He has received 12 Coach of the Year awards, including the Sears/NABC Award as the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1996. In his coaching career, he has coached at Harrisburg High School (1968-69), Central Methodist College (1969-1975) and Northwest Missouri State University (1975-1979).

At Jewell, he has guided the teams to post-season play 15 times and made seven trips to the NAIA National Tournament. He is the career leader in wins among Heart of America Athletic Conference basketball coaches. He ranks #3 among all NAIA II coaches with 560 wins in 29 years. His 21-year record at Jewell is 473-219. The basketball program is ranked #1 in all-time total victories for NAIA II schools with 1295.

Joining Holley for induction were Doug Bruce of Rockhurst University, Tom O’Dell of Olathe South and Paul Sexton of Shawnee Mission South.

Of the honor, he said, “I am quite humbled by this honor. I have been very fortunate to have been associated with many outstanding players, assistant coaches and college administrators. This honor is shared with all of them.”