Holland’s going away gift: a tie

Mike Sciacca

As Dave Holland walked off Guyer Field for the final time late Friday

night, he admitted to having a little “brain freeze.”

“I actually couldn’t remember my exact thoughts at that moment

because I think it really did freeze my brain,” Holland chuckled,

when thinking about the icy, Gatorade bath he was given during Laguna

Beach High’s football finale Friday.

The soaking came during a late timeout in the Breakers’ 14-14 tie

with Pacific Coast League foe Calvary Chapel, a game that capped

Holland’s 43-year run of coaching football.

The 68-year-old announced last week that he would retire after the

final game of the season.

“That probably was my last game as a head coach,” he said. “I do

want to continue to coach, though, but probably in the capacity of

helping some younger coach, and staying in the background.”

Holland’s head coaching career concluded with a 127-151-11 record.

He remembered good teams and great times, as well as a few lows

during his career, but a major highlight of his coaching tenure came

when he won consecutive CIF-Southern Section championships as head

coach at Corona del Mar High in 1988 and 1989.

Holland also had the honor of being named California State Coach

of the Year while with the Sea Kings.

He joined on as head coach of Laguna Beach High football eight

years ago, with a plan to help establish tradition and a winning

feeling in the program.

“I think I’ve accomplished what I set out to do when I first took

over the program, and that was to get it headed in the right

direction,” Holland said. “The kids have worked real hard in my years

here to help move the program forward.”

He acknowledges the milestone victories but said his greatest

satisfaction comes from the players he’s coached.

“I’ve had a lot of fun and as I’ve said before, this was one of my

favorite years of coaching,” he added. “This senior class was fun to

coach, receptive to everything.” “You know, we were down two

touchdowns to Calvary Chapel and I was happy, first off all, that the

kids battled back from all our earlier mistakes to get a tie. The

comeback was a nice way to end it.”