He’s a real Dutch treat

ROGER CARLSON

Dave Holland has always been one to stick to a schedule. He weighs

his options, then strikes.

His decision to go for it even before his Corona del Mar High

football team had completed its second touchdown march to narrow the

deficit to 14-13 against highly favored Newport Harbor in a Sea View

League finale in 1985 is a good case in point.

“There was no doubt,” recalled Holland, “we’re going to score here

and go for two. Some people thought I was taking our kids out of a

tie, but it was one of those things, we were in a zone and, OK, we’re

doing it.”

His Sea Kings, just 4-6 overall and coming off a 41-21 loss to

seven-time loser Laguna Beach, connected for the two-pointer with

about a minute left, then barely held the Sailors off in the final

second for the shocking 15-14 victory at Orange Coast College.

Newport, under Coach Mike Giddings, was 8-1 going in, ranked No. 1

in its division, and was the clear-cut choice for the No. 1 berth in

the playoffs before the upset turned everything upside down in what

is easily the all-time upset in the Battle of the Bay series.

Over a course of 35 years Holland has experienced a lot of great

memories, but that one, along with a memorable 12-7 win over the

defending CIF Division 3-A champions of Edison in 1971, perhaps

epitomizes Holland as the coach who could turn his Sea Kings into

giant killers. Edison, in its third year of existence, had entered

with a 20-game winning streak.

Holland would serve two terms as the Sea Kings’ coach over a

course of 20 years, guide two teams to CIF Division VI championships

(1988 and ‘89) and produce such athletes as NFL standout Jeff

Thomason, UC Berkeley’s Jerrott Willard, the Katovsich brothers, Todd

and John, and the original blue chip, Bob Ferraro, among many others.

A first-class weight facility on the CdM campus was named after

him in the mid-90s.

Holland left the prep scene for four years and realized he was but

a fish out of water, to such an extent he accepted the post at Laguna

Beach High, where the challenges for football success in terms of

wins and losses can lead one to question any coach’s sense of reason.

Nevertheless, Holland was back in the arena where he belonged, and

for eight years took his underdogs into the fray. “The kids at Laguna

Beach are as tough as any,” he’ll tell you, but he admits, “there’s

just not a lot of them.”

His last two years produced a 11-10 record and a berth in the

playoffs before deciding he had enough this past fall. The highlight

of his eight-year run was a 14-7 victory over Costa Mesa in 2002.

“They had been hammering us, 50-0,” recalled Holland.

Holland’s 20 teams at Corona del Mar scored as many as 50 points

just twice.

“Some of the things I learned under Coryell was always try to

leave your kids with something,” said Holland. “A couple of times

I’ve caught myself thinking, ‘If ever I get a chance to do that [run

it up]’ ... but then all you’re doing is hurting their kids. The kids

on the other team, you have to leave them with something, too. It’s

not a war. I’ve always felt if you get to 35 you can starting

shutting down.”

Holland often finds himself in the company of Coryell at various

functions and never tires of crediting the College Football Hall of

Famer for “changing his life.” Also one of Holland’s coaches was NFL

Hall of Famer George Allen.

“Coryell had a way of making guys play above their heads, to

overachieve. He was a coaching clinic every day,” said Holland.

I believe Holland’s best asset as a high school coach is that

ability to bring out the best in his players. He always insisted I

had a habit of underrating his players.

The most notable dates circled on the calendar this month were

Jan. 4-7 when more honors were bestowed upon the one-time Whittier

College guard and linebacker. Twice a CIF Division VI Coach of the

Year and the state’s prep Coach of the Year in 1990, he was

recognized at the American Football Coaches Association’s recent

gathering for his 35 years of service to the organization at the

Marriott World Convention Center in Orlando, Fla.

“It was really exciting,” said Holland. “All the major players in

college football usually show up for these things and it’s something

I had been looking forward to.”

Some 5,000 coaches are involved in the program and the banquet

drew a gathering of some 2,500 where Pete Carroll of USC received

Coach of the Year laurels.

I was surprised to see Holland’s tour at Laguna Beach end, because

I know what he is: A gym-rat with cleats. But Holland said he had

planned to leave Laguna after the 2002 season, only to stick around

for one more year [and a berth in the playoffs] because of a series

of personnel transitions and some financial problems at Laguna, which

would have left the school in an awkward situation. Regardless of the

win-loss factor, he will be tough to replace.

More dates have been circled on his calendar: The first is in July

when he makes a return to Coast as an assistant coach for the South

All-Stars in the annual display of Orange County talent.

He’s been the head coach of the South All-Stars twice, and this

time he’ll be the offensive line coach for the South, a role he said

he relishes. The announcement of the head coach for the South is soon

to be released.

In recent years it seems, and this is just an opinion based on

what I’ve heard, the game has been more of a showcase than a

showdown. But Holland promises his charges up front will have just

one thing on their mind: Victory.

“I don’t know what the rules are now,” said Holland, “but before

we could do whatever we wanted defensively. It wasn’t a fun-and-games

thing. We wanted to win.”

He has a couple more dates circled in August.

First are the wedding plans of his daughter, Nicole.

Then his attention will return to the game he loves.

Admittedly “tired,” right now, Holland is well aware of the fall

calling which he is drawn to, as if the football field is a giant

magnet.

The most logical choice would be as an assistant to Gahr High

Coach Greg Marshall. Marshall was an assistant in Holland’s program

at Corona del Mar, and was the athletic director for several years at

Laguna Beach. They work well together and Marshall’s absence at

Laguna Beach may have become the foundation for Holland’s decision to

pack it in.

A Costa Mesa resident, he’s also mulling over a couple of other

possible options.

By the time September comes he concedes, “Yeah, it’ll be back to

business.”

And high school football will be the better for it.

Hey! See you next Sunday!

* ROGER CARLSON is the former sports editor for the Daily Pilot.

His column appears on Sundays.