When you start describing the lifetime career of most high school coaches, statistics rarely tell the story. But when you look at the career of Lamar Harris of Hubbertville, the statistics are just hard to ignore.
A graduate of Lanett High School, Lamar played basketball at Southern Union Junior College. After receiving his degree from Samford, he coached at Arab Junior High before moving to Haleyville where he would stay for 5 years. And then Hubbertville called.
Hubbertville is a small rural community in northwest Fayette County. Not everyone can coach 1A football. Some years you have some talent and success. There are streaks when there just aren’t many players there, and winning seasons can be difficult. Coach Harris knew no one in. Hubbertville, and accepted the job thinking it would be a temporary move for him, his wife Gail and their two daughters. That temporary move turned into 44 years
And now for the stats. Before the arrival of Lamar Harris in the fall of 1977, Hubbertville School had played football for 36 years and had only 7 winning seasons to show for it. But Coach Harris would change football at Hubbertville. He won 252 games there, numerous area, region and Northwest Alabama Conference championships. The Lions went to the playoffs 17 times during his tenure. The 2013 and 2014 seasons were magical. The Lions won 24 games, making it to the 1A semifinals in 2013 and making it to the championship game in 2014. Coach Harris served as head coach of the North South All Star game in 2015 and was the Alabama Football Coaches Association 1A Coach of the Year in 2014.
But Lamar Harris did much more than football at Hubbertville School. He served as athletic director for 44 years. He was the Hubbertville boys basketball coach for 38 years, and the girls coach for 41 years, winning state girls championships in 1980 and 1989. The girls softball team had him as their mentor for 29 years, where they had two runner up finishes and three state titles. His daughters Sandi and Shann both played on some of his title teams. He even coached the baseball team for two years. “If I had it to do over again, I’d do it the same way," Coach Harrris said. "It turned out to be a really good place for me. My children were raised here and went to school here. They played ball. That was a fun thing to be able to coach my girls.”
When he retired at the end of the 2021 school year, he had already been selected to the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Fayette County Sports Hall of Fame. He also had 5 grandchildren and had been coaching high school athletics for over 50 years.
One more statistic about Lamar Harris – he has been a deacon and an adult Sunday School teacher at Rehobeth Baptist Church for over 40 years. And today, he knows everyone in Hubbertville.
The Alabama Football Coaches Association is proud to present its Lifetime Achievement Award to Coach Lamar Harris.
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