ROANOKE, Va. – Family members, former colleagues, coaches and community members gathered at Staunton Park on Friday to celebrate the life and legacy of former Major League Baseball pitcher and longtime William Fleming High School coach Al Holland Sr.
The memorial highlighted Holland’s impact both on and off the baseball diamond, as those closest to him reflected on a life defined by humility, mentorship and service.
Al Holland Jr. said the outpouring of support from the Roanoke community has been overwhelming.
“You almost feel guilty when you’re the child sometimes because of the appreciation of what your father meant to them and the community,” Holland Jr. said. “For them to come out and extend their condolences, their support, their prayers to the family, it’s just overwhelming at times.”
Holland starred collegiately at North Carolina A&T before embarking on a 10-year major league career. He made his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1977 and later became an All-Star with the Philadelphia Phillies. In 1983, he helped the Phillies capture the National League pennant and reach the World Series while leading the league with 25 saves.
While his professional accomplishments earned him national recognition, those who knew Holland said his work after baseball left an equally lasting impression.
After his playing career, Holland returned to Roanoke, where he coached and mentored generations of student-athletes at William Fleming High School.
“To me and my sisters, he’s dad. We don’t know no better of what he was or where he came from,” Holland Jr. said. “I think I started to realize when I came back here and how everybody was so excited that he was going to be coaching, working in the school system.”
Former players and colleagues remembered Holland as a coach who emphasized character as much as competition.
“It’s about do they care?” Eugene Smith Sr. said. “And he let us know from the beginning that he cared. It doesn’t matter if it was good times, bad times or whatever it is. But he taught us how to persevere through tough times and celebrate the good times.”
Smith said Holland never sought attention for his accomplishments despite a decorated baseball career.
“If anybody could have bragged about things, it could have been him,” Smith said. “World Series, Hall of Fames — it’s countless acts that he’s done professionally. But who he is as a person sticks out more than anything.”
For Holland’s family, his greatest legacy extends far beyond baseball.
“His impact, you know, it’s baseball. They say it’s the game of life,” Holland Jr. said. “He taught me and my sisters inning by inning the journey through this life.”
Those in attendance said Holland’s influence will continue to be felt throughout the Roanoke community through the lives he touched as a coach, mentor, father and friend.
The family was also presented with an official proclamation from Roanoke City Mayor Joe Cobb.