Larry Holley was an American college basketball coach. He was the head men’s basketball coach at his alma mater, William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri. His 919 career wins made him one of only 10 four-year college coaches (National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA)) to amass 900 career wins.
He ranks first all-time in career wins among four-year, college coaches coaching only at Missouri colleges and universities.
Holley grew up in small-town Jameson, Missouri, graduating with a class of just 10. He attended William Jewell as a three-sport athlete before embarking on a coaching career.
In that endeavor, he amassed 918 wins, making stops at Central Methodist and Northwest Missouri State before a 40-year run at William Jewell. The wins rank 10th in history for all of college basketball, just ahead of Bob Huggins, Roy Williams, and Bob Knight.
Holley, who coached college hoops for a half-century, including 40 years at William Jewell, died unexpectedly Thursday. He was 76. He leaves a legacy as one of the winningest coaches in men’s basketball history, a mere footnote to those who knew him.