The Alabama Football Coaches Association is very proud to announce the winners of its Lifetime Achievement Awards for the 2023 season. This award honors the state's greatest football coaches for their lifetime work with their players, coaches, and communities, as well as their dedication to football in the state of Alabama.
Each winner was nominated by a member of the ALFCA, recommended by a committee and selected by a vote of the ALFCA board of directors. Each recipient will be honored at the ALFCA Coach of the Year luncheon on Saturday, January 27, 2024 at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Montgomery.
The winners will receive a Lifetime Achievement plaque for themselves as well as a plaque for the school of their choice. Each recipient will be honored with a video presentation of their career.
The winners are:
JERE ADCOCK - The longtime Decatur coach spent 27 years on the Red Raider sideline. A graduate of Handley High School, he served as an assistant at Handley, McIntosh (Ga) and Smiths Station before joining the Decatur staff under Steve Rivers in 1994. Two years later, he was named the head coach. His overall record at Decatur was 187-120 and he won 7 region titles. His 1999 team had an undefeated regular season. Coach Adcock was always deeply interested in his players, his coaches and the state of high school football in Alabama. He served on the board of directors of the Alabama Football Coaches Association since its inception and ran a recruiting fair in the Decatur-Huntsville area for many years to help senior players obtain scholarships.
RONNY MASSEY - A native of Chatom, Coach Massey served as head caoch at Thomasville (1976-79), Citronelle (1982-98) and Grissom (1999-2008) with an overall record of 189-143. Although his teams weren't always the most talented, his dedication, coaching skills and caring attitude produced consistently competitive squads. His 1991 Citronelle team is the only Wildcat team to ever have an undefeated regular season, and set a still standing school record of 12 victories. Coach Massey's 2000 Grissom team set a school record as well with12 wins and made it to the semi finals. An outstanding player at Washington County High School, he was a member of the 1971 Livingston NAIA National Champions and quarterbacked the 1972 team to the semi finals.
JIMMY PERRY - A graduate of Robert E. Lee High School, Perry had success at every turn in his career. After serving as an assistant at Trinity, he joined Spence McCracken at Lee in 1982 and served as offensive line coach and later offensive coordinator through the 1994 season. In 1995 he was named the head coach at Lee and his 1999 team made it all the way to the 6A finals. In 2000 he joined the staff at Auburn University where he worked as director of high school relations and later as director of football operations. Coach Perry returned to the high school ranks in 2009 as head coach at St. Pauls and in 2012 at St. James. Always known for his competitiveness and his professionalism, Perry's last team at St. James in 2022 won the 3A State Championship.