CEDAR BLUFF — Football is a special sport here. Some in the community will even say it's the lifeblood of Cherokee County. With over 34 inductees into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame, we are a proud county full of history. Perhaps the most memorable of inductees is a coach who came from troubled beginnings and rose to prominence by way of talent, hard work, and a dedication.

Although longtime Cedar Bluff coach Leonard D. Bruce was inducted into the Alabama High School Sports Hall of Fame in 1994 he was unable to receive his induction into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005 due to his passing in 2000. However his son, Michael “Lynn” Bruce, carried on his legacy.

In 2011, Lynn undertook the challenge of recording his father's life in a book aptly titled “Coach”. The book, finished roughly a month after his induction into the AHSAA Hall of Fame in January 2012, highlights Coach Bruce's life.

The book is a thorough read of the history of L.D. Bruce, from a short run-through of the author's genealogy to the end of his father's great life and beyond. The book reads like a camera, flashing through various stages of not only the father's life, but also the son's. Spread throughout the book are various pictures of L.D. Bruce with his father, Lynn with his, and various highlights of games that the coach had been a part of. It also highlights some of the most important seasons of Coach Bruce's life, including state championships in football.

The book is not only about a great coach, but an amazing father, an adoring husband, and an incredible individual who truly cared for his students. The sports highlights are there, but that is only half of this book. It is, at times, a book that can make one laugh, and at other times, cry. The rollercoaster ride that this book entails is truly an accomplishment by the author.

“My father was a 'father figure' to kids,” Lynn says. “His most important achievement was being able to relate to students who didn't have a father. His secret to success on the football field was to give inspiration and believing in his players. He made kids believe in themselves.”

A book signing will be held Aug. 25 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Historical Museum in Centre. For more information, call 256-927-7835, or visit the museumwebsite at www.museumatcentre.com.