With less than a week to go until the Pirate football opener, we honor another all time football great, Barney Holland. The following is from his induction into the Marshfield Hall of Fame in 2004.
Barney Holland – 1950 Marshfield Graduate
Barney Holland was born in Marshfield on May 11, 1932. He attended Harding Grade School , Marshfield Junior High School and Marshfield graduating in 1950.
While attending Marshfield he was a three-year varsity basketball starter. These teams won three district championships and went to three state tournaments. Against state competition the teams placed 3rd, 2nd and 4th, compiling an overall record of 94 wins and 18 losses. Barney earned All-District and All-State honors his junior and senior years. He was the first Pirate in history to score over 1000 point (1025) in his high school career.
As a football player he was the starting quarterback during his junior and senior years. His senior year the team won the district championship and reached the state semi-finals. The Pirates lost at LaGrande in a hard fought game 7 to 6. Barney was named All-District and All-State. He played in the 1950 Shriner All-Star game.
Barney received a football/basketball scholarship to the University of Oregon in 1950. At Oregon he was a two-year football letterman as quarterback. His most notable achievement was leading the Ducks to a 13-6 victory over the highly ranked U.S.C. Trojans, passing for the winning touchdown.
Basketball wise Barney was a three year letterman, being named the team M.V.P. in 1954. He was also named 1st team All-Northern Division and 2nd team All-Coast. In addition he set the U of O single game scoring record of 32 points. The record stood for eight years. In 2003 Barney was inducted into the Ducks Hall of Fame for football and basketball.
Upon his graduation from Oregon in 1954 he entered the Air Force and received his pilots wings in 1956.
In 1958 he started a high school teaching/coaching career that lasted 32 years. It included stops at Lebanon , North Eugene and Aloha High Schools , plus two years as assistant basketball coach at Oregon .
Barney’s basketball teams won three state championships and ten district championships. He received numerous honors as a basketball coach including “Oregon Basketball Coach of the Year” in 1966, 1976 1977 and 1989, “The West Coast National Coach of the Year” in 1967 and “McDonald’s Coach of the Year” in 1977.
Barney married Mary Jane Rud in 1955 and currently resides in Beaverton , Oregon . This December 23rd Mary Jane and Barney will be celebrating their 49th wedding anniversary. Their son David is a also a basketball coach at Aloha High School . Their daughter Sara coached volleyball at LaPine High School . There is a six year old grandson Mack Fox, who Barney thoroughly enjoys coaching and playing with.
