Allyn A. "Sonny" Holland (March 22, 1938 – December 3, 2022) was an American football player and coach.[1] He was the head coach at his alma mater, Montana State University in Bozeman, from 1971 to 1977.[2][3][4] Holland led the Bobcats to two Big Sky titles (1972, 1976) and the Division II playoffs in 1976, where they won all three postseason games and were national champions.

Sonny Holland
Biographical details
Born(1938-03-22)March 22, 1938
Butte, Montana, U.S.
DiedDecember 3, 2022(2022-12-03) (aged 84)
Playing career
1956–1959Montana State
Position(s)Center
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1961Bozeman HS (MT) (line)
1962Montana State (GA)
1963–1964Montana State (line)
1965–1967Charles M. Russel HS (MT)
1968Washington State (OL)
1969Western Montana
1970Montana State (DL)
1971–1977Montana State
Head coaching record
Overall54–24–1 (college)
Tournaments3–0 (NCAA D-II playoffs)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 NCAA Division II (1976)
1 Frontier (1969)
2 Big Sky (1972, 1976)
Awards
Montana State No. 52 retired

A native of Butte,[5] Holland graduated from Butte High School and was a lineman at Montana State from 1956 to 1959,[6][7] where he was a small college All-American at center.,[8]

Holland was an assistant coach under Jim Sweeney at Montana State and then was head coach at Charles M. Russell High School in Great Falls for three seasons, from 1965 to 1967. He rejoined Sweeney for a year at Washington State in Pullman, then was the head coach Western Montana College in Dillon in 1969. Holland returned to Bozeman in 1970 as the Bobcats' defensive line coach under Tom Parac, then was promoted to head coach after the season.

At age 39, Holland stepped down as the Montana State head coach in November 1977,[3][4] and was succeeded by Sonny Lubick. The spring football game at Montana State is named for Holland and a bronze statue of him was unveiled at Bobcat Stadium in September 2016.[8][9]

Holland died on December 3, 2022, at the age of 84, after suffering from Parkinson's disease.[10]

Head coaching record

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College

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Year Team Overall Conference Standing Bowl/playoffs
Western Montana Bulldogs (Frontier Conference) (1969)
1969 Western Montana 7–0 5–0 1st
Western Montana: 7–0 5–0
Montana State Bobcats (Big Sky Conference) (1971–1977)
1971 Montana State 2–7–1 0–5–1 7th
1972 Montana State 8–3 5–1 1st
1973 Montana State 7–4 5–1 2nd
1974 Montana State 7–3 4–2 2nd
1975 Montana State 5–5 4–2 T–2nd
1976 Montana State 12–1 6–0 1st W NCAA Division II Championship
1977 Montana State 6–4 3–3 3rd
Montana State: 47–24–1 27–14–1
Total: 54–24–1
      National championship         Conference title         Conference division title or championship game berth

References

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  1. ^ "'Sonny' Holland joining Sweeney". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). January 10, 1968. p. 13.
  2. ^ Payne, Bob (November 11, 1971). "Bobcats bother Idaho's Robbins". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 19.
  3. ^ a b "Sonny Holland quits Montana State post". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 10, 1977. p. 15.
  4. ^ a b "Holland resigns at Montana State". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). UPI. November 9, 1977. p. 37.
  5. ^ "Deanna R. Holland (1937–2008)". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Montana). (obituary). November 15, 2008. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  6. ^ "Parac Signs Resignation; 'Sonny' Holland Is Montana State Coach". The Daily Inter Lake. Kalispell, Montana. Associated Press. March 19, 1971. Retrieved September 15, 2016 – via Newspapers.com  .
  7. ^ Lamberty, Bill (October 15, 2010). "Sonny Holland". Montana State University. Mountains & Minds (magazine). Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  8. ^ a b Bermes, Whitney (September 23, 2016). ""The greatest Bobcat of them all": Statue honoring legendary Bobcat player, coach Sonny Holland unveiled". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. (Montana). Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  9. ^ Dawson, Ted (September 23, 2016). "Sonny Holland honored with statue at Bobcat Stadium". Montana Sports. Retrieved December 20, 2016.
  10. ^ Flores, Victor (December 4, 2022). "Butte, Montana State football legend Sonny Holland dead at 84". Billings Gazette. Billings, Montana. Retrieved December 4, 2022.