Even though he was only in

Prince William County for two years as a high school head football coach,

Red Stickney left a lasting impression.

Stickney, who died Monday at

his home in Virginia Beach at age 68 of a heart attack, directed the team that

put the county on the map for high school football.

In 1974, Woodbridge High

School became the first county team to play for a state championship, going 12-0

before losing in the Group AAA final to Bethel, 24-21.

Arguably the most talented

prep team ever fielded in county history, the Vikings produced eight Division I

players, including running back Russell Davis, a Parade All-American who went on

to play at the University of Michigan and then for the Pittsburgh

Steelers.

"That's what really put

Woodbridge on the upswing," said Bill Holsclaw, who was an assistant to

Stickney for both seasons before taking over as head

coach for the 1975 season when Stickney left to become

an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 1975-77. "That year was something

special."

Stickney spent 43 years as a

coach and totaled over 200 victories in his career that included stints at 10

different high schools.

His best team, though, was

the 1974 Woodbridge team.

"He was really good at

getting kids to play," Holsclaw said. "All the kids liked him. He was

a good football coach."

Stickney's son Bill, who was

a sophomore on the 1974 Woodbridge team, remembered his father having high

expectations for that team.

"He left a program that

was well-respected throughout the state," Bill Stickney said.

So much so that Bill Stickney

said he remembers a team from California calling to see if Woodbridge was

interested in a home-and-away series.

Stickney, whose given name

was Ravis, was called Red because of the color of his hair when he was young.

Stickney began his coaching

career in 1960 after graduating from Alabama, where he played running back and

linebacker and was on Bear Bryant's first Crimson Tide team.

Besides Woodbridge, Stickney

also coached at Maury, Kempsville and Franklin County, among others.

His final head coaching stop

was at Greenbrier Christian, which he led to the state private school playoffs

for three seasons before stepping down in 2002.

Last season, he served as an

assistant at Bishop Sullivan in Virginia Beach.

"It was his tendency

that once he succeeded somewhere, it was time to move on," Bill Stickney

said. "He wanted another challenge."

Bill Stickney said a memorial

service for his father will be held Friday at 11 a.m. at the First Baptist

Church in Norfolk.

He said his father's wishes

were to be cremated.

"He didn't want anyone

to make a big deal out of [his death]," Bill Stickney said.

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