MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Former Troy University head football coach and Auburn University assistant coach, Larry Blakeney has been selected as the 2019 Camellia Bowl Alabama Football Legend Award, presented by Regions Bank.
Blakeney, who retired as Troy's head coach following the 2014 season, led Troy to 178 wins over his 24 years as head coach and guided the Trojans from NCAA Division II status to the highest level of college football during his career.
The all-time winningest coach in Sun Belt Conference history, Blakeney earned four conference coach of the year honors (two Sun Belt and two Southland), led his team to eight conference championships in 16 seasons as a member of a conference, five bowls games and trips to the FCS Playoffs in seven of eight seasons.
Johnny Williams, the Executive Director of the Camellia Bowl, and Blakeney have had football ties since the 1992 season when Blakeney was named head coach at Troy. Williams served as Troy's Defensive Coordinator in 1992 and 1993, and then became the school's Director of Athletics in 1994.
"I have worked for Larry, and he has worked for me," Williams said. "We built a great team and accomplished a lot in our time at Troy. I am thrilled that the Camellia Bowl will recognize him as the 2019 Alabama Football Legend. He did a lot for football and young men he mentored during his career."
Blakeney will be honored at the 2019 Camellia Bowl Alabama Football Legend Luncheon, which will be held Friday, Dec. 20, at the Renaissance Hotel.
Previous Alabama Football Legend Award recipients include former Florida State head coach Bobby Bowden (2014), former Auburn head coach Pat Dye (2015), former Alabama All-American linebacker Woodrow Lowe (2016), former Alabama head coach Gene Stallings (2017) and former Sidney Lanier, Alabama and NFL fullback Johnny Davis (2018).
Blakeney was at the forefront of the move of the entire Troy University athletics program from the ranks of Division II, through Division I-AA (Football Championship Subdivision) and into Division I-A (Football Bowl Subdivision).
Throughout his career, Blakeney was recognized by his peers, by the people he has worked for and with, and by the sporting community at large. He has been named to four separate Halls of Fame, was named Coach of the Year on numerous occasions and gives generously of his time to almost any group or organization who asks for it.
