Willis Stelly, the head football coach who led University High to the 1988 Class 1A state championship, died Thursday, the school confirmed in a release.
He was 84.
“His legacy lives on through the many students he taught, coached, and mentored,” the school said. “Generations of alumni credit coach Stelly with helping shape their lives, teaching lessons in discipline, perseverance, and character that stayed with them long after they left U-High.”
Stelly, a member of the school’s Hall of Fame, served as the Cubs’ head coach from 1980 to 1998, when he retired from coaching.
He is credited with coaching players who earned more than 370 all-district honors and 88 all-academic awards.
Baton Rouge lost its second impactful head football coach in a short span. Catholic High’s Dale Weiner, a member of the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame, lost his battle with Parkinson’s disease on Wednesday evening. He was 74.
U-High has developed a long, rich tradition in football that included Stelly.
The Cubs, who won their first two states title in 1957 and 1974, made two appearances in the Superdome in 1982 and 1984, finishing as state runners-up under Stelly.
U-High experienced a different fate in the 1988 state title game against Haynesville with a 35-6 victory. Stelly was assisted on that staff by Gerald Furr and Steven Maddox.
The Cubs have subsequently won five more state championships for a total of eight.
Funeral services are scheduled for Nov. 18 at Seale Funeral Home in Denham Springs. Visitation is scheduled from noon to 3 p.m., followed by a funeral Mass.
