William A. Lester Sr., 67: Storied coach at Alonzo Crim High School

By Rick Badie

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

William Lester kept a wall in his den that friends and family fondly called his "Wall of Fame."

It displays accolades  the high school football coach has received over the years.  There are too many to count, but among the hardware are consecutive coach of the year awards.

"You should see it," said Charlotte Lester, his wife of 44 years.

The wall tells the story of a man who coached football at Atlanta-area high schools -- West Fulton High, Douglas High, and finally Murphy High, which in 1988 became Alonzo A. Crim High.

At Murphy, Lester coached from 1973 to 1987. At Crim, he coached from 1988 to 1995. He had a record of 126-108-5.

In the early 1970s,  Murphy was a predominantly white school when Lester joined the staff. The campus had recently been integrated. None of that mattered to Lester.

"He just saw a student as a student," his wife said, "and an athlete as an athlete. Color made no difference to him."

Lester turned boys to men, stressed that they nurture a strong foundation, football or not.

Through the years, numerous athletes under his tutelage earned athletic college scholarships; Two Murphy alumni made pro.

Richard Dent was the great pass rusher for the Chicago Bears. Morris "Mo" Lewis played linebacker for the  New York Jets.

Expect dozens of the coach's former players to attend his  funeral, which is at 11 a.m. Monday at East Lake United Methodist Church.

Coach William A. Lester Sr., of Decatur, died Tuesday of gastric cancer at Vitas Hospice in Stockbridge.  He was 67. Horis A. Ward, Fairview chapel, is in charge of arrangements.

In 1960, Mr. Lester graduated from Howard High, where he played football, basketball, and baseball. He attended Morehouse College for a year, then transferred to Albany State.

College is where he met his future wife, Charlotte.  Initially, she didn't put much stock in his attempts to swoon her. She was into her studies.  He was a jock. To her, they had two different mindsets, and would mesh like oil and vinegar.

Or so she thought.

"I was into scholarship and academics,"  Mrs. Lester said. "He was determined to prove to me that athletes could be students."

In 1965, Mr. Lester earned a bachelor's degree in health and physical education.  Six years later,  he earned a master's degree in kinesiology.

Mr. Lester stopped coaching at Crim in the mid-1990s. In 2001, he retired as the school's athletic director. He'd been a consultant to the Morehouse College football team the past two years.

The avid bass fisherman loved football, but he enjoyed watching his players succeed in college as well, said his daughter, Shana Lester of Stockbridge.

"I can safely say my daddy absolutely loved college football," she said. "Above everything else, he enjoyed being able to help his players land scholarships and to make it to college."

Additional survivors include a son, William Lester Jr. of Jonesboro; his mother, Alice Lester and a brother, James Lester; both of Atlanta; and one grandson.