Steve Dennis: Columbia High School

Holder was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2015.

Steve Dennis spent his entire 29-year high school coaching career at Columbia in DeKalb County. The longtime coach guided the Eagles to one region title and finished his career with a 401-327-5 record before retiring at the end of the 2017 season.

He was inducted into the Georgia Dugout Club Hall of Fame in 2015.

Dennis was a football and baseball standout at the old Briarcliff High School. In 1983, he led Briarcliff to the state finals where he led the county with 40 RBIs and he finished the season tied for the county lead with 13 homers. Both marks remain DeKalb County records.

After playing baseball at DeKalb South, he played two seasons at West Georgia College, then became a graduate assistant for one season. He took over the Columbia baseball program in 1989. He coached 15 teams to winning seasons during his tenure.

His 2017 squad, which finished with a 25-7 record, set a school-record for wins in a season. He remains the only coach in DeKalb history to win 300 or more games at one school.

“I’ve had the privilege of working with a lot good men,” Dennis told The Champion newspaper. “My whole coaching staff all played for me. Coach [Brandon] Carter has been a god-send for the last 12 years since he’s been my assistant coach. A lot of our success [is due to] him. He stepped up, took the reins and has done an outstanding job.”

Dennis also coached football and softball at Columbia. He helped more than 25 players earn college scholarships.

Some information in this article was used from The Champion newspaper.