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32 maconmagazine.com | April/May 2024 Describe your career journey. How did you get to Northeast High School? We really didn't have a coach at our high school in 1960. We just had some gentlemen – one was my uncle. In the afternoon, they'd take off work at about four o'clock to come to help us in football and basketball. I kind of decided then that I wanted to be a coach. A group of teachers didn't want me to; they were all trying to get me to go to medical school. A l v i n C o p e l a n d PHOTOS BY MATT ODOM | INTERVIEWED BY JULIA MORRISON I'm originally from Valdosta, Georgia. I had a football scholarship to Fort Valley State University. When I finished school, I actually didn't plan to teach. I was on my way to Atlanta to get me a job. And I had some friends in Monroe County in the schools, and I stopped by there to say hello. And they encouraged me to talk to the principal because they had an opening in physical education. And I ended up there for three years. In a summer program, I had a friend of mine who went to school with me at Fort Valley State University, and she encouraged me to come to Macon. They were just building a new school, Appling Junior High School. I was with Bibb schools ever since. Why are athletics important for women to pursue? I think it's important for women because it gives them a lot of opportunities to continue going to school. I had many young leaders leave Northeast and go on to college, in my experience more than young women who were non-athletes. Not only that, I think playing sports gives kids an opportunity to socialize with a lot of people. It teaches them how to be involved with teamwork. I had some good ladies who learned that. Tell us a story about a student who sticks out during your long tenure as a coach. Brenda Thomas, who works for the fire department. Now she's the chief down there, but she was probably one of the best athletes in the state of Georgia for high school ever. She was determined. There were many young ladies that I can name who have done well. I think about how Brenda fights fires and how she is still winning, still knocking down doors, and getting victories. She's as brave now as she was then. What's the secret to motivating a student? I think the biggest motivator is that kids must know you care. And I've had a lot of coaches ask me about my success. I told them, you can know all the X's and O's in the book, but if kids don't know you care about them, you'll probably be fighting a losing battle. I always let them know that I cared about more than what they did in athletics. They had to have their grades in order. If something happened at home, or their parents H E R O E S A M O N G U S Say Raiderettes on three!" A group of women of different ages and occupations throw their hands together onto the bleachers, their laughter echoing off the gym walls. They have one thing in common – they were all deeply affected by Coach Alvin Copeland. The legendary teacher has racked up honors like being named National High School Coach of the Year by the Black Athletic Coaches Association, induction into the Macon Sports Hall of Fame, and five state championship wins. His home turf for 41 years at Northeast High School was renamed Copeland Court in his honor. But Copeland, now retired, demurs about all of his accolades. "It's always been about [the players]. It's about showing what they could do," he said. But these women still can't forget his impact on their lives. Hear what made his career as a women's sports advocate so special. In Coach Copeland's words