A longtime Picayune assistant football coach was honored recently for his commitment to the Maroon Tide.

Gen Breland, the defensive line coach, was presented the Luther Kuykendall Assistant Coach of the Year Award at the annual Mississippi Gulf Coast Chapter of the National Football Foundation and Hall of Fame awards banquet.

Breland helped the Maroon Tide win their second Class 5A title in three seasons this past year.

“He’s been as big a part of our success as anyone has,” veteran Maroon Tide head coach Dodd Lee, who just completed his 18th year at the helm of his alma mater, said. “He just has a real knack with people. He can relate to the kids, and he has a way of motivating them and getting them to play their hearts out and that’s what coaching is all about.”

Breland had been an assistant coach at Picayune for one season when Lee arrived. He has been a vital part of the coaching staff since the first day.

“He’s outstanding in the off-season as well, just a fine year around coach,” Lee added. “He’s got a ton of common sense, and he deals with every type of student-athlete on the same level. Not only is he a great coach, he is an even better person.

“He’s one of those people that you’re not gonna really realize how much he does until he’s gone.”