photo by: Kevin Anderson/Special to the Journal-World

Former Lawrence High coach Bill Freeman was inducted in the Hall of Fame Thursday at the Greater Kansas City Football Coaches Association football game at Blue Springs High School. Freeman's daughter, Jennifer Freeman, was on hand to accept the award.

Blue Springs, Mo. ? Former Lawrence High coach Bill Freeman was inducted into the GKCFCA’s second Hall of Fame class during a halftime ceremony as one of the area’s pioneer coaches.

Freeman, who died in December after battling Alzheimer’s since 2012, coached for 16 years at LHS, leading the Lions to a 134-38 record and five state championships. He also coached LHS track to two state titles.

In his 36-year football coaching career, which included stops at Osawatomie, LeRoy, Baxter Springs, Parker Rural and Nickerson, Freeman had a 242-81-3 record.

Freeman’s daughter, Jennifer Freeman, accepted the Hall of Fame plaque in his honor.

“I’m on Facebook, and the messages and the phone calls and the texts … ” Jennifer Freeman said. “I’m like, ‘Oh my God, he’s been gone six months, seven months, and I’m still getting phone calls and stuff. This is amazing.”

Jennifer Freeman said she was going to attend a school board meeting in two weeks about trying to get something named after her father at the school, “whether it be the weight room, concessions, stadium, whatever.”

“Dad was the most humble,” Jennifer Freeman said. “He didn’t like the praise. He focused on the kids and the coaches and tried to get them to become the men they needed to be. … There’s so many stories and pictures. He’s just touched so many lives.”