I said goodbye to a dear friend Saturday afternoon at Prattville High School's gymnasium.

I know that it is a home-going celebration because of our faith, but nevertheless it was a sad occasion -- the funeral for Prattville assistant coach Lorenzo Pickett.

Pickett, an assistant coach died, Thanksgiving morning at the Prattville Athletic Department's field house. Pickett had just returned from picking up some kids who did not have transportation.

He had a seizure and could not be revived. "Lo," as he was fondly called, had a history of epilepsy. At the school he had suffered some seizures, but always overcame the experience.

Having been on the sidelines of Prattville High School's football program for many years, I have been lucky to be around many good folks in Autauga County, and Lo Pickett was one of those.

I first met him when he was a member of Glenn Register's Prattville junior high football team in 1980. He was in the eighth grade and an aspiring running back, coming up from the Bears and Raiders teams.

It was also the year that Gray Price was elected mayor of the city of Prattville, replacing Mack Gray, who had the position for 20 years. Gray was the principal at the ninth-grade school. I covered the ninth grade and junior high football team for the Progress and was a member of Calvin Harrell's stat crew on Friday nights.

The ninth-grade football team only lost one game that fall, falling to Floyd, which won the city of Montgomery championship.

The following year, Lorenzo Pickett and the junior high team moved to the ninth grade to play for Coach Rick Myrick. Myrick had been the coach at Billingsley High School, and returned to Prattville, bringing along one of his former Billingsley players, Walter Hunter, as an assistant coach, along with Rocky Minor.

In the Stanhope Elmore game that fall, quarterback Tim Knight threw a touchdown pass to Pickett. Pickett played flanker with the ninth-grade Cubs.

The 1981 ninth grade team did not measure up to the 1980 team and ended its season with a 4-4 record. In the final game Pickett returned a kickoff for a touchdown in a 27-0 win over Houston Hills.

Lo went to Prattville High School as a sophomore in the fall of 1982. John Glasscock was the head coach. Glasscock moved Pickett to a defensive back position, then outside linebacker.

He was a natural at this position, playing for the Lions for three years. During the three years as a starter Prattville, won 27 games, lost eight and tied one.

The Lions of 1983 became the first team to make the state playoffs. Many feel that the 1983 team was the best of Glasscock's six Prattville teams, including the state championship team of 1984.

In 1984 Prattville won its first-ever state championship in any sport. Pickett was a member of that team. It was during these three years that Prattville found out what kind of a person Lorenzo Pickett would grow into as an adult.

He was always a team player. As John Glasscock said of this group of kids, "We were family, we didn't have any super stars, but we all loved each other."

Superintendent of Education Larry Butler was the offensive line coach and speaking about Lorenzo's ability to play, Butler said, "In one of the playoffs games in 1984 on the road to the state title, the other team had a big 6'5" wide receiver and Lo covered him like a blanket. He would go and make a play and take the ball away, and you would say, 'How did he do that?"

After high school, Lo went to Alabama State University and played football. He didn't finish his college years, and that was something that bothered him. He often spoke of returning to get his degree, but he had many things on his plate.

He served 10 years as a vice president in the Prattville Dixie Youth Baseball League and coached a team for five years. He also coached five years in the Prattville Parks and Recreation Youth football league.

He went to work for Tommy Thompson at the Card Lock Company. When asked what Lo did at Card Lock, Thompson said, "Anything he wanted to do, I never questioned him."

When his old high school coach took over at Autauga Academy, Lo was one of the first people John Glasscock called to assist him at the Academy. He was Glasscock's defensive coordinator.

When Bill Clark came to Prattville High School, someone told Clark about Lo and Clark invited him to join the Prattville staff. In additional to his duties as defensive back coach, Pickett was also an assistant basketball coach for both boys and girls and was the head track coach for the Lions' girls team.

He loved Prattville, he loved Prattville High School, and he loved the kids. He was at his best teaching kids about not just sports, but the game of life. When a youngster had some troubles, they went to Coach Lo. He would give them his last dime.

He'll be missed, especially by me. I loved the man. We always joked and carried on some foolishness. He would say to me, "Tell these other coaches who was the best defensive back or linebacker to ever play at Prattville High, Jimmy." I would say, "None could measure up to Lo Pickett." He loved it.

He always had a big smile, and in all those years that I knew Lo, he never uttered a curse word.

I think that Pete Herman, a member of the Dixie Youth Baseball Officers said it best speaking at his eulogy, "It didn't matter if you were white, black, pink, red or what color, Lo Pickett loved you. If you messed up, he got that butt, but he was always fair."

So long my friend.