Leonard D. Bruce was a standout football player at Crossville High School. Following graduation, he played football at Jacksonville State where he was a varsity letterman in 1946. Bruce accepted the head coaching position at Cedar Bluff High School in 1946 where he remained through the 1956 season. In 1957 Coach Bruce moved to Summerville GA for one season where his team finished with a 7-3 record. He returned to Cedar Bluff for the 1958 season and remained for the next eight seasons. His teams finished with a 157-47-6 record during his career. Some records are incomplete at this time. From 1959-1963 his teams went 46-1-2. His 1959 team was named State Champions by the Birmingham News. They would repeat in 1961 and tie Linden for the title in 1962. His 1960 basketball team was the first team to represent Cherokee County in the state tournament. Bruce served as the principal at Cedar Bluff for 20 years and served on the AHSAA Central Board. The stadium at Cedar Bluff was named in his honor following his retirement. Bruce was inducted into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2005. He was also inducted into the Alabama High School Athletic Associations Hall of Fame in 1994. Coach Bruce passed away in 2000. | 
