Lawrence “Dude” Hennessey, one of the most colorful and popular assistant football coaches in the history of The University of Alabama, died at his home Wednesday. He was born Dec. 23, 1929, in Covington, Ky., and was raised in Paris, Ky., by the late John and Mary Catherine Hennessey.

Private graveside services are scheduled for Monday at Tuscaloosa Memorial Park. A funeral mass will be held at 11 a.m. Monday at Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Tuscaloosa led by Father Gerald Holloway. The family will receive friends in the Parish Hall following the service.

Hennessey was first connected with Paul Bryant at the University of Kentucky, where he was a defensive end who lettered four years. He was a starter as a freshman on the 1950 Wildcats team that went 11-1, including a 13-7 upset over No. 1 ranked Oklahoma in the Sugar Bowl.

After earning his degree in business administration, he coached the Kentucky freshman team for a year, and then moved to Sulphur Springs, Texas, to work as head coach of the high school team from 1957-58. He was head coach at St. Xavier in Louisville, Ky., in 1959, and then came to Alabama.