CHESAPEAKE (WAVY) – His name is Elisha Harris, but everyone in Hampton Roads knows him as “Cadillac.”

Harris, a head coach at Kempsville High School, Green Run, Maury and Indian River, is hanging up his coaching whistle after 42 years.

“It really seems like a flash,” said Harris. “I guess it’s a moment you really don’t prepare for, but at the same time, it’s a moment you look for.”

Harris guided and mentored thousands of high school players, but his impact went far beyond the field. “For 42 years, I believed that coaches are in a position to serve,” he said.

Cadillac helped a number of players reach the NFL, including Plaxico Burress, who made the game-winning catch for the New York Giants against the once-unbeaten New England Patriots in Super Bowl XLII. “That moment was just so precious,” said Harris, who watched the play from the stands in Arizona.

His accomplishments include district and region championships, but his legacy will mean much more. “Every kid’s going to think they’re going to the NFL, but that’s not going to happen,” said Harris.

“So, I’m…just as proud of the kids who didn’t make it. They’re doctors, lawyers, and teachers and professionals their own right.”