Former Coach's and Friend's Comments about Coach. 
I would like to use this page for former coach's and friend's comments about Coach Friend.  Please Email me your comments if you would like them posted on this page.  I will consider any comment but I would like to keep them about coach as much as possible.
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Jay Frazier:  Coach's High School Coach
Doug Moeckel:  Long time colleague and associate
John (Spike) Harshbarger:  Friend team mate and Coaching associate
Jack Ward; friend and sporting goods salesman
 
This is a part of Coach Jay Frazier's letter of recommendation to the KSHSAA
     It was my privilege to coach Larry his junior and senior years while he attended Burdett High School during the school years of 1952-53 and 1953-54.  Larry and several of his classmates were blessed with considerable athletic skill and talent.  Larry was exceptionally fast.  The 1954 Burdett High School's basket ball team won the class BB state championship.  Larry, with his speed, was a great asset to our pressing defense and fast break offense.  In six-man football he was like a cottontail: quick, elusive and very difficult to bring down.
     Larry played college football at Dodge City Junior College and Northwestern State University, OK during the time that NCAA rules did not allow teams to platoon, therefore, a player had to play both defense and offense.  Larry, rather small in stature, found it difficult to defend the big tight ends on pass defense, however, offensively he was outstanding.  I attended one of his Junior College games and after he had returned four punts for touchdowns the opponents began kicking out of bounds.  Had Larry played during the times of platoon football he could have played for any major college in the country.
     I do know that Larry had to be a great motivator and that by example showed that hard work and dedication to the task would pay off in the long run.  Larry has made many contributions to the activities programs of Kansas schools as a participant, teacher, coach and basketball official and there for is well qualified to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.
 
This is part of Doug Moeckel's Hall of fame letter of recomendation.
     I first knew Larry as an opposing coach when he was at Plainville.  His teams were always aggressive and well prepared.  I was taught many a hard lessons from his teams, Larry had the ability to find your weaknesses and take advantage of them as well as take away your strengths.  He was never predictable;  he would spend Saturday and Sunday thinking about what his next opponent's game plan would be and then would design a way to neutralize it.  he was not stuck with a given system, he just taught his kids the fundamental skills and put his players in a situation where they could use them.
     In the summer of 1986 I had the chance to work with Larry as a Kansas Shrine Bowl Coach.  Larry always said the he didn't know enough football, he was just an old small town boy from Burdett.  This was not true; he was a great motivator and a fine assistant coach that summer.  He was a major part of the success of that group of fine young men.
     Larry has had many successes in his lifetime.  His coaching success in Cimarron and Plainville are remarkable.  He has impacted many lives and taught many young people the value of striving for victory.  It is my pleasure to nominate him to the KSHSAA "Hall of Fame", Larry is very deserving of this honor.
            John Harshbarger was a team mate in college and coached at Fowler while Coach Friend was at Cimarron.  Here is a note sent to Larry Jantz following the dinner in Hays.  And I am sure this goes for all of us.

Larry, I appreciated very much the time you took to e-mail all of the info from March 20.  Sounds like you had a grand time in meeting up with old friends and coaches.  I don't know of anyone more deserving than Larry Friend of all the great relationships with his players and friends.  Just wanted you to know how sorry I was that I could not be there.  Mom's surgery went well and she is doing well.  Larry, you put on a great time for all of the people that came to see Larry Friend.  All those hours of work spent on the presentation paid off.  Just a Great Big Thanks for all you have done in Larry Friends behalf. 

I sold Sporting Goods starting in 1960.  I had lots of great visits with Larry.  What a motivator.  He always kept me at school too long, I had trouble getting on the road.  Don't you think he was a pretty good athlete?  I kind of think so.  I am 85 now, but I have not forgot our great visits at PVHS.  Jack Ward, Jack Ward Sporting Goods, Norton, KS, in business for 43 years in Norton.

Thanks for the note Jack, and yes, I think he was a "pretty good athlete".  Around here we go quite a bit further with that, as you probably do as well.  The stories that have been told are endless and very believable to me as I have seen him at work, Both as my coach and playing football in JUCO.  I have stolen this from Coach's page as a reminder that it is still on the site to view.  Thanks again Jack.
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