Hall of Fame
Larry Atwater is currently Coe football defensive coordinator and coach of the defensive backs. This seems a little unusual because Larry's brightest moments in the football spotlight as a student at Coe were at quarterback and punter. In his junior year he set school records, since beaten, for most TD passes thrown in a single season and most yards in a single season. He topped those marks as a senior by being first-team All-Midwest Conference punter and honorable mention all-conference quarterback. In the fall of 1981, Larry ranked first nationally in passing efficiency for Division III schools. He was 11th in the country in punting. In his second sport, wrestling, Larry was the Midwest Conference champion at 177 pounds for three consecutive years. In his sophomore year he went 23-5 and in his junior year he went 15-5-1. As a senior, he had his best year at 24-5. He qualified for the national tournament each of those three years. Appropriately he is now Coe's head wrestling coach. Larry returned to his alma mater in 1990 after a stellar career as a high school coach at Dubuque Wahlert and then at West Delaware in Manchester. At West Delaware, his football team was first to win a conference title. His wrestling team won the first league title for West Delaware in 19 years. In his first coaching job at Clarence-Lowden, he took over a 0-9 program and gave the school their first Mid-East Conference title with a 7-2 record. As a student-athlete, as an outstanding high school coach, and as a highly respected member of the Coe coaching staff, Larry Atwater has earned membership in the Coe Athletic Hall of Fame.
