Hall of Fame
Lawrence E. Strong, Class of 1924, has been called one of Coe's greatest fullbacks. The record book shows that he played four years of football with All-State mentions twice, and it has recorded his many touchdowns that were the keys to victory over Cornell and other memorable rivals of that day. The record book also shows that Pedro Strong, as he was called, built an enviable career as a high school coach, first at Manchester, Iowa, and then at Albia, Iowa, where he was athletic director and football, basketball and track coach at the high school, and football and basketball coach at the junior college. He coached also at Zanesville, Ohio, where his basketball teams went to the state tournaments three times. But we have to look beyond the record book itself to find what really was the most significant part of Pedro Strong's contribution to athletics. Time and again his teams played with unusual spirit and sportsmanship, sportsmanship that inspired friend, foe, and official alike to compliment his athletes for their fine manner of playing. His emphasis on attitude and sportsmanship behavior is best summarized by this high school yearbook dedication, "A true friend whose being with us inspired in us the principles of true sportsmanship." A cloud of ill health has followed Mr. Strong through much of his life. He was forced to retire from coaching early. In Zanesville he taught history in high school for 35 years, retiring in 1969. Each of his successes in coaching, teaching and counseling had to be won in the face of problems that would have sidelined a lesser man. Thus, it is a happy moment for me, as a teammate of Pedro Strong, to present him for induction into the Coe Athletic Hall of Fame, a fitting culmination to a career in which he gave much of himself to others. October 17, 1975
