Benedictine Head Football Coach Larry Wilcox picked up his 300th career win on Saturday, October 10. He is the 14th coach of any college division to ever reach this historic mark.
Coach Wilcox began his head coaching career in 1979 after playing as a student at Benedictine and coaching with the Ravens before as an assistant. He earned his first win in 1979 as the head coach. For the next 41 years and counting he has brought dominant college football to Atchison.
This success does not come easy and is not totally based on football alone. Former Raven quarterback Shaefer Schuetz describes his special relationship with the coach.
“[Coach] really presses in putting his time into creating a culture of guys who are solid people,” Schuetz said.
Wilcox is not only looking to develop players into talented football players, but into well-rounded people.
“He develops guys to become good citizens, good husbands, good fathers and strong guys in the work force,” Schuetz said.
Athletic Director and Defensive Coordinator, Charlie Gartenmeyer, has worked with Wilcox for 46 years at Benedictine.
“Words that pop into my mind [about Wilcox] are persistence, hard-working, attention to detail and tenacity,” Gartenmeyer said.
Along with developing young men into successful athletes, Coach Wilcox takes joy in seeing his players succeed in the classroom. Gartenmeyer describes how Wilcox is on the most important day for students at Benedictine.
“On graduation day, he is ecstatic to see those young men get their degree, knowing all of the hard work they put in and the sacrifices they made to get there,” Gartenmeyer said.
Coach Wilcox is committed to creating a culture of successful men after football and not everything is seen by the public eye.
“When you’re around coach, he will do a lot of things to help players reach whatever goals they have set out to accomplish, and this is not always in a public forum, we’ve had a lot of great victories but many things that happen off the field are the most satisfying for him,” Gartenmeyer said.
Being the head coach for 41 years, Coach Wilcox has seen things in society change, he’s been able to adapt while also keeping his fundamental ideas.
“Society is always changing, coach is able to adapt to those changes. As he adapts, he still has certain foundations and ideals he does not change such as, a high work ethic, good communication and trust between himself and his players,” Gartenmeyer said.
Coach Wilcox has sustained success for over 40 years now and Gartenmeyer dedicated this to his work ethic.
“The person he is, he’s loyal, he’s trustworthy, he’s a problem solver. It’s a celebration to all of his hard work and determination,” Gartenmeyer said.
His hard work is way more than drawing up plays or running practices, Coach is willing to go above and beyond to help his school and program.
Senior offensive lineman Sam Clardy also attested to Coach Wilcox’s tenacious work ethic.
“What has gotten him 300 wins is him not settling for anything less than excellent. He surrounds himself with great coaches and players and that’s what it takes to get where he is at today,” Clardy said.
Wilcox has guided his team to a 4-1 record this season as the Ravens look to win another Heart Conference Championship
