Varley retires after 18 years of Bobcat football

Photo courtesy of Peru State College

PERU - Coach Lou Varley has retired after 18 seasons as an assistant coach at Peru State College.

Varley brought three decades of coaching experience to Peru. His high school career included Friend, Ravenna and Nebraska City. He was a member of the Nebraska Coaches Association for more than 40 years and worked under four head coaches at Peru State.

In 2016, Varley was named the NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association.

He lists the opening of the ROAR Dome, dramatic wins and sharing the atmosphere of Bobcat home games with family among favorite memories.

Here is the college's press release

Varley Retires After 18 Years of Bobcat Football

Lou Varley spent over 50 years as a football coach with the last 18 as an assistant coach at Peru State College.

Varley has many memories of his time at Peru State. His number one memory is the players and coaches with whom he was fortunate to work with and/or coach, saying “they enriched my life and I cherish the lasting bonds and relationships we developed.”

After graduating from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Varley began his teaching and coaching career in Superior, Neb. Other high school stops included Nebraska high schools in Friend, Ravenna, and finally Nebraska City.

As a high school coach, Varley led nine of his teams to the Nebraska state playoffs. He has been a member of the Nebraska Coaches Association for over 40 years.

After retiring from Nebraska City, Lou joined the Bobcat coaching staff, also serving as a tutor for the College. Varley worked for four head coaches at Peru State – Terry Clark, Steve Schneider, Casey Creehan, and most recently Phil Ockinga. He adapted to many distinct roles, coaching styles, and in all cases, did a superb job.

When current assistant coach Wade Halvorsen ’13 of Peru announced on Facebook that December 19 was a day to celebrate Coach Varley’s retirement, the platform exploded with over 160 comments from former players, coaches, and parents.

One comment was “Best thing I ever heard Coach Varley say was each one of these players made a decision to turn off 75 to go to Peru!”

Former cheerleader and wife of Coach Halvorsen, Sara Mencl Halvorsen ’13 summed up the feeling of many by stating “Lou – you are a selfless, player-centered coach who has given more to the team than anyone will ever fully realize. You’ve loved this place and teams so fully. Thank you for everything.”

In 2016, Varley was named as the American Football Coaches Association’s NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year. In addition, Coach Varley was named the Heart North Co-Assistant Coach of the Year in 2022.

Varley noted he appreciated the support received from the Football Booster Club, parents, fans, and alumni. He noted that their continued support is vital to the program and campus in general.

Favorite memories include seeing the Oak Bowl renovation dream come to fruition, back-to-back NAIA A.O. Duer winners – Mitch Boshart and Logan Paben (the top male student-athlete award in the NAIA), the last second victory over Benedictine in 2015, and the huge win over Missouri Valley in 2017 which was on ESPN 3.

Additional highlights are the opening of the ROAR dome, any home game at the Oak Bowl, the great joy in getting to do something he truly loves with great people, and maybe most

importantly – having his family at Bobcat home games and getting to see the players and their families after the games.

A former football student-athlete and one of Varley’s first work-study students was Taylor Spears ’11 of Dallas, Texas. Spears, upon learning of Coach Varley’s retirement, commented, “Coach Varley was the ultimate Peru State ambassador. He had a great reputation among high school coaches. On the field, he coached hard and always pushed everyone to be the best on and off the field.”

Longtime friend and PSC colleague Ted L. Harshbarger ’77 said, “I met Coach Varley when he was helping with Nebraska City High volleyball games and I was officiating. When he came to Peru State we developed a kinship of sorts being two of the “older ones” in the Al Wheeler Activity Center.”

“We had many discussions on what could be done to make Peru State better and what could be done to help not just student-athletes, but all students,” Harshbarger continued. “Some conversations will remain off limits, but I can tell you one thing – Coach Varley was one of the best coaches to grace my time at Peru State, because he cared!”

Varley concluded by stating “I have always said the thing that makes Peru State College a special place is the people.”