Larry Lavery: A Legacy of Coaching- Teacher and Mentor
Many of us who attended Peoria High in the late 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's were lucky enough to played for Coach Lavery in either wrestling or football. Some of us even learned to drive from Mr Lavery. In Coach Lavery's early days at PHS he coached wrestling and was an assistant coach in football. He was a successful wrestling Coach with a some great athletes that made them even better. In 1972, when Corky Robertson became Principal, staff changes were taking place. Dick Jamieson was moving on and Mr Robertson recognized Larry Lavery's skill and expertise in football. The rest is history. Lavery coached some powerhouse teams through the years and lead PHS football to be one of the top 15 winningest high schools in the state. Enjoy this great article by Dave Eminian of the PJ Star and look back at our outstanding coach!
No Pressure....first year of coaching PHS football....wins next two Thanksgiving Day games to close out the 59 year tradition the between Manual and Peoria High.
Peoria High won the long series Turkey Day games over the years against some powerful Manual teams. The series ended with PHS winning 32 games and Manual winning 21 games. There were six ties in the series.
