Varnwell thrives on winning
Posted on Sunday, August 24, 2008
Varnwell
KANSAS, Okla. - The big question going into the 2008 football season for the Kansas Comets remains yet to be answered," How will the Comets react to not having longtime veteran Jon Hanna as their head coach ?"
Hanna spent the previous 28 years coaching the Comets to 10 district titles as well as acquiring his 200 th victory last November.
His predecessor, Eddie Varnwell, has big shoes to fill, but according to the Jay, Okla., native," This isn't my first rodeo."
Varnwell added that he has a lot of respect for Hanna and looks forward to the opportunity to coach the Comets.
"I give a lot of credit to Coach Hanna for taking guys that may not be great athletes and turning them into winners," Varnwell continued.
On the field, Hanna was a disciplinarian and a mentor to many.
According to Kansas head baseball coach and football assistant Bill Hix," Coach Hanna was tough on his players not out of spite, but because he wanted them to excel at the highest level.
"Coach (Hanna ) treated everyone the same no matter what the situation was. He was really firm and really stern in his ways."
In 2007, Hanna notched his 200 th victory in the Comets' 14-7 overtime win over Westville.
According to an article published by David Reeder on www. coachesaid. com, Hanna established a legacy that included never having more than 29 players on the Kansas football roster during his tenure.
Hanna said in the article that coaching in Kansas was just a great fit.
"Kansas is a great town, with great people and it's a patient and forgiving community," Hanna added.
This past season, the Comets missed out on making the playoffs with a 5-5 overall record.
Hix, who played for Hanna from 1984-86, described his former coach as a man who had a passion for the game of football.
"I don't think there was ever a day I didn't see some football play scribbled in his notebook," Hix said. "He lived to breath football.
"Finding a defense's weakness and then being able to exploit it was one of his coaching strengths."
Now that the Comets have turned over a new leaf in their football program, what does the future hold for Varnwell and his squad ?
"This team is going to be young," Varnwell said. "I've only been with them for a short time and we're all still learning each other's names.
"The one thing I like about this group of kids so far is their attitude and that they're very coachable."
Varnwell, who has 12 years of head coaching experience at Jay and Warner, as well as being an assistant at Broken Bow and Pryor, brings a winning record to Kansas.
Over the course of his head coaching career, Varnwell has established an overall record of 72 wins with 49 losses. He also has collected a pair of district championships at Warner, as well as helped guide Jay to the playoffs.
Blessed with a family that eats, sleeps and breathes athletics, Varnwell has plenty of support from his wife, Leann, and daughter, Kelsey, who will be a freshman basketball player for the traditionally-rich Lady Comets'team.
For the first time in 20 years, Varnwell's wife, Leann, will not be coaching basketball at Pryor. Instead, she has decided to move into administration in the Kansas School District.
"With the type of kids that are raised in Kansas, and having been aware that Coach Hanna would be retiring soon, this was an opportunity that I couldn't pass up," Varnwell said. "This is going to be a good family move."
Varnwell, who grew up in Jay, said he doesn't mind being around country-type kids.
"There's not a lot to do in Kansas, so Friday night football is pretty much the talk of the town in the fall," Varnwell said. "Most of these kids don't have Nintendo Wiii's or the internet, so being able to play football keeps them out of trouble and busy."
With Kansas being his third head coaching job in the past 25 years, Varnwell has high expectations for his Comets.
"Even though we play in a very tough district, our goal every year should be to win conference and make the playoffs," Varnwell said.
A lot of the tradition that Hanna created and developed during his time on the Comets' sideline hopefully will carry on to Varnwell and his staff.
"These kids are hungry for that big game atmosphere," Varnwell said. "Making the playoffs in Kansas ranks right up there with Christmas."
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