When Iola football comes to mind, Pat Lonergan isn’t far behind.
The former head coach will be inducted into the Don Bain Sports Hall of Fame at this Friday’s Iola High School Homecoming parade prior to the football game with Burlington.
The longtime head coach led the Mustangs for close to 18 years from 1978 until the mid 1990s. He then stuck around and helped assist until 2013.
“The support of the public and the small community atmosphere is what made it great,” said Lonergan. “I always enjoyed the fact that the people of Iola came out win or lose and were very good supporters of all the athletic programs. It’s remained that way.”
In 2013, he moved to Shawnee to coach with his son, Ryan. When his son changed jobs, Lonergan then took an assistant coaching role at Saint Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park where he currently coaches today.
Lonergan recalls his coaching days at Iola as a growing process and learning about the small town community and what sort of kids are raised in it. The football coach expected his players to contribute to the success of the program.
“In a place like Iola it was about trying to get all the kids to possibly lend something to the success of the team, to come out for football because it had been down for the most part for years except those exceptional years,” Lonergan said. “It’s just a matter of getting the right ones to contribute and build from there.”
The dedication to his kids is why Lonergan had so much success in developing his players. In fact, the head coach recalls he would stay up until two or three in the morning watching tape, always trying to get better.
Lonergan had a number of kids who played at the college level following their high school days.
“We had a lot of kids over the years that played college football and won all kinds of awards and set records. I had a boy start at the University of Arizona, Rick Warren at guard, and he was a midget compared to the rest of the line,” said Lonergan. “Larry Crest was a fullback and got a scholarship to KU. Randy Call, an offensive lineman, got a scholarship to K-State.”
In Lonergan’s playing days he started as an offensive lineman. The former Iolan enjoys coaching the offensive line the most. A crucial part of any team is blocking so that the offensive playmakers can score.
“I keep my eye on everything but I work with the offensive line most. They have to know so much. Defense is more read and react and you’ve got to be a better athlete to be good. If you’re an average athlete you can be a pretty good offensive lineman if you are talented,” said Lonergan.
Lonergan also coached girls basketball at Iola High School and took a team to the state championship. It’s safe to say that Lonergan has made a difference in the Iola community and etched his own name in the history books.
Don Bain was quite the figure in the Iola community himself, playing football at both Iola and Allen Community College. He then taught, coached, and eventually became superintendent of schools of the local district.
Lonergan feels honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame named after such a beloved local icon.
