The day after the Eaton Reds football team won their back-to-back championship they made a visit to their wide receiver coach, Larry Adams, who was in the hospital with pancreatic cancer. On Monday, Jan. 31, they gathered again with Coach Larry Adams’ family and friends to celebrate his life and impact.

Adams was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer stage 1B in August 2021 after not feeling well around July. Adams had a tumor they were hoping to remove after chemotherapy treatments.

Kristen Webb, Coach’s youngest daughter, said, “He did four rounds of chemotherapy. He would never say that there was pain or anything, but he did lose a tremendous amount of weight. He still coached and still farmed.”

Coach Adams, known widely as Coach or LA, graduated from Eaton High School in 1969 only to return as a P.E. teacher from 1979-2005. During his life, Coach taught or coached at Arickaree, Highland, Eaton, Greeley West, Resurrection Christian, and then came back to Eaton for the past four years. Adams even coached the University of Northern Colorado football team when they won back-to-back championships in 1996 and 1997. While coaching at UNC, Adams coached current EHS P.E. teacher, football coach, and basketball coach, Dean Grable. 

“I got to know him well back in 1995, so he had a big influence on both my brother and me. He is the main reason I am here at Eaton. He reached out to me when I graduated and knew I was looking for a job, and he was soon to be retired. I got to work with him one year then took over his job,” Grable said.

During his time coaching and teaching, Adams always pushed his students and athletes to be the best they could be and exemplified the football acronym of C.R.E.D.I.T., which stands for Commitment, Respect, Effort, Discipline, Integrity, and Toughness. Coach himself lived by and pushed others to live by C.R.E.D.I.T. inside and outside of football.

In his past four years, Adams coached under EHS science teacher and head football coach, Zac Lemon. Adams was said to make friends with everyone whether it was on the football field, the classroom, the farm, or in the community. 

Anyone who talked to him can vouch for his commitment to getting to know a person, where they were from, and their passions. Coach Lemon said, “He could make personal connections to help every kid improve, and they always knew that their best interests were at his heart. Even if he was hard on them, they knew it was for their own good.”

Coach’s grandson, Aiden Adams (24), said, “Having my grandpa as a football coach let me see a different side of him that I don’t get to see with my family. I got to see how he treats everyone equally and with love and respect for all people.”

Wherever Coach went, he made friends and didn’t know a stranger. According to his family, he genuinely cared about people and getting to know who they were and where they were from. Adams had five F’s in his life: Family, Friends, Farming, Football, and Faith.

Football was a huge part of Coach’s life. Adams was able to add two more championship rings to his collection with the back-to-back football championships in 2020 and 2021. Webb said, “For him to come back and finish at Eaton was just for things to come full circle. It was a huge blessing. Just the inspiration and the family that was forged in that team and those coaches in the last few years. He loved his family, but that team and those coaches were family to him. The fact that kids that just came off of a state championship game are up and willing to go to the hospital the next day, I really think that was the best day of my dad’s life.”

Not only did Coach make an impact on athletes currently in the school, but generations of students that have gone through the high school. He impacted all of them through his great character, friendliness, and passions. His legacy will live on through memories he made with those around him and the Coach LA Football Memorial. The memorial will offer money to the EHS football program to help with costs, with future plans of offering scholarships to EHS football players.

A. Adams said, “He left a legacy of friendship. He respected everyone and gave his maximum effort in everything he did.” Coach LA’s legacy will live on through the people he impacted and the memories he made in their lives. Few people can change others and make them better the way Adams did. His tough love and genuine character changed the lives of countless students and countless athletes across Northern Colorado, especially here in his hometown of Eaton.