Larry Foat
Class of '65

     Larry is a 1965 graduate of Mukwonago High School.  Larry received 11 varsity letters while at MHS.  His sports were football, wrestling, and track.  Although he missed out on a varsity letter in football as a freshman, he had the pleasure and the honor of playing more minutes of Mukwonago football that year than anyone else – four quarters of every game, offense and defense, for all JV games and also for the four freshman games.

     In the 1964 homecoming game, Larry was directly involved in 30 points for Mukwonago.  He carried the ball for three touchdowns as a halfback, and he made two tackles as safety on kickoffs.  For one of those touchdowns, Bob Klempen, quarterback, called the signals.  Tom Kukla received the snap and handed the ball to Larry on a fake punt.  Dennis Schmidt, left tackle, made a key block.  Larry stiff-armed one defender and outran the rest for the touchdown.  Schmidt, Kukla, Klempen, and Larry had been friends since they started grade school together in Big Bend.  Tackle Darrell Cottrell and coaches Jon Dahle and Cal Danielson added lots of color to the team.

     Larry remembers football as the most fun, but wrestling as having the most emotional impact.  A wrestler is alone on the mat, with no excuses.  When Larry was a freshman, Wayne Krueger became his mentor.  Wayne’s effort and lots of mat time that year were instrumental in the accomplishments of his sophomore year – conference champion, regional champion, and second in the sectional.  In his junior year, he won all three.  Injuries slowed Larry down when he was a senior, but he managed to win the regional any way.  Jim Upthagrove was the team’s devoted coach.

     Track was Larry’s chosen spring sport.  Larry did sprints (100, 220, 440) and the long jump.  Relay races were a trademark of teams coached by Jon Dahle.  Mukwonago always qualified relay teams in the state meet, and was state champion in 1964.  The relay team that Larry remembers most included Jim Baxter, Darryl Craig, and Randy Craig.

     In addition to sports, Larry excelled in band and academics (second in his class).  After high school, he completed a masters degree in computer science (UW) and another in business (Carnegie Mellon).  After stints in systems consulting and bank finance, Larry started his own company.  CPS provides management software and consulting to banks.

     Five of Larry’s six children also graduated from Mukwonago.  Some will remember Lisa in gymnastics, Ryan and Barrett in soccer and Reuben and Orlin in football.

     Larry Foat certainly left his mark at MHS!

2004 INDUCTEE
MUKWONAGO HIGH SCHOOL
ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME
AUGUST, 2004