People who make a difference have a positive impact, connect and engage with others. They build and support relationships and share their knowledge and talents. Larry Krouse is one of those people and Marshall County is all the better for it.
For 40-plus years, Krouse has made a positive impact on the Marshall County community, starting in 1976 when he became a teacher and head football coach at Marshall County High School. Originally from Tennessee, he attended Christian Brothers High School in Memphis, attended college at UT Martin and was a member of the football team that won the 1967 Tangerine Bowl and finished the season 10-1.
He earned his Masters degree at Murray State University and was a teacher and football coach at Marshall County from 1976-79.
Krouse was the defensive coordinator at Paducah Tilghman during its 1973 state championship season before becoming head coach at Marshall County. Under Krouse, his first year the team played their games at North Marshall, but the following year began playing games at the high school and Krouse led the Marshals to their first ever winning record at 7-4, and in 1978 played their first season in a new stadium. Krouse steered the Marshals to a 9-1 season that year, a record that is still tied for the best regular season record in program history.
After the 1979 season, Krouse with a young family to support, left the school system and began a business career, becoming a State Farm insurance agent in 1980, but remained a very important part of the football program.
“It was Larry’s enthusiasm as much as anything initially that got the process started to get that stadium built and not have to bus the players to North Marshall for games and practices,” WCBL Sports Director Jeff Waters said.
Waters has had a close relationship with Krouse for nearly 25 years, 20 of them together in the booth doing color commentating every Friday in the fall for Marshall County games until he stepped away in 2014.
“Personally, I am forever indebted to Larry Krouse because he literally taught me the game of football,” Waters said. “Growing up I wanted to play football … I played a little basketball … but I wanted to play football too, but I couldn’t growing up in Lyon County with no football program. I had always been a football fan, but I didn’t know the game.
“I tell people, there are two individuals that taught me the game of football,” Waters added. “Larry Krouse taught it to me directly and Jim Shelton taught it to me directly but more so indirectly, by watching and being around Coach Shelton and sitting in on film sessions with them, seeing their scouting reports and the things they did.”
Marshals Head Coach Evan Merrick said, “he’s just a friend to the program” crediting him with bringing a lot of ideas and insight when coming to Marshall County from Tennessee, to a high school that was fairly new to the sport.
“My first year as head coach was his last year as color man with Jeff, so I got to share a little of that with him,” Merrick said. “We talked about the games, how leading up to the game what to prepare for.”
Merrick said Krouse has been instrumental in getting the football alumni association off the ground, working to get former players involved in the program and is always willing to help when needed to promote Marshall County football.
“He’s a friend to Marshall County sports … a real positive voice for us,” Merrick said. “A friend of mine and friend to the program and if you need something, he’s there.
“Larry likes to say he was a coach with a 1-9 season and then a 9-1 season, so he’s seen both ends of the spectrum and anybody that I’ve talked to loved playing for him,” Merrick added.
Waters spoke of conversations he has had with what he fondly calls “old timer” coaches that competed head-to-head with Krouse who have said if he stayed in it, would have been one of the best coaches this area has ever had.
“Most people don’t understand his knowledge of the game … I mean it’s vast,” Waters said. “That comes from being a great player and a great coach.”
Waters said he misses him a lot calling the games and added that trips to games just aren’t the same without Larry saying, “it’s not as comedic as it used to be and the thing about Larry … we pick on him a lot but he gives as good as he gets.
“We had a great chemistry,” Waters added. “I was very young when we began doing games together, very inexperienced in football. He was an incredible asset to our coverage of Marshall County football. It was beneficial as far as being able to call the games the way they should be called and do the job that needed to be done. I was able to coach my son and his buddies through little league football and had I not been around Larry Krouse, I would not have had the knowledge of the game to be able to coach those kids.”
Krouse was and still is, one of those people who believe in what’s possible but is there in the trenches when the going gets rough, picking coaches, players and friends up during the good and the bad.
“I think he doesn’t get the credit he deserves for being one of the pioneers of the program,” Waters said. “I think if you look back, it was him, Doc Sanders and Jim Shelton and the assistants on those early staffs that kept believing that Marshall County could have a competitive, championship caliber football team when a lot of people didn’t think it was possible.”
Marshall County Sheriff Kevin Byars, friend of Krouse for almost 40 years, agrees with Waters and Merrick on his contributions to the football program.
“Larry was one of those coaches that was involved in every aspect of the program from little league, middle school and all the way up,” Byars said. “He would be at middle school games when he could get there and interact with those players because those were the players coming up.”
Being one of those middle school players, Byars said he was extremely excited about playing for Krouse.
“My freshman year, South Marshall was where I went to junior high,” Byars said. “We didn’t have enough to field a team that year so I went to play for Benton. Then he resigned as head coach, and I’ve always kidded him … that for 35 years I’ve been mad at him because I never got the opportunity to play for him.”
That changed two years ago when Marshall County and Graves County played in the first alumni game. Krouse was one of the coaches.
“I said I can’t be mad at you any more, because now I’ve got the opportunity to play for you,” Byars told Krouse.
Football might be near and dear to Krouse, but so is community. He is a part of many civic organizations and events, giving back and helping the community to thrive. Krouse was named “Citizen of the Year” in 2015 by the Marshall County Chamber of Commerce.
“A lot of people probably don’t know what he’s done for civic organizations … things he’s done behind the scenes,” Waters said.
Giving to the Kentucky Sheriffs’ Association Boys and Girls Ranch, taking an active role in the Benton Partnership — which spearheads projects such as the Benton Cruise In, Progressive Dinner, Dickens Christmas and most recently the Farm to Fork community dinner — and serving in the Marshall County Rotary Club are just a few of his contributions.
“Over the last few years I’ve become close friends with Larry,” Byars said. “Whenever I approach him about helping out the Boys and Girls Ranch, I don’t even have to ask … he is generous and gives back to the community. He’s a huge asset to Marshall County.
“Larry is the one that got me involved in the Dickens Festival,” Byars added. “He kept after me and kept after me until finally I gave in and now I wish I had done it years ago.”
While community has been important to Krouse, his family remains his number one priority. Krouse married his wife, Judy, some 47 years ago. Together the two raised three daughters and now enjoy spoiling several grandchildren.
That heart for family isn’t just his own, however. It’s as much for those he calls his friend. The consensus of those around him say that Krouse is one of their best friends, someone they call upon at any time and he will do what he can to help; those that know him all say, they would do the same for him.
“He’s one of my best friends and I still ask his opinion,” Waters said. “Larry, like many other coaches I’ve known over the years … once a kid played for him, that was one of their kids for life.”
In the words of Byars, “Larry is truly one of a kind.”
