A forceful presence both on the football field and the track, Larry Copeland ’65 entered the Athletics Hall of Fame as a dominant member of several talented Beaver football teams and of a record-setting mile relay team in 1962.

A four-year starter at offensive and defensive end for football coach Ken Mast, Copeland was a member of two Mid-Ohio League championship teams and two MOL runner-up teams. He was named first-team All-MOL as a senior, when he capped a stellar playing career remembered for his intensity and ability to make the big play.

Copeland’s efforts on the Bluffton mile relay team were also legendary, as he helped that quartet to a 3:27.7 performance in 1962 that set a Bluffton and MOL record that would stand until 1969. Other members of that relay team included Terry Marshall ’64, Dale Schiffke ’64 and fellow 2000 Hall of Fame inductee Dennis Bishop ’63. Copeland was also one of the top open 440-yard dash runners in the region.

Following his graduation, Copeland held football coaching positions at Norwalk, Vermilion and Colonel Crawford high schools before returning to coach at Bluffton in 1975. In his one season with the Beavers, he served as offensive coordinator and helped guide his alma mater to a runner-up finish in the Hoosier-Buckeye Collegiate Conference.

In 1976, Larry founded Copeland Financial and Copeland-Lewis, both in Findlay.