The second class of the Bishop Garrigan Athletics Hall of Fame has officially been announced, with five new members set to join the inaugural class of 2025.
This year’s inductees include state championship-winning football coach Larry Weier, basketball and volleyball all-state athlete Katie (Vaske) Vaughn, state champion cross country runner Charles ‘Chuck’ Cassell, Bishop Garrigan’s first football coach Beanie Cooper, and the 1985 state championship football team.
Hall of Fame induction board member John Kesselring says with how recently Bishop Garrigan launched their hall of fame, the board wasn’t short on nominees to consider.
The 1985 football team was the first of now three state championships Bishop Garrigan has won on the gridiron. Kesselring outlined some of the additional challenges related to travel and schedule the team had to overcome on their path to a class 2A state title.
The head coach of the 1985 team was Larry Weier, who was the coach of the year for Iowa high school football twice. Kesselring felt it was important that both the 1985 team and Weier entered the Hall of Fame in the same class.
Weier was named Coach of the Year for the state of Iowa twice, and had success beyond just his time coach football and track and field at Bishop Garrigan.
In addition to Weier, longtime head football coach Beanie Cooper also joins the class. Cooper was the first football coach at Bishop Garrigan, spending 16 years leading the way, and eventually earning a spot in Iowa Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Kesselring credits Cooper for paving the way for the future by navigating challenges to get the program off the ground.
Katie Vaughn was a history maker for the Bishop Garrigan girls athletic program, becoming the first female athlete to be all-state in more than one sport. She also held several basketball school records in the 1990s that have since been topped.
Charles Cassell was the first and only Bishop Garrigan cross country runner to win an individual state championship, winning the class A title in 1969, also winning an individual title in the 1600 meters in track and field. Kesselring says the times Cassell recorded on the track were rare for his era.
The 2026 class will be honored in a ceremony on Thursday, September 3rd prior to Bishop Garrigan’s first home football game on September 4th, where a halftime recognition will also take place.
Kesselring says nominations for future classes open each year in January, before the committe begins evaluating the submissions.
