Wabash College Athletics

Harry L. "Red" Varner came to Wabash from Hammond, Indiana, in the fall of 1930 and was a mainstay on Wabash football teams throughout his career. A celebrated halfback in high school, Coach Pete Vaughan recruited Varner from Hammond High School, and convinced him to take a year off before coming to Wabash to allow his injured knees to heal. He did so, and used his "twisting, sidestepping" style to lead Wabash's backfield. A three­-year letterman for the Scarlet, Red was also a member of Kappa Sigma, the Sphinx Club, the Senior Council. the Spanish Club, and the "W' Men's Club. In football, he played in the very first "Battle for the Monon Bell" in 1932, played on a sloppy DePauw field which just 48 hours before had been blanketed with 12 inches of snow. Of course that meant that the fleet-footed Varner would be limited by the slippery turf. Thus, the first-ever game for the Monon Bell ended in a hard-fought 0-0 tie. As a senior, Varner scored Wabash's only touchdown in a 7-6 win over Franklin to begin the season, and followed up by scoring all three touchdowns (two rushing, one receiving) in a 20-6 win over Rose Poly. Wabash went on to post a 4-2-1 record in 1933, Varner's last in a scarlet uniform. From Wabash, Varner attended Northwestern University and worked with the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company as an auditor and accountant until his retirement. A loyal member of Kappa Sigma, Red helped start up a chapter at Kent State University, while returning with his classmates to Wabash every year from 1934 until 1988. Red died in Johnstown, Ohio, on June 7, 1989.