Larry Riley's coaching career began in 1965 as an assistant football and wrestling coach under legendary Hall of Fame coach Lonnie Timmerman.

When offered the assistant wrestling coach position, he responded that he didn't know anything about wrestling. He was told that's okay, you just need to work hard. The position paid $50, so he decided to take it. Riley knew how to work hard and was a quick learner under Timmerman.

Little did anyone know, but he was on his way to becoming a legendary Hall of Fame coach himself and the heart and soul of the Greenfield / Nodaway Valley wrestling program for over 50 years. During that time, he has always been a constant force in guiding and supporting the wrestling program in many roles. including head coach, assistant coach, junior high coach, volunteer coach, official and fan.

After two years as an assistant under Coach Timmerman, Coach Riley took over as head coach for the 1967-68 season and never looked back. In his 10 years as head coach, he compiled a 76-24-4 dual record in a time when Greenfield was wrestling against mainly larger schools. His teams defeated ЗА powerhouse West Des Moines Valley and 2A powerhouses Harlan, Creston and Winterset to name a few.

His teams also won 25 tournament championships, including a combined 10 sectional and district titles. But the state tournament is where his teams really shined. He had seven teams finish in the top six at state, including his 1971 and 1972 teams that were state runners-up. He coached 43 state qualifiers, including 24 medalists, 12 finalists and nine state champions.

Coach Riley demanded hard work during his legendary physical practices and he also demanded respect, discipline, commitment and persistence from his wrestlers. He also lived by a principle of being a teacher first and a coach second, and emphasized character and integrity. He was well respected in the wrestling community as a coach who developed students into men and was inducted into the Iowa High School Wrestling Hall of Fame and received the Lifetime Service to Wrestling award from the Iowa Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Coach Riley often credits his wife Barb for being by his side and supporting him. They are adamant wrestling fans who regularly attend local wrestling events and also attend the Big Ten and NCAA Wrestling Championships each year.