Earl Lauer's introduction to wrestling occurred while he attended Montgomery College in 1968. His early success there and then later at Towson University expanded his athletic Interest from running to the mats. His journey through coaching has taken him from Howard County Recreations and Parks instructor to JV and Varsity coach at Atholton High School to his very successful stint at River Hill High School.

As the first coach at River Hill High School, Earl developed a program that became the envy of the State. His River Hill teams dominated Howard County by amassing a 150-28-2record and brought home 5 Howard County Tournament Championships and 4 Howard County Dual Meet Championships in the school's first 10 years. Although they displayed an aggressive technique on the mat, his teams always have displayed class and sportsmanship. They were a mirror of Earl's approach to wrestling and his attitude aboutthe role of sports for young people.

Earl has always been interested in teaching the sport of wrestling. As the founder and coach of the Howard County Youth Wrestling Association he witnessed the growth of that program, from the humble beginnings of 34 athletes in 1990 to over 300 wrestlers involved in clinic, intramural and travel programs. Earl has hosted and sponsored numerous events during his tenure at River Hill High School. These included freestyle, folk style, and the Maryland Senior All-Star meet. He has also helped coach the Maryland Cadet/Junior National Team and been instrumental in MSWA tournaments and events.

In addition to wrestling Earl has coached cross country for 36 years. His cross country teams have also enjoyed much success. He has coached 7 State cross country championship teams and 6 individual State champions. Earl was named Secondary Physical Education Teacher of the Year in 2002. He has been married to Ellen for 30 years. He is the father of two boys who he coached at River Hill High School, Brandon and Ryan. He has recently retired from teaching, but continues to coach cross country at River Hill. This year he will assist Brandon, who has taken over as the varsity wrestling coach, with the River Hill program.