South Putnam remembers former assistant coach

Friday, October 24, 2025 at 9:39 AM

By Paul Gable

With the South Putnam football preparing for the opening of the Class A Sectional Tournament this week, the athletic department has been dealing with heavy hearts.

This week, it was announced that former South Putnam assistant football coach Larry Searles passed away.

He was an assistant under Nathan Aker and current athletic director Troy Burgess, serving as a limena coach for several seasons. His grandson currently plays for Chuck Sorrell.

Burgess told The Putnam County Post he was "extremely fortunate" to have worked with Searles.

"During my time as the head coach I had a great staff and Larry was a huge part of that. Our players loved playing for him. His ability to relate to the players along with his knowledge of the game made him very valuable to South Putnam Football," Burgess said.

And, the former assistant had a personal impact on Burgess that extended beyond the gridiron.

"Personally for me, Larry was always my voice of reason. I can remember multiple times where he was there for me when I needed that voice of reason. As I said yesterday, Larry was a tremendous husband, father, and grandfather, but an even better friend. We lost a truly great man and he will be missed by all of the South Putnam community," Burgess said.