IWASAKI

Over the past 50 years at Reedley High School, countless students have come and gone, dozens of principles have been hired, and many teachers have moved on to other places; but one person has remained as a perennial symbol of Reedley High excellence, Mr. Larry Iwasaki.
Mr. Iwasaki, who is the current Athletic Director here, has a long history with Reedley High. Born and raised in Reedley, Mr. Iwasaki excelled as a 3-sport star during his 4-years as a student at Reedley High School. As a track athlete, he set a school record in the shot-put, with a throw of 52 feet 11 inches. He threw the discus 150 feet and ran the 100 yard dash in 9.9 seconds. While Iwasaki also played basketball, the sport that brought him the most recognition was football. As a fullback Iwasaki led the Pirates to a co-championship in league his senior year, tying with both Clovis and Sanger. Not bad for the student body president.
Graduating highschool in 1957 Mr. Iwasaki went on to play 1 year of football at Reedley College and 3 years at Fresno State. As the Bulldogs starting fullback, Iwasaki brought steady improvement to the program. In his first year at FSU the team finished with a 5-5 record, but by his senior year they improved to 9-1; and Mr. Iwasaki was selected as an all-conference player.
Mr. Iwasaki began working at Reedley High in 1963 as a coach and a teacher. He continued working, even while working for his masters degree, which he obtained from FSU in 1971. Mr. Iwasaki began his work as the Athletic Director in 1986, putting in long hours as the supervisor of all our athletic events. As much as he loves his job, Mr. Iwasaki admits that the end may be near, “I’m going to work another five or so years,” he said.Since then he has brought up three children, all who have graduated from Reedley High.