Coach DeBoer’s career began in 1967 and spanned over 50 years. He spent most of that time at Nelson and later Lawrence-Nelson High School. He is one of the most prolific coaches in state history, amassing a career record of 319 wins, 110 losses, and 4 ties. Over the years, his teams qualified for the state playoffs 23 times and won 9 district titles, 11 conference championships, 3 state championships (1975, 2001, and 2002), and 2 runner-up finishes. Gary coached 18 of his players to the All-Star Game and was named East assistant coach in 1988 and head coach in 1992. He later served the Coaches Association as president for 9 years. He was then selected to coach in the 8-Man All American Bowl in 1997, and the Nebraska vs. Oklahoma All-Star games in 2005 and 2006. Coach DeBoer has been inducted into the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame, the National High School Hall of Fame and the NEMFCA is honored to welcome him into the Eight Man Football Hall of Fame Class of 2017.