Warren 'Bud' Lathrop coached boys basketball at three different Missouri high schools from 1958 until 2006. His 956 wins (956-300) rank seventh in the history of high school boys basketball nationally.

He began his coaching career in 1958 with two season in Mound City, Missouri

Mound City, Missouri

Mound City is a city in Holt County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,193 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Mound City is located at , at the southern end of the Loess Hills. It is named for the hills in the area...

, followed by one season in Fulton, Missouri

Fulton, Missouri

Fulton is a city in Callaway County, Missouri, the United States of America. It is part of the Jefferson City, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 12,790 in the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Callaway County...

. In 1961, he returned to his hometown of Raytown, Missouri

Raytown, Missouri

Raytown is a city in Jackson County, Missouri, United States, and is a suburb of Kansas City. The population was at 29,526 in 2010 census. The mayor of Raytown is David Bower.-History:...

 and was named coach at the brand new Raytown South High School

Raytown South High School

Raytown South Senior High School is a high school located in Raytown, Missouri. The school was established in 1961, and graduated its first class of seniors in 1964. The enrollment at South peaked in the late 1970s, when it had the largest public school enrollment in the state of Missouri. As...

.

While at Raytown South, his Cardinals won four state championships, made the state final four 10 times, and won 34 conference titles.
Famous for beating his playes with a wooden paddle.