John Varnell (born May 13, 1941 in Kermit, Texas) was an American football player and educator.
Varnell was elected captain of the 1962 WTSU team that went 9-2 and eventually won the Sun Bowl 15–14 over Ohio University.
[3][4] After the 1964 season, there was a coaching change in Houston and Varnell chose to move to the NFL and play for the Rams who had also drafted him in the previous year.
While recovering from the neck injury, and still under contract by the Rams, Varnell was recruited by the Toronto Argonauts to play in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
[5][6] After an injury plagued professional football career in 1966, Varnell returned to Texas to complete his Bachelor of Science at WTSU.