Larry Little
 Little in 2013 | |||||||||
| No. 73, 66 | |||||||||
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| Position: | Guard | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born: | November 2, 1945 Groveland, Georgia, U.S. | ||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||||||||
| Weight: | 265 lb (120 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school: | Booker T. Washington (Miami, Florida) | ||||||||
| College: | Bethune–Cookman | ||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1967 | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| As a player: | |||||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||||
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| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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| Head coaching record | |||||||||
| Career: | College: 78–80–1 (.494) WLAF: 1–9 (.100) Total: 79–89–1 (.470) | ||||||||
Larry Chatmon Little (born November 2, 1945) is an American former professional football guard who played in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats. He signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 1967. After two years in San Diego, he was then traded to the Miami Dolphins where he played for the rest of his career, establishing himself as one of the best guards in the NFL.
Little was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a seven-time All-Pro selection. He was the starting right guard of a dominant Dolphins offensive line which included Hall of Fame center Jim Langer and left guard Bob Kuechenberg, that was instrumental in the Dolphins winning Super Bowl VII during their perfect season in 1972, and Super Bowl VIII the following year. He was elected to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team, a member of the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll, and was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Early life
[edit]Little was born in Groveland, Georgia, on November 2, 1945, the second of six children. The family moved to Florida and he grew up in Miami.[1] His mother was his greatest influence.[2] As a child, his favorite team was the Baltimore Colts.[2] He attended Booker T. Washington Senior High School in Miami, where he played football.[3]
College career
[edit]Little played for the Bethune–Cookman Wildcats from 1964 to 1967 on the team's offensive and defensive line at tackle. He was a team caption, and a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection.[4][5] He was inducted into the Bethune-Cookman Hall of Fame in 2012.[6] Defensive line coach Tank Johnson was Little's favorite coach at any level.[2]
Professional career
[edit]Little went undrafted in 1967. After the draft, he received free agent offers from Miami, San Diego, and Baltimore. He signed as a free agent with the American Football League's San Diego Chargers because they offered him the largest signing bonus ($750).[7] After playing for San Diego in 1967 and 1968, but coach Sid Gillman grew frustrated with Little's not controlling his weight. He was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins for cornerback Matt Lamb before the 1969 season,[8][4] when he was named an AFL All-Star.[9] "I didn't particularly like the trade," Little said in the January 1974 issue of SPORT.[10] "The Dolphins weren't much then." In his first year with Miami, although an All-Star, the Dolphins' record was a poor 3-10-1.[8]
Future Pro Football Hall of Fame coach Don Shula became the Dolphins' head coach in 1970.[8] Among other things, he helped Little control his weight.[4] Of the 11 years he played for the Dolphins (1969-1980), Little played ten of them under Shula (1970-1980), missing only four games in 11 seasons, despite numerous injuries. He was considered an intimidating force run blocking and a superb pass blocker.[4]
Little was a key contributor to the success of the Dolphins' punishing running attack of the early and mid-1970s, which featured Larry Csonka, Mercury Morris, and Jim Kiick. Shula, a coach on the NFL 100th Anniversary All Time Team,[11] said Little played a major role in the Dolphins success as both a pass blocker and run blocker.[4] Little was a member of the 1972 Dolphins championship team that went 17-0, which established a record for team rushing yards at the time. The Dolphins' rushing average per year in the 1970s (2,372 yards rushing per year) led the NFL in that decade.[4] Little played under offensive line coach Monte Clark, whom Little acknowledged at this Hall of Fame induction.[12][4]
In 1973, he became to first guard to be paid a $100,000 annual salary.[8]
From 1971 through 1975, Little was named first team All-Pro five times, and again in 1977; and was second team All-Pro in1978 (and named second team in 1977 by the Associated Press and United Press International).[4][13] He was All-AFC five times.[4] He appeared in five straight NFL Pro Bowls from 1971 to 1975, and appeared in the 1969 AFL All-Star Game.[4][9] He was named the National Football League Players Association's AFC Offensive Lineman of the Year three times (1970-1972).[4] He was named to the NFL 1970s All-Decade Team at guard, along with Joe DeLamielleure.[14]
Post-playing career
[edit]He also served as head football coach of his alma mater, from 1983 to 1991, winning Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference championships in 1984 and 1988.[6] He was head coach at North Carolina Central University from 1993 to 1998. In addition, Little served as head coach of the Ohio Glory of the World League of American Football (which eventually became the now-defunct NFL Europe).
In 1993, Little was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, with the NFL's all-time winning coach Don Shula[15] as his presenter.[4]
On December 16, 1993, Larry was added to the Miami Dolphins Honor Roll.
In 1999, he was ranked number 79 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players.[16][17]
Personal life
[edit]During his playing career and after he had a boys camp for underprivileged children, the Gold Coast Summer Camp, eventually backed by the United Way. He was also listed in Who's Who in Black America.[2][4]
Little's younger brother, David Little, was a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
In 2007 was named to the Florida High School Association All-Century Team which selected the Top 33 players in the 100-year history of high school football in the state of Florida's history.
Head coaching record
[edit]College
[edit]
| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bethune–Cookman Wildcats (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) (1983–1991) | |||||||||
| 1983 | Bethune–Cookman | 4–4–1 | 1–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1984 | Bethune–Cookman | 7–3 | 4–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1985 | Bethune–Cookman | 6–4 | 3–1 | 2nd | |||||
| 1986 | Bethune–Cookman | 3–8 | 2–3 | 5th | |||||
| 1987 | Bethune–Cookman | 4–7 | 2–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1988 | Bethune–Cookman | 5–6 | 4–2 | T–1st | |||||
| 1989 | Bethune–Cookman | 5–5 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1990 | Bethune–Cookman | 4–7 | 1–5 | 6th | |||||
| 1991 | Bethune–Cookman | 4–6 | 3–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| Bethune–Cookman: | 45–48–1 | 23–23 | |||||||
| North Carolina Central Eagles (Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1993–1998) | |||||||||
| 1993 | North Carolina Central | 6–5 | 5–3 | 4th | |||||
| 1994 | North Carolina Central | 6–5 | 5–3 | T–3rd | |||||
| 1995 | North Carolina Central | 5–6 | 4–4 | 5th | |||||
| 1996 | North Carolina Central | 8–3 | 5–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1997 | North Carolina Central | 4–7 | 4–3 | T–4th | |||||
| 1998 | North Carolina Central | 4–6 | 3–4 | 7th | |||||
| North Carolina Central: | 33–32 | 26–20 | |||||||
| Total: | 78–80–1 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Smith, Don (1993). "Larry Little" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 15 (4).
- ^ a b c d "Behind the Bronze: Larry Little | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ Rosa, Poch de la (January 19, 2023). "The Life And Career Of Larry Little (Story)". Pro Football History. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Larry Little | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Larry Little | BCFHOF".
- ^ a b "Larry Little - Hall of Fame". Bethune-Cookman University Athletics. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Shunned by the draft? Larry Little knows the feeling".
- ^ a b c d Lowitt, Bruce (July 31, 1993). "Big honor for Larry Little". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ a b "Larry Little - Future Football Legends". futurefootballlegends.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Untitled". Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Clark, ex-Lions coach and longtime NFL assistant, dead at 72". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Larry Little Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s - OFFENSE | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
- ^ "Sporting News Top 100 Football Players". Democrat and Chronicle. August 15, 1999. p. 3D. Retrieved November 10, 2016 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "The Sporting News 100 Greatest Players of All-Time (1999)". futurefootballlegends.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.
External links
[edit]
- Larry Little at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- 1945 births
- Living people
- American football offensive guards
- American Football League players
- Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football coaches
- Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football players
- Miami Dolphins players
- North Carolina Central Eagles football coaches
- Ohio Glory coaches
- San Diego Chargers players
- American Football League All-Star players
- American Conference Pro Bowl players
- Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees
- Booker T. Washington Senior High School (Miami, Florida) alumni
- Sports coaches from Miami
- Coaches of American football from Florida
- Players of American football from Miami
- African-American coaches of American football
- 20th-century African-American sportsmen
- 21st-century African-American sportsmen