Larry Little
 Little in 2013 | |||||||||
| No. 73, 66 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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: | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| 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. He was a three-time All-Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) selection.[4] He was an all-conference defensive tackle at Bethune-Cookman from 1964-1967.He was inducted into the Bethune-Cookman Hall of Fame in 2012.[5] 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).[6] After playing for San Diego in 1967 and 1968, he was traded to the AFL's Miami Dolphins for the 1969 season, when he was named an AFL All-Star. He then played with the National Football League Dolphins from 1970 through 1980.
"I didn't particularly like the trade," Little said in the January 1974 issue of SPORT.[7] "The Dolphins weren't much then."
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.
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.[5] 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).
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.[8][9]
Personal life
[edit]During his playing career and after he had a boys camp for underprivileged children.[2]
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.
- ^ "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".
- ^ "Untitled". Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2010.
- ^ "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