24 Facts About Larry Gagner

Lawrence Joseph Gagner was born on December 30,1943 and is an American former professional football player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League for parts of five seasons during the 1960s and 1970s.

Larry Gagner was born in Cleveland, Ohio and grew up near Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was a multi-sport all-state athlete at Seabreeze High School.

Larry Gagner played college football for the Florida Gators, playing several positions on offense and defense under head coach Ray Graves.

Larry Gagner became a regular starter on the Gators' offensive line during his junior year in 1964.

Larry Gagner was a two-time All-SEC guard and was a consensus All-American at that position during his senior year in 1965.

Larry Gagner was a second-round pick in the 1966 NFL draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers of the NFL and became a part of the Steelers' offensive line rotation during his rookie year.

Larry Gagner started 14 games with Pittsburgh and was named a team captain in 1969.

Larry Gagner was unable to play during the 1970 and 1971 seasons and finally returned to the field as a backup for the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1972 preseason.

Larry Gagner made a final return to action with the Jacksonville Sharks of the World Football League in 1974 and was a reserve lineman for the team for two years, after which the league folded.

Larry Gagner drew interest from some NFL and Canadian Football League teams before the 1976 season, but after failing two team physicals with lingering injuries, he decided to retire from football at the age of 32.

Larry Gagner attended Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was a standout two-way prep player for the Seabreeze Sandcrabs high school football team.

Larry Gagner accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, and played for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football teams from 1963 to 1965.

Larry Gagner was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in 1964 and 1965, and a first-team All-American in 1965.

Larry Gagner was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round of the 1966 NFL Draft, and by the Miami Dolphins in the third round of the 1966 American Football League Draft.

Larry Gagner chose to sign with the Steelers for the then-staggering sum of $150,000, and played regularly at guard from 1966 until 1969, starting 14 games, regularly serving as a team captain, and being called Pittsburgh's "most consistent" offensive lineman.

In March 1970, Larry Gagner was involved in a near-fatal traffic accident in his Porsche 911 while driving intoxicated near his home in Ormond Beach, Florida.

Larry Gagner was traded to the New York Giants in January 1971 but did not pass a physical exam, so the Giants put him on waivers.

Larry Gagner signed with the Denver Broncos, who hoped that Gagner would be able to contribute after further rehabilitation.

In 1972, Larry Gagner finally returned to the field as a reserve lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Larry Gagner came out of retirement in 1974, playing in a backup role for the Jacksonville franchise of the World Football League for two truncated seasons.

The WFL folded in 1975, and Larry Gagner signed a free agent contract with the NFL's expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March 1976.

Larry Gagner signed with the New Orleans Saints in May 1976, but was cut in early in the preseason.

In one last attempt to continue his career, Larry Gagner tried out for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League, where the team doctor warned him that returning to the field would accelerate the degeneration of his injured hip.

Larry Gagner and his wife Doris live in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, where he is a working artist, mainly in painting and sculpture.