Eric Henry Laakso (November 29, 1956December 25, 2010) was an

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

offensive tackle Offensive may refer to: * Offensive, the former name of the Dutch political party Socialist Alternative * Offensive (military), an attack * Offensive language ** Fighting words or insulting language, words that by their very utterance inflict inj ...

and

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison ...

who played seven seasons with the Miami Dolphins, a tenure which included two

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual final playoff game of the National Football League (NFL) to determine the league champion. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966, replacing the NFL Championship Game. Since 2022, the game ...

s. After high school at Killingly in Danielson, CT he attended Tulane University, where he majored in civil engineering and played offensive tackle from 1975 to 1977 and was honored as the 1976–77 Tulane Athlete of the year. Laakso was selected 106th overall by the Dolphins in the fourth round of the

1978 NFL Draft The 1978 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 2–3, 1978, at the Roosevelt Hote ...

. Laakso resided in

South Florida South Florida is the southernmost region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is one of Florida's three most commonly referred to directional regions; the other two are Central Florida and North Florida. South Florida is the southernmost part of th ...

and was active with

NFL Alumni The NFL Alumni Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that is composed of former National Football League (NFL) players, coaches, team staff members and associate members who work voluntarily to raise funds for youth-oriented causes and ...

functions. According to The Sun-Sentinel, Laakso was found dead in his home in Pompano Beach on Christmas night. The death was attributed to natural causes, Laakso battled heart disease.

Career highlights

* Tulane Offensive Tackle 1975–77 * 1976–7
Tulane Athlete of the year
* 4th round Draft Pick 106th overall, 1978, Miami * Miami Dolphins(#68) Offensive Tackle 1978–1984 *

Super Bowl XVII Super Bowl XVII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1982 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1982 Washington Redskins season, Washington Reds ...

(1982) *

Super Bowl XIX Super Bowl XIX was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1984 Miami Dolphins season, Miami Dolphins and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1984 San Francisco 49ers season, San Francisco 49 ...

(1984)

External links

* 1956 births 2010 deaths American football offensive tackles Tulane Green Wave football players Tulane University alumni Miami Dolphins players {{offensive-lineman-1950s-stub

Career highlights

See also

External links