Lawrence Jr. Garron (May 23, 1937 – September 13, 2019) was an American
professional football
In professional sports, as opposed to amateur sports, participants receive payment for their performance. Professionalism in sport has come to the fore through a combination of developments. Mass media and increased leisure have brought larg ...
player. A
fullback, he played
college football at
Western Illinois University
Western Illinois University (WIU) is a public university in Macomb, Illinois. It was founded in 1899 as Western Illinois State Normal School. As the normal school grew, it became Western Illinois State Teachers College.
History
Western Illin ...
, then played professionally in the
American Football League (AFL) for the
Boston Patriots from 1960 through 1968. He holds the team record run of 85 yards from scrimmage, set in a game against the
Buffalo Bills on October 22, 1961. He averaged 5.9 yards per carry in 1962 and accounted for 1,168 total yards from scrimmage in 1963.
Garron was an
American Football League All-Star in 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1967, and a member of the Patriots' All-1960s (AFL) Team.
For one season, along with
Bob Fouracre
Robert E. Fouracre (November 22, 1937 – April 17, 2021) was an American sportscaster who called football and basketball for the College of the Holy Cross. He was a 1956 graduate of Northboro High School, a 1958 graduate of the Cushing Academy ...
, he served as a color commentator for
New England Patriots preseason games.
At the same time Larry Garron was on the Patriots he studied various forms of
martial arts. He held ranks in
Kenpō
is the name of several arts. The word kenpō is a Japanese translation of the Chinese word "''quánfǎ''". This term is often informally transliterated as "kempo", as a result of applying Traditional Hepburn romanization, but failing to use ...
(fist law),
Hakkō-ryū
Hakkō-ryū () or Hakkō-ryū Jūjutsu () is a school or 'style' of jujutsu descended from Daito-ryu founded in 1941 by Okuyama Ryuho (1901–1987) a student of Sokaku Takeda and a practitioner of shiatsu. This style of self-defense focuses o ...
Jujutsu
Jujutsu ( ; ja, link=no, 柔術 , ), also known as jiu-jitsu and ju-jitsu, is a family of Japanese martial arts and a system of close combat (unarmed or with a minor weapon) that can be used in a defensive or offensive manner to kill or subdu ...
,
Gōjū-ryū
, Japanese for "hard-soft style", is one of the main traditional Okinawan styles of karate, featuring a combination of hard and soft techniques. Both principles, hard and soft, come from the famous martial arts book used by Okinawan masters du ...
(hard soft system),
Shintō Musō-ryū
, most commonly known by its practice of '' jōdō'', is a traditional school ('' koryū'') of the Japanese martial art of '' jōjutsu'', or the art of wielding the short staff (''jō''). The technical purpose of the art is to learn how to defea ...
,
Yoshitsune Jujitsu, and
Taekwondo
''Taekwondo'', ''Tae Kwon Do'' or ''Taekwon-Do'' (; ko, 태권도/跆拳道 ) is a Korean martial arts, Korean form of martial arts involving punching and kicking techniques, with emphasis on head-height kicks, spinning jump kicks, and fast k ...
.
Larry had some talented sporting sons and nephews, including nephew Donald Garron, who won the 1981 Massachusetts All State 220 yard championship in 22.37, as well as
Rufus Harris
Rufus D. Harris is a retired American professional basketball player. He was the America East Conference co-Player of the Year as a senior in 1979–80 while playing for the University of Maine. After graduating, Harris was selected in the 198 ...
, who had a tryout with the
Boston Celtics in 1980. Two of his sons, Arnold and Andre, are in the Hall of Fame for American football at the University of New Hampshire. Andre also played professionally for the Kansas City Chiefs as a running back and kick returner for two seasons in the late 1980s.
Arnold Garron interview 2010
Retrieved on May 23, 2016
See also
* List of American Football League players
The following is a list of men who played for the American Football League (AFL, 1960–1969).
Players
A
B
C
D
Elbert Dubenion
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
Y
Z
Notes
Player notes
1,398 ...
References
1937 births
2019 deaths
American football fullbacks
Boston Patriots players
National Football League announcers
New England Patriots announcers
Western Illinois Leathernecks football players
American Football League All-Star players
People from Quitman County, Mississippi
People from Framingham, Massachusetts
American Football League players
Players of American football from Mississippi
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