Larry Lacewell (February 12, 1937 – May 17, 2022) was an
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...
player, coach, scout, and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at
Arkansas State University
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
from 1979 to 1989, compiling a record of 69–58–4. Lacewell was later the longtime director of scouting for the
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...
of the
National Football League
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 ...
.
Early years
Lacewell was a native of
Fordyce, Arkansas
Fordyce is a small town in Dallas County, Arkansas, United States. Its population has been decreasing since the 1980's when the town reached an all time high of 5,175. The population in 2020 was 3,396 down from 4,300 at the 2010 census, and from ...
. He attended
Fordyce High School
Fordyce High School (FHS) is a comprehensive public high school located in Fordyce, Arkansas, United States. The school provides secondary education in grades 9 through 12 for students encompassing of land including Fordyce, Leola, Bearden, ...
, where he played halfback. He accepted a football scholarship from
Arkansas A&M College. As a junior, he was named second-team
All-AIC at running back.
In 2003, he was inducted into the
University of Arkansas at Monticello
The University of Arkansas at Monticello (UAM) is a public university in Monticello, Arkansas with Colleges of Technology in Crossett and McGehee. UAM is part of the University of Arkansas System and offers master's degrees, baccalaureate degrees ...
Sports Hall of Fame.
Professional career
Lacewell began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for
Bear Bryant
Paul William "Bear" Bryant (September 11, 1913 – January 26, 1983) was an American college football player and coach. He is considered by many to be one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, and best known as the head coach of ...
at the
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
. He then moved on to coach at Arkansas State (1961),
Arkansas A&M (1962-1963),
Kilgore Junior College
Kilgore College (KC) is a public community college in Kilgore, Texas. It has an annual enrollment in excess of 5,000 students and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award the associate deg ...
(1964-1965, winning the
NJCAA National Football Championship
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) national football champions:
Champions
Single Division (1956–2021)
For the 2021 season, the NJCAA announced the creation of Division I and Division III, along with implementing a Divisi ...
),
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
(1966),
Wichita State
Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
(1967) and
Iowa State
Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State University, Iowa State, or ISU) is a public land-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. Founded in 1858 as the Iowa Agricultural College and Model Farm, Iowa State became one of the n ...
(1968), before becoming defensive coordinator at
Oklahoma
Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
in 1969. Lacewell became assistant head coach under
Barry Switzer
Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...
in 1973, and the teams won six Big Eight titles and two
national championships
A national championship(s) is the top achievement for any sport or contest within a league of a particular nation or nation state. The title is usually awarded by contests, ranking systems, stature, ability, etc. This determines the best team, indi ...
in the ensuing years.
As the athletic director and head coach at
Arkansas State University
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage la ...
from 1978 to 1989. He compiled a record of 69-58-4, while capturing two
Southland Conference
The Southland Conference, abbreviated as SLC, is a collegiate athletic conference which operates in the South Central United States (specifically Texas and Louisiana). It participates in the NCAA's Division I for all sports; for football, it pa ...
titles and being named the conference's Coach of the Year on three occasions. He also led the program to four consecutive appearances in the
NCAA Division I-AA
The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athleti ...
playoffs, with the 1986 team making it all the way to the championship game before losing to
Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern University (GS or Georgia Southern) is a public research university in the U.S. state of Georgia. The flagship campus is in Statesboro, and other locations include the Armstrong Campus in Savannah and the Liberty Campus in Hin ...
. He left as the winningest coach in school history.
In 1990, he became the defensive coordinator for the
Tennessee Volunteers
The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity college athletics, intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in NCAA Division I, ...
under
Johnny Majors
John Terrill Majors (May 21, 1935June 3, 2020) was an American professional football player and college coach. A standout halfback at the University of Tennessee, he was an All-American in 1956 and a two-time winner of the Southeastern Confe ...
. He contributed to the program winning the SEC Championship and defeating the
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia (UVA) is a Public university#United States, public research university in Charlottesville, Virginia. Founded in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson, the university is ranked among the top academic institutions in the United S ...
in the
Sugar Bowl
The Sugar Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in New Orleans, Louisiana. Played annually since January 1, 1935, it is tied with the Orange Bowl and Sun Bowl as the second-oldest bowl games in the country, surpassed onl ...
. In 1991, the team finished second in the SEC and received a
Fiesta Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been playe ...
invitation.
In 1987, he was inducted into the Arkansas State Athletics Hall of Honor. In 1996, he was inducted into the
Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame
Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame is the hall of fame and museum for sports in Arkansas, United States. The hall of fame inducted its first class in 1959. The hall's museum is located on the west end of the Verizon Arena in North Little Rock, Arkansas. ...
.
Personal life
On May 21, 1992, he joined the Dallas Cowboys as the Director of College Scouting, replacing
Dick Mansperger
John Richard Mansperger (May 7, 1933 – June 12, 2013) was a director of player personnel for the Dallas Cowboys and Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He also was a college football coach. He played college football at ...
. In the Spring of 1994, he was named the Director of College and Pro Scouting, adding the responsibility of coordinating the scouting efforts of all pro personnel.
After head coach
Jimmy Johnson left the franchise on March 28, 1994, the subsequent drafts made by the Cowboys came under heavy scrutiny in the media and with the fans, as they were never able to replenish the talent base and holdovers of the
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 ...
teams of the early 1990s. In January 2005, two seasons after the arrival of head coach
Bill Parcells
Duane Charles "Bill" Parcells (born August 22, 1941) is an American former football coach who served as a head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for 19 seasons. He rose to prominence as the head coach of the New York Giants from 1983 ...
, he retired and moved into a talent consultant role, while being replaced by
Jeff Ireland
Jeff Ireland (born March 11, 1970) is an American football executive who is the assistant general manager and college scouting director for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the general manag ...
, who was promoted to Vice President of Pro and College Scouting.
Lacewell resided in
Jonesboro, Arkansas
Jonesboro is a city located on Crowley's Ridge in the northeastern corner of the U.S. State of Arkansas. Jonesboro is one of two county seats of Craighead County. According to the 2020 Census, the city had a population of 78,576 and is the f ...
, with his wife, Criss. He died on May 18, 2022.
Head coaching record
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lacewell, Larry
1937 births
2022 deaths
American football halfbacks
Alabama Crimson Tide football coaches
Arkansas State Red Wolves athletic directors
Arkansas State Red Wolves football coaches
Arkansas–Monticello Boll Weevils football coaches
Arkansas–Monticello Boll Weevils football players
Dallas Cowboys scouts
Dallas Cowboys executives
Iowa State Cyclones football coaches
Oklahoma Sooners football coaches
Tennessee Volunteers football coaches
Wichita State Shockers football coaches
Junior college football coaches in the United States
People from Fordyce, Arkansas
Coaches of American football from Arkansas
Players of American football from Arkansas