The Story And Significance Of Larry Little - Seven Time All-Pro At Offensive Guard For The Miami Dolphins

Larry Chatmon Little is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the American Football League (AFL) and the National Football League. He played college football at Bethune–Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida. 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 offensive guards in the NFL.

Little was a five-time Pro Bowl selection, and a seven-time first- or second-team all-pro. He was part of a dominant Miami Dolphins offensive line which included Hall of Fame center Jim Langer and opposite offensive guard Bob Kuechenberg, that was instrumental in the Miami 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.

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). 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. "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.

He also served as head football coach of his alma mater, from 1983 to 1991, and as 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.

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.

Sources

https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

https://www.profootballarchives.com/index.html

https://americanfootballdatabase.fandom.com/wiki/Football_Wiki

https://www.gridiron-uniforms.com/GUD/controller/controller.php?action=main

https://www.profootballhof.com/hall-of-famers/

Smith, Don (1993). "Larry Little" (PDF). The Coffin Corner. 15 (4).

 Hines, Bea (December 16, 2018). "This Miami Dolphin has been giving back to his community". The Miami Herald. pp. SW7.

 "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 (2023) - Florida High School Athletic AssociationHall of Fame". fhsaa.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 Van Smith, Bill (July 10, 1977). "High School: Two Different Worlds to Littles". The Miami Herald. p. 250.

 "About Larry Little". Larry Little Gold Coast Summer Camp. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 Fernandez, Andre C. (December 13, 2007). "Four players named to 'Century' team". The Miami Herald. p. 370.

 McPherson, Jordan (May 26, 2016). "Hall of Famer Little is Honored at alma mater, Booker T. Washington". The Miami Herald. pp. B3.

 "Larry Little | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little | BCFHOF". Archived from the original on June 5, 2023. Retrieved May 30, 2020.

 "B-CC Homes Six Wildcats To All-Conference". The Orlando Sentinel. January 2, 1967. p. 36.

 "Larry Little's Big Man On Football Field". The Orland Sentinel. December 26, 1966. p. 28.

 "Larry Little - Hall of Fame". Bethune-Cookman University Athletics. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 Lieser, Jason. "Cyril Lloyd 'Tank' Johnson, a pioneering athletic director at Bethune-Cookman, dies at 77". The Palm Beach Post. Retrieved May 10, 2025.

 "Lloyd "Tank" Johnson * (2001) - Hall of Fame". Bethune-Cookman University Athletics. Retrieved May 10, 2025.

 "Shunned by the draft? Larry Little knows the feeling".

 Lowitt, Bruce (July 31, 1993). "Big honor for Larry Little". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little - Future Football Legends". futurefootballlegends.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Untitled". Archived from the original on January 20, 2011. Retrieved October 31, 2010.

 Unk, Jesse (July 31, 2020). "Top 10 Miami Dolphins Players of All Time". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "1972 Miami Dolphins Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 18, 2024.

 "Clark, ex-Lions coach and longtime NFL assistant, dead at 72". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "NFL's All-Decade Team of the 1970s - OFFENSE | Pro Football Hall of Fame". pfhof. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 Berry, Mia (December 12, 2022). "Coaching legacy, brotherhood took root at North Carolina Central under Hall of Famer". Andscape. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "NFL 100". NFL.com. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little's Prime Time Was 38 Years Ago". Bethune-Cookman University Athletics. May 8, 2021. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little to Enter Black College Football Hall of Fame". Bethune-Cookman University Athletics. January 16, 2013. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Florida Sports Hall of Fame | Larry Little". Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Miami Dolphins Unveil Six Former Players to Walk of Fame | Miami Dolphins Communications Portal". Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "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.

 Grossman, Hillard (January 12, 2023). "Dolphins' legend Larry Little has Miami street named after him by Miami City Commission". IslanderNews.com | Locally Owned & Operated. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Larry Little Gold Coast Summer Camp". Larry Little Gold Coast Summer Camp. Retrieved November 17, 2024.

 "Obituary: David Little / Former Steelers linebacker". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 17, 2024.