Larry Ball

Last updated

Larry Ball
No. 51, 53, 52
Position: Linebacker
Personal information
Born: (1949-09-27) September 27, 1949 (age 75)
Iowa City, Iowa, U.S.
Height:6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school: Rushville (IL)
College: Louisville
NFL draft: 1972  / round: 4 / pick: 91
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Games played:79
Interceptions:2
Fumble recoveries:3
Player stats at PFR

Larry Lavern Ball (born September 27, 1949) is a former American football linebacker.

Ball was drafted out of University of Louisville in the 1972 NFL draft by the Miami Dolphins. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions. During his National Football League (NFL) career, he participated in 79 games. Ball is the only player in NFL history to play an entire season for both an undefeated team, the 1972 Miami Dolphins (where he won Super Bowl VII), and a winless team, the 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers. (Maulty Moore also played for the 1972 Dolphins and 1976 Buccaneers, but while he was with the Dolphins for the entire 1972 season, he was signed by the '76 Bucs late in the season, playing in only five games, starting only in the final game. A third player who also played for the '72 Dolphins, Doug Swift, was taken by the Buccaneers in the expansion draft, but retired from football to enter medical school and never reported to the team.) [1]

After football, Ball worked as a guidance counselor, department head, and coach for Miami-Dade County Public Schools in Miami, Florida. He retired in 2011 after more than 30 years of service. He is active in the South Florida community, participating in numerous charity events along with his fellow '72 Undefeated Team teammates.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tampa Bay Buccaneers</span> National Football League franchise in Tampa, Florida

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The club joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team, along with the Seattle Seahawks, and played its first season in the American Football Conference (AFC) West division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brian Griese</span> American football player and coach (born 1975)

Brian David Griese is an American professional football coach and former player who is the quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). A former quarterback in the NFL, he played college football for the Michigan Wolverines and was selected by the Denver Broncos in the third round of the 1998 NFL draft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1977 NFL season</span> 1977 National Football League season

The 1977 NFL season was the 58th regular season of the National Football League. The two second-year expansion teams switched conferences, with the Seattle Seahawks moving from the NFC West to the AFC West, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers transferring from the AFC West to the NFC Central.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garo Yepremian</span> Armenian-Cypriot American football player (1944–2015)

Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian was an Armenian-Cypriot football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons with the Dolphins, Yepremian led the league in scoring in 1971, received two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors, and helped the Dolphins win two Super Bowl titles. Yepremian's first championship victory in Super Bowl VII occurred as a member of the 1972 Dolphins, the only team to complete a perfect season in NFL history. He also played for the Detroit Lions, the New Orleans Saints and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1981.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kevin Carter (American football)</span> American football player (born 1973)

Kevin Louis Carter is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons in the 1990s and 2000s. Carter played college football for the Florida Gators, earning All-American honors. A first-round pick in the 1995 NFL draft, he played in the NFL for the St. Louis Rams, Tennessee Titans, Miami Dolphins, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James Wilder Sr.</span> American football player (born 1958)

James Curtis Wilder Sr. is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Washington Redskins, and the Detroit Lions.

David Edward Moore is an American former professional football tight end and long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) with the played for the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers over the span of his 15-year career. His last official game was the 2007 Pro Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Moore didn't miss more than two games in any season for his entire Buccaneers career since first joining the team in 1993. At the time of his retirement, he was the fourth tight end in NFL history to play 200 career games. In fact, before him, only 206 NFL players had accomplished this feat in the entirety of the National Football League's existence. During his career he had a rate of one touchdown scored for every 7.7 passes caught, which was the best touchdown rate by any player in Buccaneers history who had at least 50 career receptions.

Larry Robert Seiple is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a punter for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) from 1967 through 1969, and the NFL's Dolphins from 1970 through 1977. With the Dolphins, Seiple was a part of two Super Bowl-winning teams, Super Bowl VII in 1972, when the Dolphins posted the only undefeated regular and post-season record to date in NFL history, and in Super Bowl VIII in 1973.

The 1976 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's first season in the National Football League (NFL). The Buccaneers played their home games at Tampa Stadium and their inaugural head coach was John McKay. The Buccaneers gained infamy as the first team to play an entire 14-game season without winning or tying a single game. It remains one of only four winless seasons since the merger. The Buccaneers did not score until their third game and did not score a touchdown until their fourth. They lost by more than a touchdown eleven times. Colorful, maverick former USC coach McKay, whose wisecracking remarks occasionally agitated fans and the league, led the team. The only bright spot was future Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Lee Roy Selmon, who made his rookie debut in an injury-plagued season.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season</span> 1979 4th season in the National Football League

The 1979 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 4th season in the National Football League. All home games were played at Tampa Stadium. After having won just seven games in the previous three seasons combined, the 1979 Buccaneers won ten games for their first winning season. They finished as NFC Central division champions and won the first playoff game in franchise history.

The 1982 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 7th season in the National Football League the 7th playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the 7th under head coach John McKay. The Bucs were regarded for the first time as a regular playoff contender. They were considered by some to be the best Buccaneer team yet, despite a mediocre offensive line and the lack of a feature running back. The team played only two games before the players' union called a labor strike, which resulted in a nine-game season. The season began with a three-game losing streak, as the Buccaneers outplayed their opponent statistically in each game, but showed a tendency for mental errors at crucial moments. The first game in which they were outgained by their opponent was their first win, a franchise-first victory over the Miami Dolphins on Monday Night Football. The team made a playoff run against a difficult schedule, facing only two opponents with losing records. Their schedule included all four eventual Conference Championship participants. They overcame double-digit deficits to win on last-minute field goals in their final two games, and had to survive opponents' last-minute rallies in all five of their victories. In the strike-season playoff format in which the top eight conference teams made the playoffs, the Buccaneers' seventh-place finish gave them a first-round matchup with the Dallas Cowboys. Despite a poor performance by the offense, the Buccaneers carried a 17–16 lead into the fourth quarter, before the Cowboys rallied for a 30–17 victory following a controversial penalty call. This was the last playoff appearance of the John McKay era, and was followed by fourteen consecutive losing seasons.

The 1985 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's ninth season in the National Football League, the ninth playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and the first season under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team failed to improve on a 6–10 season, once again finishing at 2–14, the same as in 1983.

The 1986 Tampa Bay Buccaneers season was the franchise's 11th season in the National Football League playing their home games at Tampa Stadium and their second under head coach Leeman Bennett. The team matched their 2–14 season from 1985, for one of the worst seasons in franchise history, and according to statistics site Football Outsiders, the sixth-worst team in the NFL since 1950. There is some sentiment that the 1986 team was even worse than the winless team of 1976, and the 473 points conceded was not beaten by any NFL team until the 2001 Indianapolis Colts gave up 486. The Buccaneers selected Bo Jackson with the top pick in the draft, but were unable to convince him to join the team. Three weeks after the draft, Jackson signed a three-year baseball contract with the Kansas City Royals. Despite holding four of the first forty selections in the draft, and the presence of a great influx of fresh talent from defunct USFL teams, the Buccaneers were unable to find any impact players in either the draft or free agency. They entered the season with a roster nearly identical to the previous season's 2–14 team.

Jesse William Solomon is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons, and Miami Dolphins. He played college football at Florida State University.

Frank Murphy is a former gridiron football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the sixth round of the 2000 NFL draft. He played college football for the Kansas State Wildcats.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ted Larsen</span> American football player (born 1987)

Theodore Larsen is a former American football guard. He was selected by the New England Patriots in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft. He played college football at NC State.

Jimmy DeWayne DuBose is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for three seasons during the 1970s. DuBose played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.

Joseph Philip Blahak was an American professional football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL). He played for the Houston Oilers, Minnesota Vikings, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and New England Patriots. He played college football at the University of Nebraska in Lincoln under head coach Bob Devaney, and was a member of the 1970 and 1971 undefeated national championship teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mike Glennon</span> American football player (born 1989)

Michael Joseph Glennon is an American former professional football quarterback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the NC State Wolfpack and was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. He was also a member of the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Oakland Raiders, Jacksonville Jaguars, New York Giants, and Miami Dolphins.

The Buccaneers–Dolphins rivalry is between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). It is an in-state, interconference matchup between the two oldest NFL teams in the state of Florida. It has been active in most years since the Buccaneers joined the league as an expansion team in 1976. The rivalry is mostly a mainstay of the preseason, as the teams have been in different conferences since 1977, with the Dolphins are part of the AFC East while the Buccaneers are currently part of the NFC South. According to the current NFL scheduling format, the two teams play each other once every four years during the regular season and once every eight seasons at each team's home stadium. However, with a new 17-game schedule being introduced in 2021, it is now possible for the two teams to meet as early as every other year, depending on division placement and from the inter-conference match-ups made two years earlier. In addition, the two clubs play each other during the preseason nearly every year, with the site rotating on a mostly regular basis. The two teams have never met in the playoffs. Currently, the only circumstance in which the two teams could meet during the postseason would be in the Super Bowl.

References

  1. Martz, Ron (July 17, 1976). "Bear sizes up the Bucs". St. Petersburg Times.