Greg Larson obit

New York Giants mourning death of Greg Larson as NFL Pro Bowler dies at 84

 

He was not on the list.

The football community is in mourning after former NFL Pro Bowler Greg Larson died at the age of 84 with his beloved wife of 63 years by his side. He died in Plymouth, Minnesota.

The ex-lineman featured for the New York Giants in 179 games across 1961-73, with this haul of appearances putting him behind only Joe Morrison in the team's all-time stakes at one point in history. Only last year, Larson was named among the top 100 New York Giants players who were picked to mark their centenary year.

The former footballer's cause of death has not been revealed and he was confirmed to have passed away at SummerWood Presbyterian Senior Living in Plymouth on June 20. Larson is survived by his long-term spouse Joey, his four children, seven grandchildren and six great grandchildren.

During his 13 years in the NFL, he earned a reputation as leader on the field, with 1968 arguably his best ever term as he was picked for the Pro Bowl, joining colleagues Fran Tarkenton, Homer Jones and Spider Lockhart. At the time of writing, the Giants icon is still ninth in the all-time appearance list at MetLife Stadium.

Speaking last year at the Giants 100 event in June, the team's president John Mara spoke in glowing terms about the star's contributions, saying: "He was our leader, our captain, one of the most popular players that we had. Just a great all-around individual. He really epitomized what it meant to be a Giant in that era."

According to his official obituary, his funeral service will take place on June 29 at Lutheran Church of the Cross in Nisswa, Minnesota, with the service starting at 11am. Those attending have been urged to wear red to pay homage to Larson's wishes of honoring service people at the ceremony.

Speaking previously about his career, Larson spoke about the love he received from Giants fans in his spell with the team, saying: "The fans went absolutely nuts in New York. It was a special town to be in. People came out of the woodwork. People were really intense.

"You’ve got to understand that Giants fans go back a long time. That was their team. At that time the Giants encompassed the whole eastern area. They just loved us along the whole East Coast."

Addressing whether he ever got nostalgic over his glorious past, he added: "It doesn’t mean that much to me. I always live for the moment, not the past so much. I’ve done that all my life. It is great to know that you have done those things. As you get older those friends that you had do become more meaningful.”

Having undergone multiple surgeries, he retired in 1974 as a result of knee injuries. Reflecting on hanging up his cleats, he previously told the The New York Times: "If I hadn’t had surgery. I definitely wouldn’t have given retirement a thought and would have come back. But the leg wasn’t responding the way I would like, and I said last year if I ever had another operation, that would be it."

Larson announced his retirement as an active player on May 17, 1974 after 13 seasons as the Giants' starting center. He played in 179 games which at the time was second in team history to Joe Morrison. He missed only three games despite seven football-related operations, including two on each knee.