The New York Giants family took some time to remember former Pro Bowl center Greg Larson on Wednesday, who died June 20 at the age of 84.
Larson reportedly passed away with his wife of 63 years by his side. No cause of death was revealed in his obituary.
Larson spent his entire career with the Giants from 1961-1974 after being selected by the team with the 81st overall pick in the sixth round of the NFL Draft.
Injuries ultimately cut his career short but he remains ninth all-time in career games played for the G-Men and was named to their Top 100 Giants list in celebration of the franchise’s 100-year anniversary.
Larson was a walk-on at the University of Minnesota where his ability to play both offense and defense earned him a full scholarship with the Golden Gophers. He’d go on to become a three-year letterman, team captain and All-Big Ten selection on the way to winning a national championship for the school in 1960.
The Giants ironman only missed three games in his 13 NFL seasons.
“If I hadn’t had surgery, I definitely wouldn’t have given retirement a thought and would have come back,” he told the New York Times back in ’74. “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.”
Giants owner John Mara described Larson as “our leader, our captain, one of the most popular players that we had.” Adding, “He really epitomized what it meant to be a Giant in that era.”
Larson is survived by his wife and four children. As well as his seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.