Larry Brinson

Larry Sylvesta Brinson (born June 6, 1954) is an American college football coach and former college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Brinson played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys. He is currently an assistant football coach at the University of Kentucky.

Early years
Brinson was born in Opa-locka, Florida in 1954. He attended Miami Northwestern Senior High School, where he played high school football for the Miami Northwestern Bulls.

College career
Brinson received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he played for coach Doug Dickey's Florida Gators football team from 1973 to 1976. He graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in 1977.

Professional career
Brinson signed as a free agent with the Dallas Cowboys in 1977, and he played three seasons as a backup running back and kickoff returner for the Cowboys, including Super Bowl XII and Super Bowl XIII. Brinson finished his NFL career with the Seattle Seahawks during the 1980 season. During his four-season NFL career, he appeared in forty-five regular season games.

Coaching career
After retiring from the NFL, Brinson became the running backs coach for head coach Ken Hatfield at the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1983. Hatfield was a Florida Gators assistant coach when Brinson was a Gators running back. Hatfield's offensive scheme was run-oriented, emphasizing Brinson's area of expertise. Brinson moved with Hatfield and became the running backs coach for the Arkansas Razorbacks at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Arkansas (1984–1989), the Clemson Tigers at Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina (1990–1993) and the Rice Owls at Rice University in Houston, Texas (1994–2005). In 2007, Brinson joined the Kentucky Wildcats coaching staff at the University of Kentucky in Lexington, Kentucky, also as running backs coach.

Personal
Brinson has two daughters and a son.