Larry Gagner

Lawrence Joseph Gagner (born December 30, 1943) is a former American college and professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. Gagner played college football for the University of Florida, and was recognized as an All-American. He was a second-round pick in the 1966 NFL Draft, and played professionally for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs of the NFL.

Early life
Gagner was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1943. He attended Seabreeze High School in Daytona Beach, Florida, where he was a standout two-way prep player for the Seabreeze Sandcrabs high school football team. The Sandcrabs posted a 19–2–1 overall win-loss record during Gagner's junior and senior years, and laid claim to the state football championship his junior year. In 2007, forty-six years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) named Gagner to its "All-Century Team," recognizing him as one of the thirty-three greatest Florida high school football players of the last 100 years.

College career
Gagner received an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida and played for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football teams from 1963 to 1965. During his college career, Gagner primarily played offensive guard, but also appeared at center, defensive tackle, and linebacker due to his combination of strength and speed. He was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1964 and 1965, and a first-team All-American in 1965. As a senior lineman, Gagner participated in the 1966 Sugar Bowl, the Gators' first-ever major bowl appearance. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in fine arts in 1967, and was later inducted into the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."

Professional career
Gagner was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the second round (nineteenth pick overall) of the 1966 NFL Draft, and also by the Miami Dolphins in the third round (eighteenth pick overall) of the 1966 American Football League (AFL) Draft. Gagner signed with the Steelers for the then-staggering sum of $150,000, and played regularly at guard from 1966 until 1969, starting 14 games.

In March 1970, Gagner was involved in a serious traffic accident near his home in Ormond Beach, Florida in which he broke his hip. The injury and the resulting rehabilitation kept him from playing during the 1970 and 1971 seasons. Gagner was traded to the New York Giants and then the Denver Broncos while injured and didn't take the field for either team. In 1972, he returned to action as a reserve lineman for the Kansas City Chiefs but never was able to perform as he had before his injury and decided to retire during preseason training camp in 1973. In his NFL career, Gagner appeared in fifty-nine games.

In 1974 and 1975, Gagner played sparingly for the Jacksonville franchise of the World Football League before finally retiring from football for good when the league folded.

Life after football
After football, Gagner worked several different jobs, including as a taxi driver, security guard, and substitute teacher, before deciding to make use of his college degree in commercial art. He and his wife Doris live in the Seminole Heights neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, where he is a working artist.