Larry Cole
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Position: | 1968 / Round: 16 / Pick: 428 | ||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Larry Rudolph Cole (born November 15, 1946) is a former
Early years
Cole attended
He accepted a football scholarship from the United States Air Force Academy. He was named a starter at defensive end as a sophomore.[2] In 1965, the Air Force Academy was rocked by a cheating scandal in which over 100 cadets resigned or were expelled, including many of its top athletes. Though not personally implicated himself, Cole decided to resign from the school as well.[3][4]
He tried the
Professional career
Cole was selected in the sixteenth round (428th overall) of the
Dave Edwards nicknamed him "Bubber Frank", which later evolved into "Bubba". Cole made an immediate impact as a rookie, appearing in all 14 games, with 10 starts at left defensive end (replacing an injured Willie Townes) and scoring 2 defensive touchdowns.[6]
In 1972, he suffered a knee injury in the fourth game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and didn't return to the starting lineup until the twelfth contest. In 1975, because of Bob Lilly's retirement, he was moved from defensive end to right defensive tackle. In 1976, he had 57 tackles, 5 unofficial sacks and one fumble recovery. He shared the starting job with Bill Gregory for 2 seasons (1975 and 1976).
In 1977, he became a backup player after Randy White took over the right defensive tackle position. He was relegated to a reserve role in the Cowboys' 27-10 Super Bowl XII victory over the Denver Broncos.
In 1978, he started 3 games in place of the injured Harvey Martin and Jethro Pugh. He made 3 key plays in the NFC championship game against the Los Angeles Rams, forcing a fumble from running back John Cappelletti, stopped Pat Haden's quarterback draw short of a first down, which contributed to a missed field goal and pressured Haden into an interception. Cole also started in Super Bowl XIII in place of injured Pugh, tying a record with 5 Super Bowl appearances.
In 1979, he was set to replace retired Pugh at left defensive tackle, but opened the season at left defensive end in place of Ed "Too Tall" Jones, who unexpectedly retired to pursue boxing. When John Dutton became the regular left defensive end for the last four games. Cole switched back to left defensive tackle. During his career, he made some of the biggest defensive plays in the history of the Cowboys franchise. Probably his most famous play, was the tackle of hall of famer-to-be John Riggins for a two-yard loss on third-and-two late in the game, that set up one of the most dramatic wins in Cowboys history on December 16. As it turned out, it was the last of Roger Staubach's comebacks. In that game he also had 10 tackles and 2 unofficial sacks.
In
As an athlete, he was said to be very smart and versatile, playing different positions along the
Cole was overshadowed as a
The
Cole scored 4
Personal life
After his football career he became a real estate developer. In 2012, he joined other retired players to file a concussion-related lawsuit against the NFL.[12]
References
- ^ a b Stölen-Jacobson, Jessica. "Former NFL player who grew up in local area publishes book". www.granitefallsnews.com. Archived from the original on 22 February 2022.
- ^ "'Breath Taking' Air Force Favored To Win". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Zero Club: Cowboys' Larry Cole wanted no publicity, but his talent refused to cooperate". 14 January 2021.
- ^ "Larry Cole shares the personal story of how a Minnesota farm boy made his dreams come true – West Central Tribune". 2 April 2022.
- ^ "UH Gets Air Force's Top Lineman". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Larry Cole Top Defensive Star". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cowboys' Larry Cole retiring". The Paris News. 27 March 1981. p. 16. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cole Announces Retirement". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cole steps into limelight with retirement". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Just Ware-ing 'Em Out". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Cole Was A Merry Old Soul". Retrieved March 16, 2019.
- ^ "Ex-Cowboys sue over concussions". 24 April 2012. Retrieved March 16, 2019.