Larry Csonka
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1968 / Round: 1 / Pick: 8 | |||||||||||||
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Larry Richard Csonka (
A five-time Pro Bowler, and three-time first-team All-Pro, Csonka remains to this day as the Miami Dolphins franchise's all-time leading rusher with 6,737 yards and 53 touchdowns. In his last year with the Dolphins in 1979, Csonka also won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award. Csonka was inducted into both the College Football Hall of Fame in 1989 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987. Csonka is also currently one of three former Miami Dolphins to have his jersey number retired.
Childhood
One of six children, Csonka was born in the Akron suburb of Stow, Ohio, where he was raised on a farm by his Hungarian family.[2]
High school career
Csonka began his football career at
Csonka would become a running back by accident. Because of his size, he played defensive end on the varsity team as a sophomore. In the last game that year, he was sent in as a substitute on the kickoff return team. The ball just happened to go to him and he took off running with it. Csonka wrote,
- I ran over two tacklers before I realized what I was doing. I didn't score or save the game, but I got a tremendous feeling carrying the ball. I was thrashing around, trying to run six ways at once. I loved it. I knew then that I wanted to run with the ball.[4]
College career
Csonka was recruited by Clemson, Iowa, Vanderbilt, and Syracuse. He chose Syracuse, where he played middle linebacker in his first season before being switched to fullback from 1965 to 1967, the position where he was named an All-American. He established many of the school's rushing records, breaking several that had been held by Ernie Davis, Jim Nance, Floyd Little, and Jim Brown.
In his three seasons at Syracuse, Csonka rushed for a school-record 2,934 yards, rushed for 100 yards in 14 different games, and averaged 4.9 yards per carry. From 1965 to 1967, he ranked 19th, ninth and fifth in the nation in rushing. He was the Most Valuable Player in the
Professional career
Miami and the Super Bowl years
Csonka was the No. 1 pick by the
Csonka's pro career got off to a shaky start. In the fifth game of the 1968 season, at home against Buffalo, he was knocked out and suffered a concussion when his head hit the ground during a tackle. He spent two days in the hospital. Three weeks later at San Diego, he suffered another concussion, plus a ruptured eardrum and a broken nose.[6] There was talk he might have to give up football. He missed three games in 1968 and three more in 1969. Writes his teammate Nick Buoniconti,
- There was some question [after the 1969 season] whether Csonka would ever play fullback again—not just because of injuries but because he didn't play well ... When Shula came in [in 1970] he literally had to teach Csonka how to run with the football. He used to run straight up and down and Shula impressed upon him that he had to lead with his forearm rather than his head. Shula and his backfield coach Carl Taseff basically reengineered Csonka to where he became the Hall of Fame player. Csonka emerged as the offensive leader of the Dolphins ...[7]
Over the next four seasons, Csonka never missed a game, and he led the Dolphins in rushing the next five seasons. Writes teammate Jim Langer, "Csonka had the utmost respect of every player on the team, offense and defense."[8] By the 1970s he was one of the most feared runners in professional football. Standing 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) and 235 lb (107 kg), he was one of the biggest running backs of his day and pounded through the middle of the field with relative ease, often dragging tacklers 5–10 yards. He was described as a bulldozer or battering ram. His running style reminded people of a legendary power runner from the 1930s, Bronko Nagurski. Said Minnesota Vikings linebacker Jeff Siemon after Super Bowl VIII, "It's not the collision that gets you. It's what happens after you tackle him. His legs are just so strong he keeps moving. He carries you. He's a movable weight."[9] He rarely fumbled the ball or dropped a pass, and he was an excellent blocker.
Stories abound about Csonka's toughness. He broke his nose about ten times playing football in high school, college, and the pros, causing it to be permanently deformed, and he would remain in the game with blood pouring out of it. He may be the only running back to receive a personal foul for unnecessary roughness while running the ball, when in a game against the
The Dolphins had one of professional football's best rushing attacks in the early 1970s. The Dolphins led the NFL in rushing in 1971 and 1972, setting a new rushing record in 1972 at 2,960 yards. Csonka's 1,117 yards that season combined with
During the 1971 off-season, Csonka starred in the critically well-received off-Broadway play of "Larry Csonka and the Chocolate Factory.” Due to financial backing and Larry's contract with the Dolphins barring him from any off-season "strenuous activity", the play never gained commercial success, but for his efforts Csonka was nominated in the 1972 Obie Award for best Actor, where he eventually lost to Douglas Rain for his role in Vivat!Vivat Regina!
During the 1972 season, the Dolphins became the only team since the
In 1973, Csonka was voted Super Athlete of the Year by the
Csonka and his friend, Dolphins running back Jim Kiick, were known as Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. The August 7, 1972 issue of Sports Illustrated featured a profile of Csonka and Kiick. This issue has become a collector's item because of the cover photograph of Csonka and Kiick by famed Sports Illustrated photographer Walter Iooss, with Csonka (inadvertently) making an obscene gesture with the middle finger of his right hand. In 1973, Csonka and Kiick, in collaboration with sportswriter Dave Anderson, wrote a book, Always on the Run. (A second edition, with an additional chapter covering the 1973 season, Super Bowl VIII, and their signing with the World Football League was published in 1974.) Csonka and Kiick discuss their childhoods, their college football careers, their sometimes stormy relationship with Don Shula, their experiences as pro football players, and the sometimes outrageous behavior of their teammates. The book provides insight into the history of the Dolphins and the state of pro football in the late 1960s and early and mid-1970s.
Move to WFL
In March 1974, he was selected second overall in the
Giants and return to NFL
A free agent again, he joined the
Two seasons later, he was on the field for
The Giants let McVay go after the season ended. Csonka's contract was up, too, and he returned to Miami the next year.[20] He ran for over 800 yards, his best since their Super Bowl days, and rushed for a career-high 12 touchdowns while catching one more.[21] Csonka won Comeback Player of the Year for his 1979 season. Unable to come to terms with the Dolphins on a new contract, he retired after the year was over.
In his 11 NFL seasons, Csonka carried the ball 1,891 times for 8,081 yards and 64 touchdowns. He also caught 106 passes for 820 yards and four touchdowns.[22] He was among the NFL's top 10 ranked players in rushing yards four times, in rushing touchdowns five times, total touchdowns three times and yards from the line of scrimmage once. He earned All-AFC honors four times and was named All-Pro in 1971, 1972, and 1973. He was also selected to play in five Pro Bowls.
NFL career statistics
Legend | |
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Led the league | |
Won the Super Bowl | |
Super Bowl MVP | |
Bold | Career high |
Regular season
Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | Fum | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | |||
1968 | MIA | 11 | 10 | 138 | 540 | 3.9 | 40 | 6 | 11 | 118 | 10.7 | 65 | 1 | 1 |
1969 | MIA | 11 | 11 | 131 | 566 | 4.3 | 54 | 2 | 21 | 183 | 8.7 | 42 | 1 | 3 |
1970 | MIA | 14 | 14 | 193 | 874 | 4.5 | 53 | 6 | 11 | 94 | 8.5 | 54 | 0 | 3 |
1971 | MIA | 14 | 14 | 195 | 1,051 | 5.4 | 28 | 7 | 13 | 113 | 8.7 | 25 | 1 | 0 |
1972 | MIA | 14 | 14 | 213 | 1,117 | 5.2 | 45 | 6 | 5 | 48 | 9.6 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
1973 | MIA | 14 | 14 | 219 | 1,003 | 4.6 | 25 | 5 | 7 | 22 | 3.1 | 9 | 0 | 3 |
1974 | MIA | 12 | 11 | 197 | 749 | 3.8 | 24 | 9 | 7 | 35 | 5.0 | 11 | 0 | 2 |
1975 | MEM | 99 | 421 | 4.3 | 13 | 1 | 5 | 54 | 10.8 | 25 | 1 | [23] | ||
1976 | NYG | 12 | 12 | 160 | 569 | 3.6 | 13 | 4 | 6 | 39 | 6.5 | 14 | 0 | 2 |
1977 | NYG | 14 | 13 | 134 | 464 | 3.5 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 20 | 10.0 | 12 | 0 | 0 |
1978 | NYG | 14 | 12 | 91 | 311 | 3.4 | 12 | 6 | 7 | 73 | 10.4 | 23 | 0 | 0 |
1979 | MIA | 16 | 16 | 220 | 837 | 3.8 | 22 | 12 | 16 | 75 | 4.7 | 18 | 1 | 4 |
Career | 146 | 141 | 1,891 | 8,081 | 4.3 | 54 | 64 | 106 | 820 | 7.7 | 65 | 4 | 21 |
After football
Since his retirement, he has become a
Csonka was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1987 and his #39 was retired by the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He is one of 11 Dolphins (Jim Langer, Bob Griese, Paul Warfield, Larry Little, Dwight Stephenson, Nick Buoniconti, Jason Taylor, Dan Marino, Don Shula and Zach Thomas) in the Hall of Fame. Csonka was named a member of the Super Bowl Dream Team in an NFL Films production.
Between 1985 and 1990 Csonka started spending time in
From 1998 through 2013, Csonka was producer and co-host of Napa's North to Alaska, before retiring the show. Csonka also did Csonka Outdoors, 1998–2005 on ESPN-2 and OLN. In early September 2005, Csonka and five others were returning by boat to the village of Nikolski on
Csonka and North to Alaska co-host Audrey Bradshaw currently live in Wasilla, Alaska. He also maintains a farm in Lisbon, Ohio[26] and operates Goodrich Seafood House in Oak Hill, Florida. Csonka currently appears in television commercials for the Alaska Spine Institute, an Anchorage-based physical rehabilitation center.
In November 2013, Csonka was recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of "Hometown Hall of Famers," a national program honoring the hometown roots of the sport's greatest coaches, players and contributors with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities. Csonka was presented with a plaque during a ceremony in the Stow High School gym, where the plaque will stay permanently to serve as an inspiration for the school's students and athletes.[27]
Csonka played a fictional version of himself in the HBO series Ballers and was named head coach of the Miami Dolphins. He also made a cameo with Dolphins legendary former head coach, Don Shula, during a fishing trip.
In 2022, he released a memoir titled Head On.[28]
See also
References
- NFL.com.
- ^ a b Csonka's website Archived March 24, 2005, at the Wayback Machine accessed on 10–22–07
- ^ Underwood, John. (August 7, 1972). The Blood And Thunder Boys. Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
- ISBN 0-394-48589-0
- ^ Always on the Run, p.187
- ISBN 0-9702677-1-1
- ISBN 0-02-860841-0
- ^ Peary, Super Bowl: The Game of Their Lives, p. 116
- ISBN 0-671-72798-2
- ^ Hyde, Still Perfect!, pp. 89–90.
- ^ Holmes, Dan (September 17, 2016). "Monte Clark was a master at football's trenches". vintagedetroit.com. Vintage Detroit Collection. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Pro-Football-Reference Larry Csonka". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 20, 2007.
- ^ Hyde, Still Perfect!, p.96.
- ^ "World Football League (1974-1975)". Archived from the original on October 20, 2009. Retrieved May 2, 2021.
- ^ Wallace, William N. (April 8, 1976). "Giants Sign Csonka To a Multiyear Pact". The New York Times.
- ^ Underwood, John (August 12, 1985). "Just An Awful Toll". si.com. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Katz, Michael (October 26, 1976). "Giants Drop Arnsparger as Coach, Name McVay". The New York Times. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Ellenport, Craig. "The Fumble That Changed Football: Miracle at the Meadowlands, 40 Years Later". si.com. ABG-SI LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "1978 New York Giants Rosters, Stats, Schedule, Team Draftees". pro-football-reference.com. Sports-Reference, LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ Rosen, Ron. "Csonka Mends Fences With Dolphins". washingtonpost.com. WP, LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Larry Csonka". pro-football-reference.com. Sports-Reference, LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2022.
- ^ "Larry Csonka Career Stats". nfl.com. NFL Enterprises LLC. Retrieved August 27, 2022.
- ^ "1975 Memphis Southmen Statistics". Stats Crew. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Wilstein, Steve (March 8, 2005). "Csonka feels right at Nome at Iditarod". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 12, 2005. Retrieved May 11, 2017 – via San Gabriel Valley Tribune.
- ^ "Csonka reportedly rescued from Bering Sea". ESPN. Associated Press. September 12, 2005. Retrieved January 18, 2023.
- ^ Reiner, Michael (February 8, 2024). "Former NFL player with Lisbon connection to help present Super Bowl trophy". WKBN-TV. Retrieved February 8, 2024.
- ^ "High school notebook: Larry Csonka to earn honor at Stow on Monday". Akron Beacon Journal. November 20, 2013. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013. Retrieved November 28, 2013.
- ^ Oliva, Mike (May 20, 2022). "Dolphins Legend Larry Csonka Releasing a Memoir". Dolphins Talk. Retrieved September 17, 2022.
Further reading
- Csonka, Larry (October 2022). Head On: A Memoir. Ben Bella Books. OCLC 1308793651.
External links
- Official website
- Larry Csonka at the Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Larry Csonka at the College Football Hall of Fame
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference
- Larry Csonka at IMDb