Larry Libertore
|
Libertore running on Florida State. | |
| Florida Gators No. 14 | |
|---|---|
| Position | Quarterback / Halfback |
| Class | Graduate (B.S., 1963) |
| Major | Physical education |
| Career history | |
| College |
|
| Bowl games |
|
| Personal information | |
| Date of birth | November 18, 1939 |
| Place of birth | Canton, Ohio |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Weight | 138 lb (63 kg) |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
Lawrence Paul "Lightning" Libertore, Jr. (born November 18, 1939) was a college football player and later Lakeland, Florida real-estate agent.[1][2]
Early years
Libertore was born on November 18, 1939 in Canton, Ohio. His family moved to Miami, Florida when he was in ninth grade.[3]
University of Florida
Larry Libertore was a small player of just 138 pounds,[4] but a quick-on-his-feet option quarterback and defensive back for coach Ray Graves Florida Gators football team. Libertore's 786 rushing yards remained the most by a Gators quarterback until eclipsed by Tim Tebow in 2007. He led the Gators to a record 9 wins in 1960,[5][6] placing second among the twelve SEC teams—their best-ever SEC finish at that time. Among the 1960 season's many highlights was the Gators' 18–17 upset of Dodd's tenth-ranked Yellow Jackets and a hard-fought 13–12 victory over the twelfth-ranked Baylor Bears in the Gator Bowl on New Year's Eve 1960. In Libertore's first ever game as a sophomore, at LSU's Tiger Stadium, Libertore made a criss-crossing 66-yard touchdown run on the first play from scrimmage to lead the Gators to a 13-10 victory over LSU. In the defeat of Georgia Tech, the Gators, led by Libertore, drop-back passer Bobby Dodd, Jr., and running back Lindy Infante, gambled on a successful two-point conversion for the last-minute win.[7] Libertore helped the Gators to defeat Penn State alongside Larry Rakestraw and Larry Dupree in the 1962 Gator Bowl from the halfback position.[8] He was inducted into the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame as a "Gator Great."[9]
References
- ↑ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search".
- ↑ "Lakeland Ledger - Google News Archive Search".
- ↑ Mike Cobb (November 1, 1982). "UF Football led Libertore to Lakeland".
- ↑ Ralph Warner (September 17, 1961). "The little man who's always there". The Post-Standard. p. 35. Retrieved September 27, 2015 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "No. 83 - LARRY LIBERTORE". Gatorsports.com.
- ↑ "Gainesville Sun - Google News Archive Search".
- ↑ Noel Nash, ed., The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football, Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois, pp. 24–26 (1998).
- ↑ "The Greatest Moments of Florida Gators Football".
- ↑ "Libertore to Be Inducted In Gators' Hall of Fame". TheLedger.com.