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Larry Wilson was a Hall of Fame safety who played 13 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals in the NFL. He was known for his versatility, toughness and interception skills, and was named to several All-Decade and All-Time teams.
- Early Life in Idaho
- Star For Utah
- Drafted by Two Leagues
- Wilson Is Switched to Defense
- Wilson Finds His Rhythm
- Wilson and The Cardinals Reach The Postseason
- A Remarkable Play and Defensive Player of The Year
- 1967-1969
- 1970-1972 and Retirement
- Second Career as An Executive
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Larry Frank Wilson was born on March 24, 1938, in Rigby, Idaho. When he was ten, Wilson’s mother died of spinal meningitis. Since his father was a truck driver, Wilson was left to help raise his younger brother, John. To help his father make ends meet, Wilson would work ten-hour days harvesting potatoes. Thankfully, in order to have some semblance ...
Wilson matriculated to Utah and played for coach Jack Curtice and then Ray Nagel. After sitting as a freshman in 1956, Wilson would become a star on both sides of the ball. In 1957, he rushed for 172 yards and caught nine passes for 122 yards and nine touchdowns. Curtice’s final year with the Redskins (the team would change their name in 1972) in ‘...
Wilson’s versatility got him noticed by both the NFL and the American Football League. With the 74th pick in the seventh round of the 1959 NFL Draft, the Chicago (soon to be St. Louis) Cardinals selected Wilson. However, the Buffalo Bills of the AFL drafted Wilson in the first round of their draft. Honored by his draft position, Wilson was ready to...
As Wilson was being courted by St. Louis, then Cardinals defensive coordinator Chuck Drulis was putting a new wrinkle in his defensive scheme. Drulis’ idea, which he codenamed “Wildcat,” was to have his free safety blitz the quarterback occasionally. The only problem was, he didn’t have anyone capable of playing the part. Meanwhile, Wilson signed w...
Wilson learned the free safety position quickly and started 11 games his rookie year in 1960. During the season, he collected two interceptions and made three fumble recoveries. The following year, Drulis finally decided to try his “Wildcat” play. In the 1961 season opener against the New York Giants, Wilson blitzed and caught Giants quarterback Ch...
St. Louis won nine games in 1963, the most since 1948, (when they won 11 games and lost the NFL Championship). However, nine wins were only good for third place in the Eastern Conference and the Cards missed the postseason. A year later, the team managed nine wins again. This time, the team finished second in the conference. That led to an appearan...
Instead of taking the next step in the win column in 1965, the team took a huge step back. That year, the Cardinals finished 5-9 and fifth in the conference. One of the few bright spots was Wilson. He had six interceptions that season for 153 yards and a touchdown. One of his picks would become the stuff of legend. On Halloween, St. Louis played th...
Wilson continued his excellent play for the next three years after being honored by the league. In 1967, he collected four interceptions for 75 yards and also picked up 4.5 sacks. The next season, the Cardinals reached the nine-win mark again under coach Charley Winner but missed the playoffs. Wilson grabbed another four picks for 14 yards. Then, i...
The year Wilson turned 32 he would post the third-most interceptions in his career. His five picks for 72 return yards, along with 1.5 sacks and a fumble recovery, would lead to his final Pro Bowl appearance and last First-team All-Pro nod. In 1971, Wilson pulled down another four interceptions for 46 yards, but observers noted that he was slowing ...
After retiring, the Cardinals asked Wilson to be their secondary coach. He served in that capacity for a year then stepped down. Wilson then moved to the Cardinals’ front office, eventually being named general manager in 1977. In 1978, Wilson was elected as a new member of the NFL Hall of Fame. His Hall bio contains a quotethat summed up Wilson’s c...
Learn about the life and career of Larry Wilson, a versatile and tough player who starred for the St. Louis Cardinals. From his humble beginnings in Idaho to his college exploits at Utah, Wilson became a pioneer of the safety blitz and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Sep 18, 2020 · Larry Wilson, the Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals defensive back who helped transform the position of safety into that of a more aggressive, blitzing defender, died on Thursday at his home in...
Larry Wilson was a standout free safety for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 to 1972, intercepting 52 passes and leading the league in 1966. He was a seven-time All-Pro and eight-time Pro Bowler, and was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1978.
Checkout the latest stats for Larry Wilson. Get info about his position, age, height, weight, college, draft, and more on Pro-football-reference.com.
- March 24, 1938
Sep 18, 2020 · Larry Wilson, a versatile and tough safety who played 13 years for the Cardinals in St. Louis and popularized the safety blitz, passed away on Thursday night. He was a seven-time All-Pro, a Hall of Famer and a longtime executive for the Cardinals.
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Sep 18, 2020 · Larry Wilson, a Hall of Fame safety for the Cardinals who later served as an assistant coach and general manager, died Thursday at the age of 82, according to the team.
