Larry Kaminski
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.
| No. 59 | |||||
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| Position | Center | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born | January 6, 1945 Cleveland, Ohio, U.S. | ||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Listed weight | 245 lb (111 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school | Cathedral Latin (Chardon, Ohio) | ||||
| College | Purdue | ||||
| NFL draft | 1966: undrafted | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Larry Michael Kaminski (born January 6, 1945) is an American former professional football player who was a center for the Denver Broncos of the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Purdue Boilermakers.
Of Polish descent,[1] Kaminski is originally from Cleveland, Ohio, where he attended Cathedral Latin High School. As captain of the Lions, he helped lead the team to win the East Senate title and compete in the City Championship- Charity Game. Following his senior year he made numerous honors to include All-Ohio, High School All-American, and played in the Ohio All Star game in Canton, Ohio.
College career
Purdue awarded Kaminski a scholarship to attend the Big Ten University. Larry played all three varsity seasons as both a center and linebacker. He was Captain of the freshman team. The Purdue teams coached by Jack Mollenkopf led by Hall of Famer Bob Griese beat Notre Dame and was ranked in the top 10 his senior year. Larry earned first-team All Big Ten honors and honorable mention All American. After the season ended he was invited to play in the Blue-Gray Game in Montgomery, Alabama where he started the game at center.
He graduated in 1966 with a BS Industrial Management. (Economics and Marketing).
Professional career
After graduation, Kaminski was preparing for a business career when the Denver Broncos asked to sign him as a free agent. He jumped on the opportunity and went to the weight room to beef up to 235 pounds. He made the Broncos roster and started at center for 13 games. After the season, he was mentioned for Rookie of the Year honorable mention. Kaminski's career lasted from 1966 to 1973. He experienced being a member of the first winning year for the Denver franchise. He also played in the first two wins the AFL had over the venerable NFL when the Broncos beat the Detroit Lions and Minnesota Vikings. He was voted to be a member of the All-AFL Team in 1967 and played in the All Star game in Jacksonville, Florida. Being very active in the Denver community, he was nominated for NFL Man of the Year Honors in 1972 and 1973. Larry was a game captain several times in his tenure with the team. After a series of injuries, he decided to retire in 1974.