View source for Larry Grantham

{{Short description|American football player (1938–2017)}}
{{cleanup biography|date=June 2017}}
{{Use American English|date=November 2023}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Larry Grantham
| image         = Larry Grantham 1963.jpg
| caption       = Grantham in 1963
| number        = 60
| position      = [[Linebacker]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date|1938|9|16|mf=y}}
| birth_place   = [[Crystal Springs, Mississippi]], U.S.
| death_date    = {{death date and age|mf=yes|2017|6|17|1938|9|16}}
| death_place   = [[Jackson, Mississippi]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 0
| weight_lb     = 210
| high_school   = [[Crystal Springs High School|Crystal Springs]]
| college       = [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss]]
| draftyear     = 1960
| draftround    = 15
| draftpick     = 178
| afldraftyear  = 1960
| afldraftround = 2
| pastteams     =
* [[New York Jets|New York Titans / Jets]] ([[1960 American Football League season|1960]]–{{NFL Year|1972}})
* [[Florida Blazers]] ([[1974 World Football League season|1974]])
| pastcoaching  =
* [[San Antonio Wings]] ([[1975 World Football League season|1975]]) <br> Defensive coordinator
| highlights    =
* [[List of Super Bowl champions|Super Bowl champion]] ([[Super Bowl III|III]])
* [[American Football League|AFL]] champion ([[1968 American Football League Championship Game|1968]])
* 5× First-team [[All-AFL]] ([[1960 All-AFL Team|1960]]–[[1964 All-AFL Team|1964]])
* 5× Second-team [[All-AFL]] ([[1965 All-AFL Team|1965]]–[[1969 All-AFL Team|1969]])
* 5× [[American Football League All-Star game|AFL All-Star]] (1962–1964, 1966, 1969)
* [[American Football League All-Time Team|AFL All-Time Team]]
* [[New York Jets Ring of Honor]]
* First-team [[List of All-SEC football teams|All-SEC]] ([[1959 All-SEC football team|1959]])
* Second-team All-SEC ([[1958 All-SEC football team|1958]])
| statleague    = NFL/AFL
| statlabel1    = [[Interception]]s
| statvalue1    = 24
| statlabel2    = [[Fumble]] recoveries
| statvalue2    = 10
| statlabel3    = Total [[touchdown]]s
| statvalue3    = 3
| pfr           = G/GranLa00
}}

'''James Larry Grantham''' (September 16, 1938 – June 17, 2017) was an American professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[linebacker]] for the [[New York Jets|New York Titans/Jets]] of the [[American Football League]] (AFL) and later [[National Football League]] (NFL). He played [[college football]] for the [[Ole Miss Rebels football|Ole Miss Rebels]]. He also played pro ball for the [[Florida Blazers]] of the [[World Football League]] (WFL).

==Early life==
Grantham was born in [[Crystal Springs, Mississippi]]. He was not initially on the radar for recruiting in football due to his size, which never got to over 195 pounds. It was an American Legion baseball game in 1956 where he played for Crystal Springs against Brookhaven that changed that idea. On a play at the plate where Brookhaven had [[Lance Alworth]] (a future star at Arkansas) on second base trying to run all the way to home on a bunt, Grantham dipped his shoulder and successfully blocked the plate. At the game that day was Tom Swayze and [[Buster Poole]] - the former was the head coach of the baseball team at the [[University of Mississippi]] and the latter was the assistant football coach. Grantham was signed to a baseball scholarship at Ole Miss and offered a tryout as a linebacker on the football team. In his sophomore year, he won a starting spot and lettered that season while also playing end on offense. His senior season was the famed [[1959 Ole Miss Rebels football team|1959 squad]] that allowed just 21 points on defense while only losing to LSU. In the [[1960 Sugar Bowl]], he caught a touchdown pass, blocked a punt and had a team-leading nine tackles in the 21–0 victory over LSU as revenge for the [[Billy Cannon's Halloween run|previous 7–3 loss to them]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Watkins |first=Billy |title=From the archives: Larry Grantham was a 'survivor' |url=https://www.clarionledger.com/story/magnolia/2017/06/20/archives-larry-grantham-survivor/413413001/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=The Clarion-Ledger |language=en-US}}</ref> Grantham was later named to the Ole Miss Athletic Hall of Fame.

==Pro career==
Grantham was drafted by the [[American Football League]]'s [[History of the New York Jets|New York Titans]] in the 1960 college draft along with the [[Baltimore Colts]] in the 8th round. He chose to play with the Titans due to the fresh start presented by the newly formed league. He started as a wide receiver in training camp but quickly found an interest in linebacker due to his interest in hitting people. He helped form the backbone of a team (later rebranded as the [[New York Jets]]) with a defense that reached the playoffs in 1968 and 1969, and in [[1968 American Football League season|1968]] captured the [[American Football League#AFL Championship Games|AFL Championship]] and the [[Professional American football championship games|World Championship]], over the NFL's [[Baltimore Colts]]. Therein Grantham's team, with him as a starter throughout, went from being the worst team in an upstart league (the AFL) to World Champions in just nine years.<ref name="Chastain2014">{{cite book|last=Chastain|first=Bill|title=100 Things Jets Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UBVMBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA36|access-date=February 18, 2016|year=2014|publisher=Triumph Books|isbn=9781629370002|page=36}}</ref>

From his right outside linebacker spot, Grantham wrought havoc on opposing offenses. He recorded 24 interceptions, with his most being five in 1960 and 1967. Unofficially, he also had 38.5 sacks in his career. In a ten-year span from his rookie year in 1960 to 1969, he was named an All-Pro eight times, with five of them being first-team, and he was named to the All-Star team five times. He was selected to the Second-team of the [[American Football League All-Time Team]]. In [[Super Bowl III]], he was cited as a key part of calling defensive formations on the field in the stunning upset that the Jets would complete where they held Baltimore to no points until late in the fourth quarter of a 16–7 victory.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Judge |first=Clark |date=2020-06-02 |title=Why former Jets' LB Larry Grantham deserves HOF consideration |url=https://talkoffametwo.com/nfl/why-larry-grantham-deserves-hof-consideration |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=Talk Of Fame |language=en}}</ref>

He is one of only twenty players to have competed in the American Football League for its entire ten-year existence, and one of only seven AFL players to have played their entire careers in one city. Grantham was also named the 1971 New York Jets MVP. Teammate [[Gerry Philbin]], citing him as a leader, once said, "pound for pound he was the best player on the Jets.”

He played one last season in 1974 for the [[Florida Blazers]] of the start-up [[World Football League]].  The Blazers made it to [[World Bowl (WFL)|World Bowl 1]], losing to the [[Birmingham Americans]].

The [[Professional Football Researchers Association]] named Grantham to the PRFA Hall of Very Good Class of 2014.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballresearchers.com/hall-of-very-good-2014.htm |title=Professional Researchers Association Hall of Very Good Class of 2014 |access-date=November 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190313144510/http://www.profootballresearchers.com/hall-of-very-good-2014.htm |archive-date=March 13, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Grantham served as color analyst on radio broadcasts for the Jets after he retired, which lasted a year due to trouble with [[alcoholism]], as he had been drinking on a significant basis since high school. He worked in public relations with First National Bank in [[Jackson, Mississippi]] after moving his family back to the state in 1975 and he later was a sideline commentator on Ole Miss radio broadcasts. His problems with alcohol led to a divorce in 1981 and two car accidents, with the latter seeing him charged with a DUI. He cited seeing his cellmates as an impetus to stop drinking for his grandchildren, and he soon checked into a recovery clinic. He was diagnosed with lymphoma in the late 2000s, with rising bills seeing him try to sell his Super Bowl ring to a memorabilia dealer in Las Vegas, but the dealer decided to send it back after hearing about Grantham's story. The lymphoma was treated and later went in remission. In 2011, Grantham was inducted into the Jets Ring of Honor, which he called an "unbelievable" honor.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Larry Grantham, who won Super Bowl III with New York Jets, has died at 78 |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/2017/06/19/larry-grantham-former-jets-linebacker-dies-at-78/103001164/ |access-date=2024-02-19 |website=USA TODAY |language=en-US}}</ref>

Grantham died on June 17, 2017, at the age of 78 from complications of [[chronic obstructive pulmonary disease]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/sports/football/larry-grantham-dead-jets-linebacker.html?rref=collection%2Fsectioncollection%2Fobituaries&action=click&contentCollection=obituaries&region=rank&module=package&version=highlights&contentPlacement=1&pgtype=sectionfront|title = Larry Grantham, Defensive Captain of Champion Jets, Dies at 78|newspaper = The New York Times|date = June 19, 2017|last1 = Litsky|first1 = Frank}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of American Football League players]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Baltimore Colts 1960 draft navbox}}
{{1960 New York Titans}}
{{Super Bowl III}}
{{AFL1960s}}
{{Jets Ring of Honor}}
{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grantham, Larry}}
[[Category:1938 births]]
[[Category:2017 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Crystal Springs, Mississippi]]
[[Category:Players of American football from Mississippi]]
[[Category:American football linebackers]]
[[Category:Ole Miss Rebels football players]]
[[Category:New York Titans (AFL) players]]
[[Category:New York Jets players]]
[[Category:American Football League players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Star players]]
[[Category:American Football League All-Time Team]]
[[Category:Florida Blazers players]]
[[Category:NFL announcers]]
[[Category:New York Jets announcers]]