Larry Douglas Hefner (born August 2, 1949) is a former

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and typically line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and so back up the defensive linemen. They play closer to the line ...

who played four seasons in the

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(NFL) with the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He played

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for the

Clemson Tigers The Clemson Tigers are the sport, athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) NCAA Division I, Division I level (NCAA Divis ...

and was selected by the Packers in the 14th round of the

1972 NFL draft The 1972 NFL draft was the 37th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft was held on February 1 and 2 at the Essex House in New York City, New York. With the first overal ...

Early life

Hefner was born on August 2, 1949, in

Charlotte, North Carolina Charlotte ( ) is the List of municipalities in North Carolina, most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina and the county seat of Mecklenburg County, North Carolina, Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 United ...

, and grew up there. He played football in the

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program and later played while attending

North Mecklenburg High School North Mecklenburg High School is a high school in Huntersville, North Carolina. The school mascot is the Viking, and the school colors are royal blue, red, and white. Founded in 1951, the school was integrated during the 1960s. The principal is ...

. He was North Mecklenberg's second NFL alumni and was a two-way player for the school, being a

on defense while on offense a

guard Guard or guards may refer to: Professional occupations * Bodyguard, who protects an individual from personal assault * Crossing guard, who stops traffic so pedestrians can cross the street * Lifeguard, who rescues people from drowning * Prison gu ...

. He was regarded as one of the best linebackers in his county in the 1966 season and was co-team

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

, being named ''

The Charlotte News ''The Charlotte News'' was the afternoon newspaper in Charlotte, North Carolina. It was first published on December 8, 1888. The newspaper was eventually purchased on April 5, 1959 by Knight Newspapers, owner of its larger rival ''The Charlotte Ob ...

'' All-State and All-Mecklenberg. Hefner was also invited to the East–West All-Star Game. His coach said of him: "I've never coached a better lineman than Larry." He committed to play

for the

in December 1966.

College career

Hefner joined the Tigers in 1967, spending that season on their

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squad. Playing linebacker, he was their leading

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despite missing a game. He was unable to play in 1968 due to a

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condition but returned for the 1969 season. He lettered in 1969 and became a starter. He returned as a starter for his

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year in 1970; that season, he weighed at and ran the

40-yard dash The 40-yard dash is a sprint covering . It is primarily run to evaluate the speed and acceleration of American football players by scouts, particularly for the NFL draft but also for collegiate recruiting. A player's recorded time can have a he ...

in 5.0 seconds. He increased his weight to and improved his 40-yard dash time to 4.85 by his

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season in 1971. He was a top player for the team that year, being described by ''

The News & Observer ''The News & Observer'' is an American regional daily newspaper that serves the greater Triangle area based in Raleigh, North Carolina. The paper is the largest in circulation in the state (second is the '' Charlotte Observer''). The paper has be ...

'' as the "anvil" of the defense; the paper noted that he "jars

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

s with some

Dick Butkus Richard Marvin Butkus (December 9, 1942 – October 5, 2023) was an American professional football linebacker, sports commentator, and actor. He played football for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 1965 to 1973. He w ...

-like jolts." Clemson head coach

Hootie Ingram Cecil W. "Hootie" Ingram (September 2, 1933 – May 6, 2024) was an American college football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He played for the University of Alabama from 1952 to 1954 and was selected as an All-SEC defensive back i ...

called Hefner "as fine a linebacker as I've ever been associated with." At the end of the season, he was selected All-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference in the United States. Headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina, the ACC's eighteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athlet ...

(ACC).

Professional career

Hefner was selected in the 14th round (346th overall) of the

by the

. He had played middle linebacker in college but moved to the outside with the Packers. He was put on the

taxi squad In gridiron football, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. They serve as extra players during the team's practices, often as part of the scout ...

to begin the season but later was promoted and saw action in two regular season games as well as one playoff game. He made his NFL debut against the

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in Week 13 and was mainly used on

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. He returned to playing middle linebacker in the 1973 season and served as a backup to Jim Carter, appearing in 14 games while posting one

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

and a

fumble A fumble in gridiron football occurs when a player who has possession and control of the ball loses it before being downed (tackled), scoring, or going out of bounds. By rule, it is any act other than passing, kicking, punting, or successful h ...

recovery as the Packers went 5–7–2. In 1974, Hefner played all 14 games, one as a starter, and helped the Packers compile a record of 6–8 while recovering one fumble and returning one punt. He appeared in the first four games of the 1975 season, two as a starter, before suffering a knee injury which resulted in him missing the rest of the season. He retired prior to the 1976 season due to his knee injury.

Personal and later life

Hefner was married and had two children as of 1976. After his football career, he worked as a

pit crew Pitstop may refer to: * Pit stop, in motor racing, when the car stops in the pits for fuel and other consumables to be renewed or replenished * ''Pit Stop'' (1969 film), a movie directed by Jack Hill * ''Pit Stop'' (2013 film), a movie directed ...

member for

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racers. He also worked in the restaurant business.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hefner, Larry 1949 births Players of American football from Charlotte, North Carolina Green Bay Packers players American football linebackers Clemson Tigers football players Living people