Larry Brackins (born November 5, 1982) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

. He was selected by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (colloquially known as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC S ...

in the fifth round of the

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. He played

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Pearl River Community College Pearl River Community College is a public community college in Poplarville, Mississippi. It was founded as Pearl River County Agricultural High School in 1909 and became the first junior college in Mississippi in 1921. Residents of Hancock, ...

. Brackins was also a member of the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team p ...

New York Sentinels New or NEW may refer to: Music * New, singer of K-pop group The Boyz * ''New'' (album), by Paul McCartney, 2013 ** "New" (Paul McCartney song), 2013 * ''New'' (EP), by Regurgitator, 1995 * "New" (Daya song), 2017 * "New" (No Doubt song), 1 ...

Philadelphia Soul Philadelphia soul, sometimes called Philly soul, the Philadelphia sound, Phillysound, or The Sound of Philadelphia (TSOP), is a genre of late 1960s–1970s soul music characterized by funk influences and lush string and horn arrangements. The ...

Dallas Vigilantes The Dallas Vigilantes were an Arena Football League (AFL) team based in Dallas, Texas. Like its AFL predecessor, the Dallas Desperados, the Vigilantes played at the American Airlines Center. The Vigilantes and the Jacksonville Sharks began pla ...

Orlando Predators The Orlando Predators were a professional arena football team based in Orlando, Florida and member of the Arena Football League (AFL). The team was most recently owned by Orlando Predators LLC, a company owned by David A. Siegel, and played it ...

and

Cleveland Gladiators The Cleveland Gladiators were an arena football team based in Cleveland, Ohio, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Gladiators played their home games at Quicken Loans Arena, which they shared with the Cleveland Cavaliers of the ...

Early life

Brackins attended Dothan High School where he was an All-State selection in both

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and

. During his

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

season, he recorded 32 receptions for 643 yards and six

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

s, and also scored four rushing touchdowns as well. For his high school career, he averaged 31.0 yards per kickoff return and recorded 57 total tackles and one touchdown on an

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 ...

return. In basketball, he averaged 17 points, 12 rebounds, and five blocks a game while helping lead his team to the Class 6A state championship game.

College career

Brackins attended

where he majored in

Physical education Physical education is an academic subject taught in schools worldwide, encompassing Primary education, primary, Secondary education, secondary, and sometimes tertiary education. It is often referred to as Phys. Ed. or PE, and in the United Stat ...

. As a freshman, he recorded 43 receptions for 772 yards, and nine touchdowns he was also named First-team All-State and First-team All-Region in both football and basketball. For his career, he recorded 101 receptions for 1,834 yards and 19 touchdowns, while starting 23 games. While there he also won numerous awards, such as: 2003 All-MACJC, 2003 All-Region 23, 2004 First-team NJCAA All-American, 2004 All-MACJC, and 2004 All-Region 23.

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Brackins was selected in the fifth round (155th overall) of the

by the

on April 24, 2005, and signed with the team on July 28. He had two receptions for 19 yards in a preseason game vs. the

Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...

. However, he did not make the final roster and was released on September 7. On January 10, 2006, he re-signed with the Buccaneers, and went to

training camp A training camp is an organized period in which military personnel or athletes participate in a rigorous and focused schedule of training in order to learn or improve skills. Athletes typically utilise training camps to prepare for upcoming events ...

with the team. However, once again he was released on July 25.

Philadelphia Soul (first stint)

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Brackins signed with the

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL). As a rookie, he played in 10 regular season games and one playoff game. He was named Offensive Player of the Game twice, and recorded 56 receptions for 786 yards, 20 receiving touchdowns and one fumble return for a touchdown. His fumble return TD on March 22, 2007, vs. the

Colorado Crush The Colorado Crush were an arena football team based in Denver, Colorado. They began play as a 2003 Arena Football League expansion team. The Crush played in the Central Division of the American Conference until the Arena Football League suspen ...

is included as a receiving TD in some records. In

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Brackins finished ranked 17th in the league in receiving with 107 receptions for 1,395 yards and 29 touchdowns with a long of 43. He also finished 14th on the team in tackles with nine, and he returned one kickoff for zero yards. He was also named Offensive Player of the Game on three occasions that season. Brackins was the receiver of the game-winning touchdown pass, in the playoffs against the

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division (AFL), Eastern Division. ...

. It was the first major video review in AFL history. The ruling was a touchdown, and Philadelphia would advance to host the

the next week. Also, on July 27, 2008, he won his first championship of his professional career when the Soul defeated the

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

59–56 in ArenaBowl XXII.

New York Jets

On August 19, 2008, Brackins was signed by the

. However, he was released on August 30 during final cuts.

California Redwoods

On July 18, 2009, Brackins was drafted by the United Football League's

California Redwoods ''Sequoia sempervirens'' ()''Sunset Western Garden Book,'' 1995: 606–607 is the sole living species of the genus '' Sequoia'' in the cypress family Cupressaceae (formerly treated in Taxodiaceae). Common names include coast redwood, coastal ...

. He signed with the team on September 2.

Dallas Vigilantes

Brackins was a member of the

. In his first game, he totaled 6 receptions for 104 yards and one touchdown. He finished the season with totals of 61 catches for 734 yards and 20 receiving touchdowns. He also had a net recovery for a touchdown in a game vs. the

Tulsa Talons Tulsa ( ) is the second-most-populous city in the state of Oklahoma, after Oklahoma City, and the 48th-most-populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa ...

in Week 11.

Philadelphia Soul (second stint)

Brackins re-joined the Soul in the 2011 season when the team returned to the AFL. However, he was placed on waivers after a poor performance in a game vs. the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The ...

in Week 6, but was brought back a week later due to his contributions on Special Teams and to be a Red Zone wide receiver specialist. He earned Ironman of the Game honors in two games later that year, as well as being named MVP and Offensive Player of the Game for his performance vs. the Cleveland Gladiators in Week 18 when he had 9 receptions for 133 yards and 3 touchdowns. In 2012, Brackins became the Philadelphia Soul's all-time franchise leader in touchdown receptions. He had his best game of the regular season in Week 20 vs. Utah in which he caught 5 passes for 33 yards and 4 touchdowns while earning MVP of the Game honors. Brackins excelled in the 2012 playoffs, scoring 14 total touchdowns in three games and set a Soul franchise record, as well as an

playoff record for a single game when he scored 8 touchdowns (5 receiving, 2 rushing, 1 kick return) in the Soul's American Conference championship victory against the

Jacksonville Sharks The Jacksonville Sharks are a professional indoor football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The team plays its home games at VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena. They were members of the Are ...

. The 2013 season saw Brackins catch another 15 touchdown passes for the Soul and in the process, went over 100 total touchdowns for his career, which included his first regular season kick return touchdown. He also recorded the first two interceptions of his career in a game vs. the

Iowa Barnstormers The Iowa Barnstormers are a professional indoor football team based in Des Moines, Iowa, that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). They play their home games at Wells Fargo Arena, known in indoor football circles as "The Well". Sever ...

while playing the entire game on defense as the Jack Linebacker. He also hauled in another three touchdowns during two playoff games. However, due to a hamstring injury, he was unable to play in ArenaBowl 26, which proved to be significant for the Soul, as they lost in the ArenaBowl to the

Arizona Rattlers The Arizona Rattlers are a professional indoor American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area that competes in the Indoor Football League (IFL). The Rattlers were founded in 1992 as an expansion team in the Arena Football League ...

for the second straight year, struggling to convert in the red zone without Brackins, with two costly turnovers that proved to be the difference. Despite not playing due to his injury, he still earned the distinction of becoming the first professional football player to play on three Philadelphia teams that played in a championship title game.

Orlando Predators

On April 22, 2014, Brackins was traded to the

for future considerations. In his 12 games with the Predators, Brackins amassed 48 receptions for 612 yards and 17 receiving TDs to bring his career regular season total to 126 receiving touchdowns. He appeared in his third consecutive American Conference Championship game, making 5 catches for 69 yards and a touchdown, while adding two rushes for 13 yards and another touchdown in the Predators' 56–46 loss to the

. In 2015, Brackins led the Predators in TD receptions with 29, which tied him for 10th overall in the AFL and also tied his career high. With the addition of four rushing touchdowns, his first ones in the regular season, he set a new career-high of 33 total touchdowns in 16 games, helping the Predators win the South Division for the second consecutive season. He also set another career-high with 154 receiving yards in a Week 13 match-up vs. the Arizona Rattlers. He followed that up with a 5 reception, 5 touchdown performance against New Orleans in Week 14 that earned him AFL MVP of the Week honors. Other game honors Brackins' received during the season were: J.Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game in Week 6 and Week 14, in which he was also awarded Cutters Catch of the Game and twice being named Offensive Player of the Game in Week 19 and Week 20. He finished the regular season by scoring touchdowns in Orlando's final nine games. He also continued his great special teams play and even made three kickoffs in emergency duty after Orlando's kicker was injured in the Week 20 game vs. Tampa Bay. Brackins caught a touchdown pass in the Orlando's first round playoff loss to the Jacksonville Sharks. Brackins played in eight regular season games in 2016, catching 31 passes for 315 yards and 14 touchdowns. He remains in second place all-time in AFL history in TD to reception ratio. He also had one rushing touchdown and one kick return for a TD during the season, as well as a recovered fumble for a touchdown after an Orlando kickoff in a game vs. the

Los Angeles Kiss The Los Angeles Kiss (stylized as LA KISS) were a professional arena football team based in Anaheim, California, and members of the Arena Football League (AFL). The Kiss joined the AFL as an expansion team after Los Angeles' previous franchise ( ...

. In the final week of the regular season, Brackins was awards Cutters Catch of the Week for his touchdown grab vs. the Philadelphia Soul. That catch was also #6 on SportsCenter's Top 10 plays for Saturday, July 30. He was also a candidate for both Offensive and Playmaker of the Week. Brackins was named J.Lewis Small Playmaker of the Game in Orlando's final two games, the Week 18 matchup vs. the Soul and the first round of the playoffs vs. the Jacksonville Sharks. He had four receiving touchdowns and over 100 receiving yards in each contest, including his longest postseason TD, a 41-yard catch and run past two defenders.

Cleveland Gladiators

On February 1, 2017, Brackins was assigned to the

Jacksonville Sharks

Brackins signed with the

in 2018.

References

External links

Arena Football League bioNew York Jets bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brackins, Larry 1982 births Living people Players of American football from Dothan, Alabama American football wide receivers Pearl River Wildcats football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Philadelphia Soul players New York Jets players Sacramento Mountain Lions players Dallas Vigilantes players Orlando Predators players Cleveland Gladiators players Jacksonville Sharks players