Athletes - Larry Centers

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	Athletes - Larry Centers

Larry Eugene Centers I (born June 1, 1968) is a former American football fullback who played for the Phoenix/Arizona Cardinals (1990-1998), Washington Redskins (1999-2000), Buffalo Bills (2001-2002), and the New England Patriots (2003). Centers was selected to the Pro Bowl in 1995, 1996, and 2001.

Centers was born on June 1, 1968 in Tyler, Texas, but as a young child, his family moved to Tatum. His parents are Don and Margie and he has three brothers. Larry's two older brothers are Tony and Donnie, and he has a younger brother, Reggie. Centers as a young boy had a strong desire to achieve in every sport possible. He played little league football during his elementary school years and advanced to the middle school and high school level football. Centers was awarded a scholarship to Stephen F. Austin State University.

After graduating from college, Centers was drafted by the Cardinals in 1990. He saw limited playing time in his first 2 seasons but had an outstanding season in his third year, rushing for 139 yards and catching 50 passes for 417 yards. Although the role of the fullback as a ball carrier was starting to diminish in the mid 1990's, Centers' numbers only increased as the years went by, esepcially his receptions. He caught 66 passes in the following season, and 77 in the year after that. Then in 1995, Centers had one of the greatest seasons of any fullback in his day. He recorded a whopping 101 receptions for 962 yards, the most receptions by any running back in NFL history during a single season. He also rushed for 254 yards, scored four touchdowns, and was selected to the Pro Bowl for the first time. Unfortunantly, his team was not successfull despite his contributions; they finished the 1995 season with a 4-12 record. Centers had another spectacular season in 1996, recording 99 receptions for 766 yards and 7 touchdowns, while also gaining a career high 425 yards and 2 touchdowns on the ground. He was selected to the Pro Bowl for the second year in a row, but once again his team had a disappointing season, finishing with a 7-9 record. Centers continued to be a major contributor to the Cardinals over the next 2 seasons, recording 123 receptions and 386 rushing yards. In his final year with Arizona(1998), the team had some success, recording a 9-7 record, making it all the way to the divisional playoffs before being eliminated by a narrow 21-14 loss against the Minnesota Vikings.

In 1999, Centers signed with the Redskins and had another superb season, recording 69 receptions and using his talent as a lead blocker to help halfback Stephen Davis gain 1,405 rushing yards and score 17 touchdowns on the ground. The Redskins finished the season with a 10-6 record and made it to the devisional playoffs before being eliminated by a 14-13 loss against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2000, Centers continued to be a major contributor to Washington's offense. He recording 80 receptions for 600 yards, rushed for 103 yards, and used his blocking to help Davis gain 1,318 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns. But the Redskins recorded only an 8-8 record that year and did not get to play in the postseason. In 2001, Centers signed with the Bills and made it to his third Pro Bowl appearance, recording 80 receptions for 620 yards, rushing for 160 yards, and scoring 4 touchdowns. However, the team finished the season with a measley 3-13 record. After spending another year with Buffalo, Centers joined the Patriots in 2003. By this time, the 35-year old Centers' role as a ball carrier had greatly diminished, and he recorded just 19 receptions for 106 yards and rushed for just 82 yards. Still joining the Patriots allowed him to earn a Super Bowl ring; New England finished the season with a 14-2 record and went on to defeat the Carolina Panthers 32-29 in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Centers retired before the start of the 2004 season.

In his 14 NFL seasons, Centers rushed for 2,188 yards, caught 826 passes for 6,797 yards, returned 5 punts for 30 yards, returned 33 kickoffs for 617 yards. and scored 42 touchdowns(14 rushing and 28 receiving). His 826 receptions are currently the most by any running back in NFL history. Because the NFL fullbacks are now almost exclusively used as blockers, Centers may be remembered as one of the last fullbacks ever to be used as a ball carrier and receiver on a regular basis.

He is married to Vanessa Lampkin Centers and his children are: Larry II, Sydni and Kennedi.

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