The Pro Football Hall of Fame and Ford Motor Company paid tribute to Gold Jacket Larry Little at his high school alma mater on Wednesday morning as part of the Hometown Hall of Famer™ program. An audience of 500 attended the ceremony at Booker T. Washington High School in Miami, Fla. The crowd included his 96-year-old mother, other family members, students, teachers, and the school’s marching band. Also on hand were fellow Hall of Famer DWIGHT STEPHENSON and several other Dolphins legends Nat Moore, Eugene Milton, Larry Ball and Mercury Morris.
“To share this occasion with Booker T. Washington gives me a feeling similar to how I felt when I was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame!” Little shared.
Hometown Hall of Famer™ is a national program that honors the hometown roots of the greatest heroes of the game with special ceremonies and plaque dedication events in local communities.
“I am honored, privileged and humbled to give something back by presenting the Hometown Hall of Famer plaque to Booker T. Washington High School, that will stay with the school forever and for Booker T. Washington High School to become the 102nd to become an official high school of the Pro Football Hall of Fame,” Little commented after being presented with the plaque by his close friend Roberta Daniels.
“Let me say how proud Ford is to participate in Larry Little’s return to his hometown. Ford and the Pro Football Hall of Fame share a commitment to excellence and an appreciation for legacies,” Patrick O’Neill, Regional Manager of Sales and Service for Ford Motor Company Miami, remarked.
Tuesday’s event was the 102nd Hometown Hall of Famer™ ceremony.
Little signed as a free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 1967 and was traded two years later to the Miami Dolphins. Little immediately won starting right guard job and was the epitome of powerful Dolphins rushing game of the 1970s. He was All-Pro six years, a five-time Pro Bowl pick and a three-time NFLPA pick as AFC Offensive Lineman of Year. Little started in three Super Bowls and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
Photo Credit: Andy Kay; Pro Football Hall of Fame