Lawrence Bernard "Larrye" Weaver (born November 17, 1931) is a former American football player and coach who played for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL) as a halfback and defensive back in 1955. He attended Antelope Valley College and Fullerton College. After his playing career, he became an assistant coach in college and professional football, most prominently as the offensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers and the Cleveland Browns in the early 1980s.
| Personal information | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born: | November 17, 1931 Monte Vista, Colorado | ||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 190 lb (86 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Anaheim (CA) | ||||||
| College: | Antelope Valley, Fullerton | ||||||
| Position: | Halfback | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| As a player: | |||||||
| As a coach: | |||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||
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| Record at Pro Football Reference | |||||||
Early life and amateur career
editWeaver was born in 1931 in Monte Vista, Colorado. He moved to Anaheim, California as a child and attended Anaheim High School and Antelope Valley Junior College. He also served in the United States Air Force.[1] He played college football at the halfback position for Antelope Valley and received the nickname "The Anaheim Antelope".[2]
Professional career
editWeaver signed with the New York Giants of the National Football League in 1955, replacing Buford Long, who had been drafted into the army.[2] Weaver appeared in six games for the Giants, playing halfback and defensive back, and carried the ball three times for zero net yards.[3]
Coaching career
editWeaver began his coaching career in 1964 as a defensive assistant for North Dakota State. In 1967, he moved to the University of Arizona, and after two seasons there left to coach for UCLA.[4]
In 1971, Weaver jumped to the NFL, serving as the defensive backs coach for the Los Angeles Rams. After two years, he took up the same position with the New England Patriots, where he coached from 1973 to 1976. In 1977, Weaver was hired by the San Diego Chargers, and served as their defensive backs coach from 1977 through 1980. In 1981, he became the Chargers' offensive coordinator under head coach Don Coryell,[1][4] replacing Joe Gibbs after he was hired as coach of the Washington Redskins.[5] In Weaver's first game as the offensive play caller, he guided the Chargers to 535 yards and 44 points in a victory over the Cleveland Browns.[6] By the end of 1981, the Chargers' offense had set NFL records in net yards and passing yards.[7] San Diego also led the league in those categories the following year.[4]
In 1983, Weaver became the offensive coordinator of the Cleveland Browns. He introduced the one-back offense, which he had utilized in San Diego, to Cleveland.[5][8][9] In Week 4 of the season, Weaver used his knowledge of San Diego's offense and defense to help the Browns beat the Chargers in overtime by a score of 30–24, for which he received a game ball. The victory gave Cleveland a 3–1 record.[10] The Browns finished the season at 9–7, barely missing the playoffs. Prior to the 1984 season, Weaver resigned as Cleveland's offensive coordinator for personal reasons.[7]
In 1987, Weaver was hired by Fred Glick to be the defensive backfield coach for the Ottawa Rough Riders of the Canadian Football League.[11] After the team went 3–15 that year and 2–16 the next, Weaver was fired along with the rest of the coaching staff after the end of the 1988 season.[12]
References
edit- ^ a b "Larrye Weaver". Pro Football Archives. Retrieved July 7, 2022.
- ^ a b "'Anaheim Antelope' To Start for Giants". The Hartford Courant. United Press. October 22, 1955. p. 14.
- ^ "Larrye Weaver Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ a b c "Larrye Weaver Record, Statistics, and Category Ranks". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 25, 2022.
- ^ a b Melody, Tom (May 17, 1983). "Browns need more than new attitude". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. D1. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ Norcross, Don (September 10, 1981). "Against the Browns, he was the Chargers' best 'rookie'". Daily Times-Advocate. p. D-1. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ a b "Browns' Weaver Resigns". The Newark Advocate. May 1, 1984. p. 10. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ Meyer, Ed (March 20, 1983). "Sipe big part of new Browns' aide's plans". The Akron Beacon Journal. p. E11. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ Schudel, Jeff (August 9, 1983). "Weaver in command of offense". Mansfield News Journal. p. 1-C. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ Meyer, Ed (September 26, 1983). "Weaver gets game ball, then breaks down". Akron Beacon Journal. p. F5. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ "Glick fills staff". Regina Leader-Post. The Canadian Press. March 7, 1987. p. B3. Retrieved July 29, 2022.
- ^ "'Riders lead in profit, but still tackling deficit". Calgary Herald. The Canadian Press. December 10, 1988. p. C5. Retrieved July 29, 2022.