Csonka, "Larry" (Lawrence R.)
Football
b. Dec. 25, 1946, Stow, OH
An All-American fullback at Syracuse University in 1967, the 6-foot-3, 235-pound Csonka was nicknamed the "Lawnmower" because of his rugged, low-to-the-ground running style. With the Miami Dolphin teams that won three American Football Conference championships and two Super Bowls in the early 1970s, he was an integral part of the ball-control offense both as a punishing inside runner and as a blocker for halfbacks Jim Kiick and "Mercury" Morris.
Csonka put up pretty good numbers in his first three seasons with Miami, 1968 through 1970, then had three straight seasons of more than 1,000 yards rushing. He led the NFL with a 5.4-yard average in 1971, when he gained 1,051 yards.
The Dolphins won all 17 of their games in 1972, including the Super Bowl. Csonka and Morris became the first teammates ever to gain more than 1,000 yards apiece that season, and Csonka led all rushers with 112 yards on 15 carries, a 7.5-yard average, in Miami's 14-7 win over the Washington Redskins in the Super Bowl.
He was named the game's most valuable player when the Dolphins beat the Minnesota Vikings in the Super Bowl the following year. He rushed for a Super Bowl record 145 yards on 33 carries and scored 2 touchdowns. Minnesota quarterback Fran Tarkenton said afterward, "In all my years, I've never seen any fullback play any better than he did."
Csonka, Kiick, and wide receiver Paul Warfield left the Dolphins to play for the Memphis Southmen in the World Football League in 1975, but a foot injury limited him to just 99 carries that season. He return to the NFL with the New York Giants from 1976 through 1978, but the foot still bothered him, and his career seemed to be at an end when he carried the ball only 91 times in his final season with the Giants.
However, Csonka returned to the Dolphins for one last season in 1979 and had a fine year, gaining 837 yards on 220 carries and scoring 12 touchdowns.
In his 11 pro seasons, he gained 8,081 yards on 1,891 carries, a 4.3 average, and scored 64 touchdowns. He also caught 106 passes for 820 yards, a 7.7 average, and 4 touchdowns.