| Larry Clinton Brewer | |
|---|---|
Larry Brewer at Louisiana Tech University (1969) |
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| Born | November 22, 1948 Minden, Webster Parish, Louisiana, USA |
| Died | May 23, 2003 (aged 54) Honolulu, Hawaii |
| Occupation | Certified Public Accountant; former Coach |
| Religion | Methodist |
| Spouse | Toni Milam Brewer |
| Children | Blake, Marcus, and Natalie Brewer |
| Notes
(1)A star football athlete in high school and college, Brewer was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons but was soon sidelined by an injury.
(2) A former coach, Brewer became a Certified Public Accountant and a hospital administrator. (3) Brewer's father, Henry Clinton Brewer, was a long-time registrar of voters in Webster Parish. |
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Larry Clinton Brewer (November 22, 1948 - May 23, 2003) was the offensive end for the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs during the 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969 football seasons. In the latter two years, he served primarily as one of two main receivers for Terry Bradshaw, the Shreveport native who subsequently embarked on a highly successful career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brewer caught the first college touchdown pass thrown by Bradshaw. Brewer was initially given a two-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons, but he left the team after sustaining an injury at the training camp in Johnson City, Tennessee.
In 1969, Brewer was among five members of the Louisiana Tech football team selected for All-Gulf State Conference honors by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The others were Bradshaw, split end Thomas Allen "Tommy" Spinks (1948-2007) of Shreveport and later Arlington, Texas, offensive tackle Wayne Williams, Jr. (later the Webster Parish school superintendent), and defensive back Mark Graham. Brewer and Spinks were recorded among the top pass receivers in Louisiana Tech history. Seven other Tech players were cited for "honorable mention" by the same sports writers, who also selected Tech coach Maxie Lambright (1924-1980) as the GSC "Coach of the Year".
Brewer played in four post-season classics, including two Grantland Rice Bowls, the North-South Shrine Game, and the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He was voted Minden's "Outstanding Advertiser" a month before "Larry Brewer Day" was observed in his hometown on May 14, 1970.[1]
Brewer was born in Minden to Henry Clinton "Clint" Brewer (1920-2008) and Helen L. Brewer (born 1924). The senior Brewer graduated from Doyline High School in Doyline in south Webster Parish, attended Methodist-affiliated Centenary College in Shreveport, compiled a distinguished military record in World War II, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the Louisiana National Guard, and served as the Webster Parish registrar of voters until his retirement in 1985.[2] Larry Brewer played successfully for Minden High School, from which he graduated on May 24, 1966. He procured his bachelor's degree from Tech, located in Ruston, the seat of Lincoln Parish, and then coached football at several private schools including Trinity Heights Academy in Shreveport and Sam Barthe High School in Metairie in Jefferson Parish. Brewer also taught junior high school science at Barthe. He subsequently left coaching and received a master of science degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in Ouachita Parish and thereafter passed the Certified Public Accountant examination. He was a hospital administrator in Ruston, Shreveport, and later for the Hillcrest Health Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Brewer drowned while on a family vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is interred in Sand Springs near Tulsa. In addition to his parents, he was survived by his wife, the former Toni Milam, who thereafter moved to Allen in Collin County, Texas; three children, Blake, Marcus, and Natalie Brewer, and a brother, Gary Loftin Brewer (born 1951) and his wife, Pam, and their three children, of the resort city of Glenwood Springs, Colorado. He was Methodist.
One of Brewer's first cousins, Michael L. "Mike" Brewer (born 1946), was also a highly talented athlete: All-State in baseball for all four high school years, All-State in football, and All-State in track at Minden High School. Mike Brewer signed a football scholarship with Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, but like his cousin, his career ended because of an injury. He and his wife, the former Cynthia "Cindy" Williams (born 1947), reside in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tennessee.
MindenMemories.net
Louisiana Tech Lagniappe yearbook, 1970, pp. 388-395
"Tech Gridders Feted", Ruston Daily Leader, January 21, 1970
"Brewer obtained by Atlanta; Spinks to Minnesota", Ruston Daily Leader, January 29, 1970
Ruston Daily Leader", August 6, 1970
Minden Press-Herald, May 23, 1972
"Larry Brewer obituary", Minden Press-Herald, May 26, 2003:http://www.genealogybuff.com/la/la-webster-obits5.htm
"Tech wide receiver Tommy Spinks, who caught passes from Terry Bradshaw, dies at 58, USA Today, August 28, 2007://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2007-08-27-294093838_x.htm
Sam Barthe School Hornet yearbook, 1974, pp. 14