Larry Seiple
Larry Robert Seiple (born February 14, 1945) is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a punter for the Miami Dolphins of the American Football League (AFL) from 1967 through 1969, and the NFL's Dolphins from 1970 through 1977.
| No. 20 | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | punter, halfback, tight end | ||||||
| Personal information | |||||||
| Born: | February 14, 1945 Allentown, Pennsylvania | ||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||
| Weight: | 214 lb (97 kg) | ||||||
| Career information | |||||||
| High school: | Allentown (PA) William Allen | ||||||
| College: | Kentucky | ||||||
| NFL Draft: | 1967 / Round: 7 / Pick: 163 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||
| |||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of 1977 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Player stats at PFR | |||||||
Seiple played football for William Allen High School in Allentown, Pennsylvania and the University of Kentucky. At Kentucky, Seiple played wide receiver and running back, while also handling punts, kickoffs, and kickoff returns. He was a second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection in his junior season, averaging 4.3 yards per carry while also scoring 9 touchdowns and gaining 1,081 yards of offense. In three seasons, Seiple gained 2,137 yards from scrimmage and scored 18 touchdowns, while setting school records for average yards per catch, both in a season (23.5 in 1965) and in a career (19.8). He had four receptions of at least 70 yards, and once converted a 4th and 41 with a 70 yard touchdown on a fake punt.[1][2]
Unlike most punters, Seiple did catch and carry the ball on occasion. His most prolific year was 1969, when he netted 577 yards and scored 5 touchdowns, leading the Dolphins in both categories that year. Seiple was often able to rush for yards instead of punting. That type of risk paid dividends for Miami in 1972, in a playoff game against the Pittsburgh Steelers when he ran for a 37-yard gain, keeping a drive alive. Miami would go on to win that game, and the Super Bowl that year, completing a perfect season of 17–0.
Seiple was the offensive coordinator at Florida Atlantic University, where the head coach was another former University of Kentucky player, Howard Schnellenberger. Seiple coached with the Dolphins as assistant coach for quarterbacks from 1998 to 1999, and for wide receivers from 1988 to 1997, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as assistant coach for receivers from 1985 to 1986, and the Detroit Lions from 1980 to 1984.
On June 20, 2014 it was announced that Seiple would be inducted into the Kentucky Pro Football Hall of Fame.[3]