Pro Football Hall of Fame safety and long-time Arizona Cardinals executive Larry Wilson died on Thursday at the age of 82, the team announced.
Wilson was selected to eight Pro Bowls and earned five first-team All-Pro honors during his 13 seasons (1960-72) for the then-St. Louis Cardinals. He later oversaw the franchise relocation from St. Louis to Arizona for the 1988 season when he was both vice president and general manager of the team.
“Besides my father, Larry Wilson was the most influential male figure in my life,” Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill said. “He was someone who truly lived his faith and demonstrated it daily in the kindness he showed every single person he met. Any of us lucky enough to be in his orbit – whether that was for a few minutes or four decades – was always better off from the experience.
“I will remember Larry Wilson first as a fantastic person but then obviously as one of the greatest players the National Football League has ever seen.”
Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1978 and named to the NFL’s 100th anniversary team in 2019.
“The game lost a true legend with the passing of Pro Football Hall of Famer Larry Wilson,” Hall of Fame President and CEO David Baker said. “He was not only one of the greatest to ever play the game, but one of the nicest and kindest men I have ever met. The entire Pro Football Hall of Fame family mourns the passing of Larry.”
Wilson holds the Cardinals’ franchise record with 52 interceptions, and he led the NFL with 10 interceptions in 1966 when he was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He scored seven career defensive touchdowns — five on interceptions and two on fumbles.
Wilson retired from the Cardinals’ front office in 2003.
Wilson is survived by wife Nancy, daughter Christie, son Larry Jr.
–Field Level Media
