Troy University Athletics
Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2025
Larry Groce will always be known as an outstanding football player and member of Troy’s first-ever National Championship team, but to those who played beside him and know him, he’s much more than just a linebacker who put fear in the eyes of his opponents.
“He’s a great teammate. He’s a supporter,” Danny Grant, a teammate of Groce, said. “He’s a guy you could depend on. He was somebody that was always involved. He was always helping make decisions. He was a leader for the whole team and a leader on the defense, too. He was a great defensive player, and again, a leader for the team. He was always supporting coach [Billy] Atkins and the team as a whole.”
Groce is from Tanner, Ala., just west of Huntsville, and started his playing career at Memphis State as a tight end and kicker. He spent two years playing for the Tigers, but it always seemed destined that one day he would end up playing for Troy, and Coach Atkins made sure of it.
“Coach Atkins had to call him two or three different times to get him to come down here,” Grant said. “And Larry had decided to go somewhere else and not make the trip, not knowing that he really wanted to go to Troy. And so, Coach Atkins called him and said, ‘Hey, you’re supposed to be down here. You need to get out here right now.’ Larry said, ‘Well okay, I’m coming.’”
The rest is history. Groce joined the then-Red Wave and helped lead them to a 19-3 record over two seasons, a pair of Alabama Collegiate Conference titles, and the 1968 NAIA National Championship.
It wasn’t set up to be the easiest transition for Groce, though, as the Troy team had a lot of continuity from previous seasons, which meant he would have to work hard to fit in with the team. However, Grant said Groce had no problems becoming one of the guys and that he immediately took on a leadership role.
“He came in and was a leader from the get-go,” Grant said. “People respected him. He was a tough football player, and everyone respected Larry. Everybody knew what he was: very intense. He didn’t mess around. A lot of us played around and had a good time. That wasn’t Larry on the football field. He was focused and ready to go all the time.”
His leadership on the field was no surprise, given the kind of person he was away from the field. The traits he carried while wearing the pads were the same traits he had as a friend and a person.
When his playing career ended, Groce’s commitment to Troy University never wavered. He has remained heavily involved with the school, including serving as the Troy University National Alumni Association president from 1981 to 1983. He was also named the Troy University Alumnus of the Year in 1998 and was selected to the Troy University School of Accounting Hall of Honor in 1993.
“Larry is such a leader from the standpoint of supporting Troy University,” Grant said. “He has always been right there with Troy. He’s always following up. He’s always supporting them. He does more for Troy now than when he was a player.”
Now, Groce’s name is forever enshrined in the Troy Sports Hall of Fame alongside many of his former teammates and coaches, including Grant.
“It’s really an honor to be in the Hall of Fame,” Grant said. “I can tell you that there’s not a nicer guy than Larry Groce, and he deserves to be in there more than anybody else.”
