Larry DiNardo
{{Short description|American football player (born 1949)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox gridiron football person
|name= Larry DiNardo
|image=
|birth_date=August 18, 1949
|birth_place=
|death_date=
|death_place=
|Position=G
|College=University of Notre Dame
|high_school= St. Francis Preparatory School
|height_ft=6
|height_in=1
|weight_lbs=235
|career_highlights =
* Consensus All-American (1970)
- First-team All-American (1969)
|DatabaseFootball=
|playing_years1=1968–1970
|playing_team1=Notre Dame
|CollegeHOF=
|HOF=
}}
Lawrence C. DiNardo (born August 18, 1949) is an American former professional football guard who played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team of the University of Notre Dame, and was recognized as a consensus All-American in 1970. After college, he practiced law in Chicago.
Early life
DiNardo a native of Howard Beach, Queens, is the older brother of college football coach Gerry DiNardo.{{Citation | last = Marder | first = Keith | title = The Notre Dame Football Encyclopedia: The Ultimate Guide to America's Favorite College Team | publisher = Citadel Press | year = 2001| location = New York, NY| pages = 54| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LDqZHM-LUtMC | isbn= 0-8065-2108-2}} He attended St. Francis Preparatory School in Fresh Meadows neighborhood in New York City borough of Queens where he graduated as valedictorian in 1967.{{cite web | url= http://thetablet.org/st-francis-prep-to-induct-inaugural-ring-of-honor/ | title= St. Francis Prep To Induct Inaugural Ring of Honor | last= Mancari | first =Jim | date =5 March 2014 | website= The Tablet | publisher= DeSales Media Group, Inc. | access-date =20 August 2014}}
Playing career
DiNardo played for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team under coach Ara Parseghian during the 1968, 1969 and 1970 seasons. Following his senior year, as a 6-foot, 1-inch, 235-pound guard, he was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American, having received first-team honors from several publications and organizations including the Associated Press (AP), and United Press International (UPI).2014 NCAA Football Records Book, [http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf Award Winners] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006082159/http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/football_records/2014/Awards.pdf |date=October 6, 2014 }}, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, pp. 4 & 14 (2014). Retrieved August 19, 2014. That year, he was a co-captain and helped the Fighting Irish to set a then all-time school record of 510.5 yards per game for total offense.
DiNardo ran into some controversy after returning home from an NCAA-sponsored trip to boost the troop morale during the Vietnam War. In an interview he called the war "a total waste." Later he told a reporter with Sports Illustrated that he was conservative and did not want to be "a hero of the new left." He also added he didn't think his comment was that controversial, saying "I mean, who's not against the war?" {{Citation | last = Oriard | first = Michael | title = Bowled Over: Big-Time College Football from the Sixties to the BCS Era| publisher = Univ of North Carolina Press| year = 2009| pages = 47| url = https://books.google.com/books?id=l2NetqeUbWsC| isbn= 978-0-8078-3329-2}}
After college football
DiNardo was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the seventh round (158 overall selection) of the 1971 NFL draft.{{cite web | url= http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/fulldraft?season=1971&round=round7#round7 | title= Draft History | publisher= NFL | access-date=20 August 2014}} He played in 5 preseason games before getting cut. Instead of trying to make another team, he chose to return to Notre Dame and enter law school. He graduated in 1974 began practicing law in South Bend, Indiana. Later he joined the firm of Seyfarth, Shaw and Fairweather in Chicago, and eventually became a partner at Jones Day.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Saints1971DraftPicks}}
{{1970 College Football Consensus All-Americans}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:DiNardo, Larry}}
Category:American football guards
Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish football players
Category:All-American college football players
Category:Notre Dame Law School alumni