Lineman Greg Larson of the New York Giants dies at the age of 84

Former Giants Pro Bowl lineman Greg Larson, who missed only three games in 13 seasons, died in late June at the age of 84 “with his wife of 63 years by his side.”

According to his obituary, no cause of death was announced.

Larson, who was named one of the New York Giants’ 100 greatest ahead of the team’s 100th anniversary season earlier this year, played in 179 games from 1961 to 1973, which at the time was second only to running back and wide receiver Joe Morrison in team history.

“He was our leader, our captain, one of our most beloved players,” Giants President John Mara said at the Giants 100 event in June. “Just a great all-around player. He really embodied what it meant to be a Giant in that era.”

In his first three seasons, the Giants reached the NFL Championship Game.

“The fans in New York went crazy,” Larson recalled in 2001. “It was a special city. People came from all over. People were really excited. You have to understand that Giants fans have been around for a long time. That was their team. Back then, the Giants were all over the East. They just loved us all over the East Coast.”

Larson’s best season was 1968, when the center was selected to the Pro Bowl along with teammates Fran Tarkenton, Homer Jones and Spider Lockhart.

He resigned in 1974 due to knee injuries

“If I hadn’t had the surgery,” he told the New York Times, “I definitely wouldn’t have thought about retiring and would have come back. But the leg wasn’t responding the way I wanted it to, and I said last year that if I ever had surgery again, that would be the end.”

Larson was a star for the Minnesota Golden Gophers and captain of the 1960 championship team, a year in which he was selected to the First-Team All-Big Ten.

He was drafted by the Giants of the NFL and the Chargers of the AFL and chose New York.

After his active career, he and his wife ran a sporting goods store in Minneapolis before selling it in 2010.

Despite his impressive playing career, he did not live in the past.

“It doesn’t mean that much to me,” he said in 2001. “I always live in the here and now, not so much in the past. That’s what I’ve done my whole life. It’s great to know that you’ve done those things. As you get older, the friends you had become more important to you.”

He leaves behind his wife, four children, seven grandchildren, six great-grandchildren and several nieces and nephews.