Lawrence “Larry” Glueck, a former NFL defensive back, championship-winning coach, and lifelong mentor to student-athletes, died Tuesday. He was 84.
Born in Norristown, Pennsylvania, and raised in Hatfield, Glueck’s early passion for sports earned him a football scholarship to Villanova University, where he helped lead the Wildcats to the 1961 Sun Bowl and 1962 Liberty Bowl.
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Prior to the 1963 NFL and AFL drafts, Glueck played in an All-Star Game in which a team of collegiate standouts played against the defending NFL champion Green Bay Packers — and won, 20-17.
Glueck was selected 34th overall by the Chicago Bears in the 1963 NFL Draft and by the San Diego Chargers of the AFL. He signed with the Bears and contributed to their championship that same season.
The Bears went 11-1-2 under head coach George Halas and defeated the New York Giants for the NFL title in December. That was also the only championship future Bears head coach Mike Ditka would win as a tight end in Chicago.
In three NFL seasons, Glueck played 37 games, recording one career interception. He was released by the Bears in August 1966. Although he signed with the Atlanta Falcons the next day, he was released shortly thereafter without appearing in another game.
A 2nd loss for the quality leadership #Villanova has produced. Yest @GeorgeRaveling , today alum Larry Glueck, who won #NFL title @Bears but I came to know as @FORDHAMFOOTBALL HC. Another man of humility, character and integrity. Prayers for both the Glueck and the Raveling… pic.twitter.com/5548tWbknM
— Joe Favorito (@joefav) September 3, 2025
In 2013, Glueck was recognized along with other members of the 1963 Bears team including Ditka, Dick Butkus, and Ted Karras, to honor the 50th anniversary of their championship.
After earning a master’s in education from Villanova, Glueck traded his shoulder pads for a whistle. He began coaching at Penn, Lehigh, and Harvard — spending 13 seasons under Joe Restic — before taking the head job at Fordham University in 1986.
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“The thing I like most about Larry Glueck is that he’s a winner and he’s been part of winning programs throughout his career,” Fordham’s director of athletics, Frank McLaughlin, said at the time.
Over eight seasons, Glueck guided the Rams through a pivotal transition from Division III to Division I-AA (now FCS), winning back-to-back Liberty Conference titles in 1987 and 1988. His 1987 squad made Fordham’s first postseason appearance since the 1942 Sugar Bowl.
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To those who knew him, Glueck was more than “Coach.” He was a devoted husband, father, and grandfather, a Red Sox fan, a man who loved the sea, and a quiet builder of lives.
Glueck is survived by his wife, Kathleen; children Jennifer, John, and Kristin; eight grandchildren; siblings Helen and James; and a large extended family. He leaves behind a legacy not only of wins and titles, but of young men shaped by his example.
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