Larry Izzo

Larry Izzo

refer to caption

Izzo in August 2007.
Houston Texans
Position: Special Teams Coordinator
Personal information
Date of birth: (1974-09-26) September 26, 1974
Place of birth: Fort Belvoir, Virginia
Height: 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight: 228 lb (103 kg)
Career information
College: Rice
Undrafted: 1996
Career history
As player:
As coach:
Career highlights and awards
as Assistant coach
Career NFL statistics
Tackles: 163
Sacks: 0.0
Interceptions: 1
Forced fumbles: 2
Player stats at NFL.com

Lawrence Alexander Izzo (/ˈɪzoʊ/; born September 26, 1974) is a retired American football linebacker and special teamer and current special teams coordinator for the Houston Texans. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 1996. He played college football at Rice.

A three-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro selection, Izzo has also played for the New England Patriots. He earned three Super Bowl rings during his time with the Patriots.

Early years

Izzo attended Broad Run High School in Ashburn, Virginia and then McCullough High School in The Woodlands, Texas, and won varsity letters in football where he was coached by Rick McDougald as a running back/safety, and in baseball. Following his senior year, Izzo was selected as the Houston Chronicle's Two-Way Player of the Year, and was a finalist for the Houston Touchdown Club's Player of the Year.

College career

Larry Izzo attended Rice University where he wore the number 26, and was a four-year letterman and standout and finished fourth on the school's all-time tackles list with 301 tackles, setting a school-record 46 tackles for losses, and a season record of 18 tackles for losses in 1995.[1] In 1994 an underdog Rice beat top 10 ranked Texas on national television by the score 19-17, as Izzo was selected player of the game with two key sacks (sharing the honor with teammate N. D. Kalu). It was the first time in over 30 years that Rice had beaten its in-state rival, and would help Rice win a share of the Southwest Conference title for the first time in 37 years. As a senior Izzo was voted defensive team captain and earned consensus All-Southwest Conference honors after registering 121 tackles, he won the George Martin Award as the team’s MVP and won the Jess Neely Defense Award as the team’s top linebacker. Izzo was also selected as an Honorable Mention All-American.

Professional career

Miami Dolphins

Izzo went undrafted in the 1996 NFL Draft and was later signed by the Miami Dolphins as a free agent in April 1996. He first came to local notoriety based on a sound byte that circulated during the pre-season of Izzo's rookie year, where Miami coach Jimmy Johnson told the team that only two players were guaranteed to make the team: one was Dan Marino and the other the then-unknown Izzo.[2] He spent most of his time on special teams, and was rewarded with his first trip to the Pro Bowl in 2000.

New England Patriots

Izzo signed with New England in 2001, and played on three of the four Patriots' Super Bowl championship teams (2001, 2003 and 2004). He also had two more trips to Hawaii as the AFC special team representative in 2002, and 2004. Izzo gained notoriety in 2002 in the Patriots Super Bowl parade by leading the crowd in a "Yankees suck!" chant, in reference to the Yankees-Red Sox rivalry.[3][4][5]

In 2008 Izzo hosted an interview segment on the NESN dating show Sox Appeal.[6]

New York Jets

Izzo joined his third AFC East team, the New York Jets on March 11, 2009. On December 10, 2009, the Jets placed Izzo on IR after tests revealed a spine injury.[7]

Coaching career

New York Giants (2011-2015)

On June 24, 2011, Izzo joined the New York Giants as assistant special teams coach.[8]

Houston Texans (2016-present)

On January 15, 2016, the Houston Texans hired Izzo as special teams coordinator. [9]

Accomplishments

Community activism

Personal

Izzo and his wife Mara were married on February 21, 2004.[19]

References

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