Mike Larson was a do-it-all offensive and defensive back who helped power Hononegah to what remains its only IHSA championship game.
His senior year (1985), he had to share the running duties with Darryl Graverson and Mike Strasser. The trio combined for 2,319 yards in 14 games. Larson's 702 yards on 149 carries ranked fifth in the conference.
Larson was the No. 1 target in the passing game, though. Mike Schultz led the NIC-10 in passing with 103 completions and 1,419 yards passing. Larson caught 38 of them for 493 yards. He tied for the conference lead in receptions and finished second in yards receiving, beating out future Illinois star Shawn Wax and Illinois State star Clarence Miller (No. 100 on our list).
The Indians finished 6-3 in conference play, but caught fire in the IHSA Class 4A playoffs. Hononegah knocked off Woodstock, Sycamroe, Lombard Montini and Elmwood Park to reach the title game. The magic ended there in a 28-12 loss to Washington.
In 1986, Larson signed with Indiana, which was a rising program under coach Bill Mallory. Larson thought he'd play flanker, but the defensive coordinator moved him to free safety the first week of practice.
Larson didn't letter on the 1986 Indiana team that went 6-6 and lost the All-American Bowl. He did play on special teams and as a backup safety on the 1987 and 1988 teams that went 8-4 and 8-3-1 and played in the Peach and Liberty bowls. He had 32 tackles over those two seasons.
Unfortunately, instead of being primed for a big senior year, Larson's body was falling apart. As a sophomore, he separated his shoulder, tore an MCL in his knee and then had elbow surgery after the season. The knee injury lingered during his junior year and Indiana had a rising safety Mike Dumas, who would play eight years in the NFL, ready to take his spot. Indiana honored his scholarship but Larson didn't suit up at all his final season. The Hoosiers fell to 5-6.
| No. 59 - Mike Larson, Hononegah | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1983 | High School | Hononegah | Winning Team | 1 |
| 1984 | High School | Hononegah | First Team All-Conference | 2 |
| League Leader | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Conference Champion | 1 | |||
| 1985 | High School | Hononegah | First Team All-Conference | 2 |
| League Leader | 1 | |||
| Playoff Team | 1 | |||
| Final Four | 1 | |||
| 1986 | College | Indiana | Player on Power 5 Conference | 2 |
| 1987 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| 1988 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| Total | 25 | |||
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