Larry Wruck
Football (1998)

Larry came out of minor, high school and junior football ranks in Saskatoon to become an outstanding linebacker with the Edmonton Eskimos, sharing in two Grey Cup victories.

Larry was born in Saskatoon on Oct. 29, 1962, and always showed a desire for sports, starting in football with the Saskatoon Tinklers in the Kinsmen Tackle League in 1975. He began to play immediately upon enrolment at Evan Hardy Collegiate, helping the school win the city junior championship in 1976 and then helping the senior team to the Saskatchewan high school championship for three straight years - 1977, 1978 and 1979 - while playing for coach Blaine Knoll.

He joined the Saskatoon Hilltops in 1980 and won the rookie of the year award. He led the Prairie Junior Football Conference in tackles in both 1981 and 1982 and capped a terrific 1982 season by winning all-star honors and the outstanding linebacker award in the conference and being voted the outstanding defensive player in all of Canadian junior football.

After two training camps with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Larry was traded to Edmonton Eskimos at the start of the 1985 season. Larry played 213 games for the Eskimos between 1985 and 1996, getting credit for 667 tackles, 32 sacks, 15 interceptions, and 19 fumble recoveries.

He appeared in five Grey Cup games, winning his first in 1987 when the Eskimos won a thriller from Toronto Argonauts, 38-36, on a last-minute field goal by Jerry Kauric. The other victory came in 1993 when the Eskimos beat Winnipeg, Blue Bombers, 33-23, in the Grey Cup game at Calgary.

For his consistent play, Larry was named a western Division All-Star in 1989 and was the Eskimo nominee as outstanding Canadian player on five occasions. Larry was twice runner-up for the Canadian player, reaching the final plateau in both 1994 and 1995.

He's always been an outdoors enthusiast, fishing being among his hobbies in the summer and skiing the slopes during the winter.