The Post-Standard from Syracuse, New York • Page 35

SPOKTS 1 The little man who's always there Florida's quarterback, -pound 4 Larry Libertore t9 probably the i player in major college footbati. But look what he doef to those giant By RALPH WARNER GAIMfSVILLf, FLA. LAWRENCE p. LIBERTORE JR. is a mild- mannered young man of 21.

He stands five feet eight inches tall, weighs 138 pounds, and spent a pleasant summer in Miami learning how to sell Next Saturday, Libertore changes from an insurance' salesman into the biggest insurance risk in the -country: He is the first-string quarterback of the University of Florida football team, probably the smallest major -league football player. He is also one of the best quarterbacks in the country. Last year, as a sophomore, he led Florida's Gators" to the finest football season in the history. Florida won eight, lost two, and defeated Baylor, in the post-season Gator Bowl. Little men never have it easy in football.

When. Libertore first went out for football at Miami Edi- i son High School, in Miami, he was a stringy 124 pounds. The coach took one look and said, "Son, why don't you go home and forget about football?" Libertore didn't go Instead, he grew up to a strapping 138 pounds. And along the way he developed into a crafty psychologist. It was a matter of survival.

The Southeastern Conference, of which Florida is a member, dotes on football players who regard a 200-pounder as underweight. And. too, hulking football players tend to regard small, successful quarterbacks as prime targets. But no matter how often and hard Libertore is hit, he always tries to be the first up. think it's tasY to tie there doing nothing," he stud.

But there's something else. Whim you keep bouncing up Ktse that the other team to wonder ttAof land of a guy you are. They start feeling you're indestructible. And they get a Ktde scored of you While Libertore is beguiling the opposition in this fashion, the physical toll is immense. He mally is sore from head to toe after a game, and he usually begins to feel like himself again on Tuesday.

Physically, Libertore is as tough as nails, but 4 he admitted recently that the Florida coaches were going to feed him a special vitamin mixture to pep him up. Because he is more often than not at the bot- tom of the pile, Libertore also has worked out a certain peace of mind about this occupational hazard. "When I'm trapped and know I'm going to get tackled I never think of getting hurt. It's like driving a car. When you're you aren't thinking of a wreck." To the average soul, being rushed by 1,000 or 1,200 pounds of football flesh must be an awesome, if hot traumatic, experience.

Not to Libertore. He has a unique way of looking the world. "My two roommates weigh 200 pounds, and I eat at the training table with the team. They're all big fellows. Fm so accustomed to seeing big fellows that they just don't scare me." This approach to life has worked wonders for Libertore.

Not only does everyone look normal to him, but he evidently has found it quite simple to run around the defensive giants. In 1960, he led the Gators in offense, gaining 713 of the team's 1.880 yards with his running and passing. He was named "Sophomore of the Year" in the SEC. "He'll be even better this year," says Rav Graves, his coach. LiMe but tough For a man his size, Libertore has had few injuries his worst last year was a pulled muscle in his thigh.

The most serious injury Libertore has ever had occurred in the summer of He had taken a construction job as a jack-hammer operator to build himself up. Not only did he fail in building i himself up (he lost four pounds), but to. make things worse a piece of structural scaffolding iell on him. He suffered a painful neck injury but recovered in time for the 1960 opener. From now on, he says, he's going to stick to insurance selling in the summer and football- playing in the fall.

Libertore feels they are both much safer occupations. THI END.