1976 Profile: Larry Csonka

Running Back
No. 39
Syracuse
"He returns from the WFL (bringing with him most of the offensive line from the Memphis team).
'I just plow away,' he once said of his running technique, 'fighting for every inch, and accept the consequences.'
He is said to have asked- and received- a $50,000 cash bonus for signing, an annual bonus of $15,000, a 20-year loan of $125,000, plus expense account, plane tickets, game tickets and an apartment. Then there was his salary- around $200,000 a year."

-John Devaney, Schenley Pro Football Guide 1976

"In a stunning off-season move, the Giants signed former Miami star Larry Csonka on April 7, giving the club a powerhouse runner who in seven seasons with the Dolphins had rushed for 5,900 yards in 1,286 carries, a 4.6 average and 41 touchdowns. Csonka had spent the 1975 season with Memphis in the WFL but became a free agent at season's end.
While with Miami, Csonka rushed for 1,000 yards or more three straight years (1971-73), starred in three Super Bowls, won All-NFL honors five times, played in the Pro Bowl five times and earned just about every honor available.
He was the MVP in the 1974 Super Bowl 24-7 triumph over the Vikings, rushing for 145 yards in that big game. In the previous Super Bowl, a win over the Redskins, Larry rushed for 112 yards in just 15 carries for a 7.5 average. The Pro Football Writers of America also named him the Super Athlete of the Year after his 1974 Super Bowl heroics.
Csonka's 5,900 yards rushing also makes him the No. 1 active rusher in the NFC, and that same total has ranked him No. 10 on the NFL career rushing list.
He was a unanimous All-American at Syracuse where he broke the rushing records of previous Syracuse greats Jim Brown, the late Ernie Davis, Jim Nance and Floyd Little. Larry rushed for 216 yards as soph against West Virginia and finished with 2,934 yards on 957 carries for a 4.9 college average. He was the first offensive back drafted in 1968 (No. 1 by Miami) and is the only player ever named MVP in both the Coaches All-American and College All-Star Games.
Lawrence Richard Csonka was born in Stow, Ohio and earned letters in football, track and wrestling at Stow High School. Larry lists hunting and fishing as his chief hobbies."

-1976 New York Giants Media Guide