Larry Brewer

Larry Clinton Brewer​ (Louisiana Tech University football star, 1966-1969)
Born	November 22, 1948​ Minden, Webster Parish Louisiana, USA​
Died	May 23, 2003 (aged 54)​ Honolulu, Hawaii​ Resting place: Woodland Memorial Park Sand Springs, Oklahoma
Occupation	Certified Public Accountant; former coach​
Spouse	(1) Nancy Brewer (divorced) ​ (2) Toni Milam Brewer (widowed) (since Toni Harris)​
Religion	United Methodist

Larry Clinton Brewer (November 22, 1948 – May 23, 2003) was the offensive end for the Louisiana Tech University Bulldogs during the 1966, 1967, 1968, and 1969 American Football seasons.​

Brewer was born in Minden in Webster Parish to the former Helen Lockhart (1924–2018), originally from Ringgold in Bienville Parish and a retired civil servant,^[1] and Henry Clinton "Clint" Brewer (1920–2008), a graduate of Doyline High School in Doyline in south Webster Parish. The senior Brewer attended Methodist-affiliated Centenary College of Louisiana in Shreveport, compiled a distinguished military record in World War II, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Louisiana National Guard, and served as the Webster Parish registrar of voters until his retirement in 1985.^[2]​

Larry Brewer played for Minden High School, from which he graduated in 1966. In his sophomore semester, the MHS team won the state football championship in its division. He also participated in champion track and field team at MHS. In the 1968 and 1969 seasons, Brewer was one of two main receivers for Terry Bradshaw, the Shreveport native who subsequently embarked on a highly successful career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Brewer caught the first college touchdown pass thrown by Bradshaw. Brewer was initially given a two-year contract with the Falcons in Atlanta, Georgia,^[3] ​but he left the team after sustaining an injury at the National Football League Training Camp in Johnson City, Tennessee.​

In 1969, Brewer was among five members of the Louisiana Tech football team selected for All-Gulf State Conference honors by the Louisiana Sports Writers Association. The others were Bradshaw, split end Thomas Allen "Tommy" Spinks (1948-2007) of Shreveport, offensive tackle Butch Williams, later the Webster Parish public school superintendent, and defensive back Mark Graham. Brewer and Spinks were recorded among the top pass receivers in Louisiana Tech history. Seven other Tech players were cited for "honorable mention" by the same sports writers, who also selected Maxie Lambright as the GSC "Coach of the Year".​^[4][5]

Brewer played in four post-season classics, including two Grantland Rice Bowls, the North-South Shrine Game] and the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Alabama. He was voted Minden's "Outstanding Advertiser" a month before "Larry Brewer Day" was observed in his hometown on May 14, 1970.^[6]

Brewer received his bachelor's degree from Louisiana Tech, and then coached football at several private schools, including Trinity Heights Academy in Shreveport and the Sam Barthe School for Boys in Metairie in Jefferson Parish. He also taught junior high school science at Barthe. His first wife, Nancy, taught mathematics at the same school.^[7]​ Brewer subsequently left coaching and received a Master of Science degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and thereafter passed the Certified Public Accountant examination. He was a hospital administrator in Ruston, Shreveport, and later for the Hillcrest Health Group in Tulsa, Oklahoma.​^[8]​

Brewer drowned at the age of fifty-four while on a family vacation in Honolulu, Hawaii.^[8]​ He is interred at Woodland Memorial Park in Sand Springs near Tulsa, Oklahoma. In addition to his parents, he was survived by his second wife, the former Toni Milam, since Toni Harris of Hot Springs, Arkansas, the wife of John Harris; three children, Blake, Marcus, and Natalie Brewer, and a brother, Gary Loftin Brewer (born 1951) and his wife, Pamela Hill Brewer, and their three children, of the resort city of Glenwood Springs, Colorado.^[1][9]

One of Brewer's first cousins, Michael L. "Mike" Brewer (born August 1, 1946), was also a highly talented athlete: All-District in football in 1962 and 1963 and All-State in baseball, football, and track in 1963.^[10] He signed a football scholarship with Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, but like his cousin, his career ended because of an injury. Mike Brewer resides with his wife, the former Cynthia "Cindy" Williams, in the Memphis suburb of Collierville, Tennessee.​^[11]

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