Hall of Fame Professional Football Player. For eleven seasons (1952 to 1953 and 1956 to 1964), he played at the safety and punter positions in the National Football League with the Detroit Lions. Born Robert Yale Lary, Jr., he attended North Side High School in Fort Worth, Texas, where was a well rounded athlete who excelled in track and field, basketball and baseball, as well as football. After enrolling at Texas A&M University, he continued his athlete excellence and contributed to the Aggies' reaching of the College World Series in 1951. He set a Southwest Conference record for doubles. Lary was offered a contract to play professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals, however he chose to pursue a professional football career; although he continued to play Minor League baseball for several years during football's offseason. Selected by the Detroit Lions during the 3rd round of the 1952 NFL Draft, he totaled 133 career regular season games. Lary would miss two years (1954 and 1955) while he served with the United States Army. During the course of his career, he was a prominent player who contributed to three world championships (1952, 1953 and 1957 Detroit Lions). A multiple threat, he was a quick defender in the backfield, in addition to providing consistent punting, as well as speed on both punt and kick returns. He earned Pro-Bowl honors nine-times and First-Team All-Pro status five-times. While playing football, Lary became interested in the political arena and was elected as a Democrat to the Texas Legislature with whom he served from 1959 until 1963. After retiring from football, he co-operated an automobile dealership in his native Fort Worth. Lary was inducted into the Texas A&M University Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973 and was enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1979. Additionally, he was inducted into both the Michigan and Texas Sports Hall of Fames. He was named to the NFL 1950s All-Decade Team.