Florida State University Athletics
Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2017
For six decades Larry Strom has been intimately involved with all the struggles and triumph of Seminole athletics. He was a leader for the Seminole on the court an undergraduate, and now is a powerful voice of support and influence in the athletic program.
As a junior at FSU, Strom led Bud Kennedy's basketball team in field goals and was the 3rd highest scorer. His senior year, he was the only letterman starter returning. Though the team struggled, one of the most satisfying victories came when Strom and teammate Hugh Durham combined to defeat the University of Georgia in Athens.
He built a prosperous career managing, buying and selling automobile dealerships. In 1978 he accepted an appointment as Seminole Boosters Area Chairman for Sarasota and Manatee Counties, overseeing all the volunteer fundraising and Seminole Club activities.
His passion for Seminole athletics established him as a trusted resource for Florida State coaches recruiting the area. Always welcomed into his home, Larry assisted the coaches with whatever the NCAA permitted in terms of procuring film, transcripts or summer jobs. In the early 1980s, after purchasing businesses in Tallahassee, Strom offered his services as a volunteer to help Coach Bobby Bowden organize and establish a modern recruiting operation for FSU football. At a time when FSU's rival schools had full-time recruiting coordinators, Strom spent a year as an unpaid volunteer creating the highly-successful professional Seminole recruiting office now manned by paid, full time assistants.
His long service as a fundraising volunteer and member of the Seminole Boosters Board notwithstanding, perhaps his signature contribution came as Chairman of the $15 million Winning Edge Campaign to build the new indoor practice facility. He and Hilda made their own $1 million commitment, and through their friendship with Al and Judy Dunlap of Ocala secured the $5 million lead gift that put the Campaign over its goal.
Larry Strom's life is an extraordinary story of life-long commitment and generosity to Florida State. It is more than appropriate that he receive the 2017 Moore-Stone Award.
