Ex-Central basketball star, beloved Columbus area youth coach Larry Florence dies
Considered among the best high school basketball players in Chattahoochee Valley history — and a beloved youth coach — Larry Florence has died.
Florence, who battled for a decade against the blood cancer multiple myeloma, died Saturday in Piedmont Columbus Regional’s midtown hospital, Jasponica Florence Moore, one of this three sisters, told the Ledger-Enquirer.
He was 49.
“I held his hand the entire time after they removed the life support measures from him,” said Moore, the school liaison officer at Fort Benning. “The selfish me wants him physically here with us in any shape, form or fashion, but the believer in me knows that to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord and that he got his healing and his victory on the other end.”
The obituary and celebration of life ceremony for Florence are pending, but Moore said the family is targeting July 19 as the date. Taylor Funeral Home in Phenix City is handling the arrangements.
Larry Florence’s basketball career highlights
After averaging 19 points and 13 rebounds per game in 1995-96 as a senior at Central High School in Phenix City, Florence was a four-year starter at the University of Nebraska and finished 14th on the program’s all-time scoring list (1,233 points).
Florence was named team captain and was an honorable-mention for the All-Big 12 in 2000. He played professionally for eight years in seven foreign countries before returning home to Phenix City as a youth coach in the Columbus area.
Even while going through cancer treatments, Florence continued to coach when he could.
“Very early on after his diagnosis, he did the traditional asking, ‘Why me?’ But all of his followers, his fans, his supporters, they started to encourage him,” Moore said. “So he found his purpose as to why God chose him to be one of his toughest soldiers, to endure this rare cancer that there is no cure for, and he we want his story and his legacy to continue to live. He encouraged so many people, and that encouragement doesn’t stop. There are so many videos, so many reminders of how large of a giant he really was.”
In 2024, Florence became the first basketball player inducted into the Central High School Sports Hall of Fame.
Former Central boys basketball head coach Bobby Wright, who led the Red Devils for 33 years, told the Ledger-Enquirer that Florence was one of his “most special” players.
Despite having the skills to play guard, Wright needed Florence at forward, where Florence still excelled.
“He was an awesome and very exciting player,” Wright said.
Wright also praised Florence as a person
“He was always giving back to the community and giving his best to the kids,” Wright said.
Condolences pour in
Condolences have poured onto Florence’s Facebook page, where he had 20,000 followers and 4,999 friends. Here’s a sampling of the messages:
- “This is a great example of a life well lived!!!!” wrote Octavis Tay Bailey.
- “Those of us who had the privilege of meeting him, remember not only his talent on the court, but also his warmth, his smile and the affection with which he approached our community,” wrote Carlos Alberto Mardones Hermosilla. “He was a true ambassador of sportsmanship, leaving teachings that transcended the game.”
- “Thank you for inspiring me with your strength,” wrote Kiywhanna Lee. “You have shown me how to be a stronger person. You have shown me how to be more courageous in the face of adversity. Your example has helped me become more compassionate towards others who are suffering from illness or loss, and it has given me the courage to be a better friend when someone I love is going through something difficult.”
Just like Florence benefited from the tough love he received at Central from Wright as his head coach, Florence was a disciplinarian but also a caring father figure for his players.
“He was that example to really say, ‘I’m getting on to you because I know you’ve got it in you; we’ve just got to get it out of you,’” Moore said. “… But he also was the biggest cheerleader, the biggest hype man. He just believed in pulling greatness out of people and then celebrating them.”
Mark Clark, sports editor for The Citizen of East Alabama in Phenix City, was impressed by Florence off the court as well as on it.
“He was one of those guys that never got in trouble, even though the spotlight shined on him,” Clark, who has been covering local high school sports for 53 years, told the Ledger-Enquirer. “… He wanted to be remembered as a very humble person, and he was.”
Clark noted Florence continued to show grit and grace while battling cancer.
“He just never would quit,” Clark said. “He never gave up on his situation. When his doctors, gave him bad news, it was just Larry’s character to fight. No matter what they said, he kept fighting, and I guess he just had run out of fight and just needed to rest, but he’s sure going to be missed.”
The disease and the treatments were so debilitating, Florence’s weight was whittled from 220 to 165 pounds on his 6-foot-5-inch frame, and he wasn’t able to hold a full-time job the last two years of his life, so he didn’t have enough insurance and disability payments to cover all his medical bills.
A GoFundMe account raised $13,040 from 177 donors help decrease his debt. A gala last year at Mother Mary Mission in Phenix City and a University of Nebraska fund for former athletes also provided support.
Moore hopes those who loved her brother will help keep his legacy alive.
“He was a gentle giant,” she said. “He was that hometown hero. He believed in family and so, if nothing else, love on your family, your friends, and encourage everybody to always strive to do your best.”
