Larry Isbell
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| Date of birth | January 8, 1930 |
|---|---|
| Place of birth | Houston, Texas |
| Date of death | October 31, 1978 (aged 48) |
| Place of death | Bosque County, Texas |
| Career information | |
| CFL status | International |
| Position(s) | DB/QB |
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (185 cm) |
| Weight | 190 lb (86 kg) |
| College | Baylor |
| NFL draft | 1952 / Round: 1 / Pick: 7 |
| Drafted by | Washington Redskins |
| Career history | |
| As player | |
| 1954–1959 | Saskatchewan Roughriders |
| CFL West All-Star | 1956, 1957, 1958 |
Lawrence Dale Isbell (January 8, 1930 – October 31, 1978) was an American baseball and gridiron football player. He was one of the rare players to be All-American in both baseball in football. He was an All-American quarterback in 1951, when he guided the Baylor Bears football team to the Orange Bowl; he threw for 26 career touchdowns in college. In 1952, he was named the All-American catcher by the American Baseball Coaches Association. That season, he set a school record with a .431 average; through 2008, he still ranked second in Baylor Bears baseball annals for best single-season average, behind Mickey Sullivan. Isbell played minor league baseball for the Boston Red Sox and Brooklyn Dodgers organizations. He also played five years of professional football in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a defensive back with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. He is a member of the Texas Sports Hall of Fame.
The National Football League's Washington Redskins picked Isbell in the first round of the 1952 NFL Draft, but he opted to sign with Major League Baseball's Boston Red Sox. The club sent him straight to AAA and he hit .266/.360/.337 for the Louisville Colonels in 1952, very similar numbers to the other Louisville catcher, former Major Leaguer Al Evans. Back with the Colonels in 1953, Isbell was even better at .317/.386/.397 in 47 games while fielding .995; he outhit Pete Daley, the starter at catcher. In fact, he had the best average of any Louisville batter with 25 or more games player, ahead of Charlie Maxwell, Harry Agganis, and Ken Aspromonte, among others. He also played three games for the Fort Worth Panthers, hitting .200.
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