Nebraska basketball legend Larry Florence passes away

Nebraska basketball legend Larry Florence has passed away, Independence CC head coach Jason Steadman announced Saturday night. He was 49 years old.

Per Robin Washut of HuskerOnline, Florence had battled multiple myeloma, an aggressive form of blood cancer for nearly a decade. “You understand as a human being, God wants us to work together and help each other, but sometimes you’ve got to take a step back and be like, ‘No,’ turn your phone off and just relax,” he told the Ledger-Enquirer last April. “I want people to really concentrate on, especially men in general, to not be so manly. Get your checkups. Get your blood work done.”

Florence left his mark on Nebraska and the Lincoln community, as he was a member of four postseason tournament teams, including the 1998 NCAA Tournament team and the 1996 NIT Championship team. As Nebraska‘s team captain in 2000, he was named an All-Big 12 Honorable Mention. He was also named Husker Power Male Athlete of the Year in 1999 and became just the 22nd Nebraska player to surpass 1,000 career points.

“Everybody loved to be around him,” retired Central High School head coach Bobby Wright told the Ledger-Enquirer. “He’s just a good person, … a role model for kids. He set the standard for Central basketball.” Prior to Florence’s passing, he was inducted into the Central High School Sports Hall of Fame on May 4, 2024.

Florence is etched forever in Nebraska history books

Basketball was more than a game to Florence, as he also explained to the Ledger-Enquirer last year.

“It saved my life because it gave me a sense of purpose,” he said. “Once you figure out that you’re pretty good at it, now you got to work at it. … It gave me a sense of pride to be doing something that other people want to come and watch you do. … If I didn’t have basketball, I could have been out in these streets doing nonsense, whether it was drinking alcohol every day or doing drugs. … It was really difficult in the hood, as far as guys selling drugs or breaking into people’s homes or stealing cars.”

The Phoenix City, AL native was a four-year starter for Nebraska, as he finished his career as the Cornhuskers’ 14th-leading scorer with 1,223 points. His 105 starts rank second in program history behind Dave Hoppen‘s 111, and his 123 games at Nebraska ranks 11th most in program history.

Rest in peace Larry Florence.