John LaGrone

John Wesley LaGrone III (November 4, 1944 – March 27, 2022) was an American professional gridiron football player who played for the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s Edmonton Eskimos.

John LaGrone

Born:	(1944-11-04)November 4, 1944 Borger, Texas, U.S.
Died:	March 27, 2022(2022-03-27) (aged 77) Fritch, Texas, U.S.
Career information
CFL status	American
Position(s)	DT
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	235 lb (107 kg)
College	Southern Methodist
Career history
As player
1967–1974	Edmonton Eskimos
Career highlights and awards
DeMarco-Becket Memorial Trophy (1969) CFL Most Outstanding Lineman (1969) Edmonton Eskimos Wall of Honour (1988)[1] Consensus All-American (1966) 3× First-team All-SWC (1964, 1965, 1966)
CFL All-Star	1968, 1969
CFL West All-Star	1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973

CFL

After playing college football at Southern Methodist University, where he was an All-American, LaGrone spent his entire eight-year CFL career from 1967 to 1974 as a defensive tackle. He was named a Western Conference All-Star six times, a CFL All-Star twice, and won the CFL's Most Outstanding Lineman Award in 1969.

The Eskimos never won a Grey Cup during his time with them, losing twice under head coach Ray Jauch, the 61st Grey Cup of 1973 and the 62nd Grey Cup of 1974, to Ottawa and Montreal respectively.

Post-football

Since 1990, LaGrone served as a judge^[2] in Hutchinson County, Texas.^[3] He died on March 27, 2022, in Fritch, Texas, aged 77.^[4]

Further reading

• Beilue, Jon Mark (August 24, 1999). "LaGrone was a complete player". Amarillo Globe-News.
• Gove, Chris (November 7, 1999). "This judge used to rule with defense". Amarillo Globe-News.