Larry Gene Hayes, Sr.

Larry Gene Hayes, passed away peacefully at the age of 82 on June 15, 2017. Born in Old Hickory, Tennessee, he was the second son of Anderson B. Hayes and Margaret Lauper and was the great great grandson of Oliver Bliss Hayes, a Nashville lawyer and minister whose eldest daughter, Adelicia Hayes Acklen, founded Belmont University. He is survived by his wife of 55 years, Ann Glenn Hayes; a daughter, Melissa Hayes Baker (Robbie) of Mobile, Alabama; a son, Larry Hayes, Jr. (Sheryl) of Nashville; four grandchildren, Ellie Baker, Hayes Baker, Hannah Hayes and Larry Hayes, III; a sister, Priscilla Hayes Petty (Gene Paul); a brother-in-law, William David Glenn (Donna) of Louisville, Kentucky, four nephews and one niece. Preceding him in death was his brother, Anderson Douglas Hayes. An outstanding athlete at Dupont High School in Old Hickory, Larry excelled in the sport of football. Although he received numerous scholarship offers, he was persuaded by his parents to sign with Vanderbilt University, where he anchored the defense of the legendary Vanderbilt team that defeated Auburn in the 1955 Gator Bowl. A rare combination of both size and speed, he played middle linebacker and was renowned for his ferocious tackles. The late Bill Trickett once remarked, "Larry was the only man I ever knew who wanted a football game to last longer than 60 minutes." After graduating Vanderbilt, he was drafted into the Canadian Football League by the Ottawa Rough Riders and subsequently drafted into the National Football League by the New York Giants. He played middle linebacker for the Giants against the Packers in the historic 1961 Championship Game, which was the original Super Bowl, alongside football greats Y.A. Tittle, Frank Gifford, Pat Summerall, Ray Nitschke and Coach Vince Lombardi. That same year, Larry met and married the love of his life, Ann Baxter Glenn, and they began their life together. After being traded by the Giants to the Rams, Larry spent two more years playing professional football in Los Angeles before returning to his hometown to begin a long and distinguished business career, beginning as a banker with Commerce Union Bank and ending with over thirty years spent in the cement industry both in Nashville and Mobile, Alabama. The epitome of an old-fashioned gentleman, Larry never left the house without a clean linen handkerchief folded neatly in his back pocket and freshly-polished shoes, no matter the occasion. He was known for his love of the great outdoors, especially duck hunting and fishing. He was also well known for his brutal honesty in every aspect of his life, every situation, without exception, without filter, and without timidity. No one ever wondered where they stood Larry. But everyone who knew him agreed on one thing, once he made up his mind, it could not be changed, period. His friends knew that they were friends for life. Larry was a devoted family man, and a wonderful husband and a larger-than-life father to his children, who carried on his athletic prowess, both being named Collegiate All-Americans in the respective sports of basketball and football, and both being inducted into the Rhodes College Athletic Hall of Fame. The family expresses their deepest gratitude to Latonya Webb and her numerous caregivers for providing such faithful and loving care during the final stage of his life. Visitation with the family will be held on Monday, June 19, 2017 from 10:00 a.m. until Noon in the Cheek House at First Presbyterian Church, 4815 Franklin Pike, Nashville, Tennessee. A memorial service will be held immediately following visitation in the Stanford Chapel, Dr. Todd B. Jones officiating, with burial following at Woodlawn Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the Youth Department at First Presbyterian Church.