Dick Lasse

{{Short description|American football player and coach (1935–2025)}} {{Use American English|date=November 2024}} {{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}} {{Infobox NFL biography | name = Dick Lasse | image = Dick Lasse.jpg | caption = Lasse in 1958 | number = 89, 88, 30 | position = Linebacker | birth_date = {{Birth date|1935|11|13|mf=y}} | birth_place = Quincy, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|2025|4|28|1935|11|13}} | death_place = New Brighton, Pennsylvania, U.S. | height_ft = 6 | height_in = 2 | weight_lb = 222 | high_school = Weymouth <br> (Weymouth, Massachusetts) <br> Worcester Academy <br> (Worcester, Massachusetts) | college = Syracuse | draftyear = 1958 | draftround = 6 | draftpick = 68 | pastteams = * Pittsburgh Steelers ({{NFL Year|1958|1959}}) * Washington Redskins ({{NFL Year|1960|1961}}) * New York Giants ({{NFL Year|1962}}) * Hamilton Tiger-Cats ({{CFL Year|1963}}) | highlights = * Second-team All-American (1957) * 2× First-team All-Eastern (1956, 1957) | statlabel1 = Interceptions | statvalue1 = 3 | statlabel2 = Fumble recoveries | statvalue2 = 1 | pfr = LassDi20 }}

'''Richard Stephen Lasse''' (November 13, 1935 – April 28, 2025) was an American professional football player and college coach.

== College playing career == After graduating from Worcester Academy in 1954,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Richard S. "Dick" Lasse Obituary (2025) - New Brighton, PA - J&J Spratt Funeral Home, Inc. |url=https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/richard-lasse-obituary?id=58308781 |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Legacy.com}}</ref> Lasse played college football (linebacker and tight end) and wrestled for the Syracuse University, where he was teammates with Jim Brown.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Syracuse University |url=https://archive.org/details/syracuse-football-2024-media-guide-2024-07-22/page/136/mode/2up?q=lasse |title=Syracuse Football 2024 Media Guide |date=2024-07-22}}</ref> His senior year, Lasse was an All-American on defense, while leading the team in receiving. For his efforts he won the Bill Horr Award as the team's MVP and the Pat Miller Award as the team's outstanding athlete, student, and citizen.<ref name=":0" /> He was chosen to play in the 1958 Senior Bowl and North-South Game.<ref name=":0" />

==Professional playing career== Lasse was drafted in the sixth round (68th overall) in the 1958 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers and played five seasons with the team, followed by a season each with the Washington Redskins and the New York Giants.<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20100217054136/http://databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=LASSEDIC01 Database Football]}} Dick Lasse NFL Records</ref> In 1963 he played a season in the CFL for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

==Coaching career== ===Curry=== Lasse was the first football coach at Curry College in Milton, Massachusetts,<ref>[https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=gMUNAAAAIBAJ&sjid=LnMDAAAAIBAJ&pg=2369,878082&dq=geneva-college+football St. Petersburg Times]{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} "Lasse Appointed Coach at Geneva" January 12, 1974</ref> starting the program in 1965 with an inaugural winless season of 0–5. He coached at Curry until 1968, accumulating a record of 3–19.<ref>[http://www.curry.edu/NR/rdonlyres/30AAF599-90F0-45A5-989E-38E7C36DD4B3/0/Football_2008_web.pdf Curry College Athletics] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100529130942/http://www.curry.edu/NR/rdonlyres/30AAF599-90F0-45A5-989E-38E7C36DD4B3/0/Football_2008_web.pdf |date=May 29, 2010 }} 2008 Football Media Guide</ref>

===Geneva=== Lasse was the 27th head football coach at Geneva College located in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania and holding the position for two seasons 1974 and 1975. His coaching record at Geneva was 1–17.

==Death== Lasse died on April 28, 2025, at the age of 89.<ref>[https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/richard-lasse-obituary?id=58308781 Richard S. "Dick" Lasse] Legacy</ref>

==References== {{Reflist}}

==External links== * {{Footballstats |nfl=dick-lasse |espn= |cbs= |yahoo= |si= |pfr=L/LassDi20 |rotoworld= |dbf= }}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lasse, Dick}} Category:1935 births Category:2025 deaths Category:American football linebackers Category:Curry Colonels football coaches Category:Geneva Golden Tornadoes football coaches Category:Hamilton Tiger-Cats players Category:New York Giants players Category:Pittsburgh Steelers players Category:Syracuse Orange football players Category:Washington Redskins players Category:Sportspeople from Quincy, Massachusetts Category:Players of American football from Norfolk County, Massachusetts Category:Coaches of American football from Massachusetts Category:20th-century American sportsmen Category:Worcester Academy alumni