Larry Kinnebrew rushed for more than 1,000 yards as a fullback and was a dominant force defensively on East Rome’s 15-0 Class A championship team that shut out nine opponents and held four to seven points or less in 1977. He was named the 1977 AJC Class A Lineman of the Year and was a Parade All-American. Though he played at 6-foot-2, 240 pounds, Kinnebrew was exceptionally fast. In the spring of 1978, he won the Class A 100-yard dash with a time of 10.02 seconds, beating out fellow Hall of Famer Herschel Walker. He signed with the University of Georgia, but transferred to Tennessee State to finish his college career. Kinnebrew went on to be selected in the sixth round of the 1983 NFL Draft by Cincinnati. During his time in the NFL, he set a Bengals record in 1984 with four rushing touchdowns in a game against the Houston Oilers. The following year, he put up a career best 714 yards on 170 carries while scoring nine touchdowns along with 22 receptions. Kinnebrew’s 37 career touchdowns with the Bengals is fourth all-time for the franchise, tied with fellow Hall of Famer James Brooks. In 2007, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution ranked Kinnebrew as the No. 4 Georgia high school football player of all time.
