Senior
Larry Brister III didn't draw any collegiate football offers when he graduated from Portland's Jefferson High School despite earning first team All-PIL as an offensive and defensive lineman and twice being named team outstanding lineman and defensive MVP. He thought the lack of interest had to do with being overlooked because of the relative weakness of the Jefferson team that year.
Rather than looking for a lower division school to play football, he decided to take the academic scholarship offered by Portland State and try walking on to the Viking football program.
Only problem was that the Viking coaching staff wasn't interested.
As a freshman, one coach told him he needed to gain weight. He did, but was turned down again as a sophomore.
"I kept trying to play, but they wouldn't give me a shot", said Brister. "Over the years, I wondered if I'd ever get a chance to prove myself. I kept watching practices and thinking 'I can do that'," Brister said.
Once again, he tried as a junior. "He just showed up and started talking with us. He kept coming back, so we let him on the team," recalled Offensive Line Coach
Matt Leunen.
Spring ball his junior year was hard. Although he'd tried to stay in shape in the student weight room and playing flag football and in club wrestling (he placed 1
st in the PIL and fifth in state in high school), "I wasn't in football shape. The hardest things were getting back into the routines… early mornings, being sore after each practice and sticking with it. I really didn't get into shape until fall camp."
Over that junior summer, he spent time watching film and was taken under the wing of veteran offensive lineman
Garrett Stauffer. Brister credits Stauffer with helping him acclimate to the new program. "I'd ask him questions and he's explain things in depth. He stayed with me after practice and showed me how to get better."
Stauffer said he first got to know Brister in the weight room, where they were rack partners for weights "with him being a new guy and me not able to lift a ton because of my knee surgeries. Not playing for three years, he was rusty. It took him awhile to understand the plays and footwork because it's so much more difficult in college than in high school."
As an older player and a leader on the offensive line, Stauffer felt it was his job to work with Brister and that yielded dividends for them both. Brister proved a good student and Stauffer is proud of his contribution to Brister's progress.
He worked his way onto special teams that first year, starting on the back line in kick returns during the Northern Colorado game.
"I was very nervous on that first play, but I also was really excited. On that play, I knocked my guy over and my teammates were just yelling and cheering me on. That was my most memorable special teams play," said Brister.
A turning point in his Viking football career came during 2019 spring ball.
"Spring is a big evaluating period and after getting used to the system, he played really well. Although he's a bit undersized for an offensive lineman (6'2", 285 pounds), he's very quick and very aggressive. He's also very coachable. We tell him one time and he gets it," said Leunen.
Over the summer and into fall camp, Brister continued to work and learn. And that summer produced another memorable event.
It was the 4
th of July and the party was in full swing at the Brister home in North Portland.
Viking Head Coach
Bruce Barnum called Brister and told him he was in the neighborhood because his kids were playing baseball and he needed to drop by. Unbeknownst to Brister, Barnum had decided to reward his efforts with an athletic scholarship.
Brister said that Barnum had called him in early July to tell him he wanted to talk. "Then on the Fourth of July morning, he called me and said he was going to come by my house. When he got there, I was extremely nervous to hear what he had to say," said Brister.
"It looked like the whole neighborhood was there for the 4
th of July. The porch was covered in red, white and blue flowers," recalled Barnum. "I walked up and his grandfather, who was on the front porch, was the first person to see me. He hollered for Larry."
Upon hearing the reason for the visit, "I was speechless and very emotional. It made me realize that all that hard work I put in the weight room, on the field and on film meant something and that was being acknowledged by the coaches."
"His reaction when I presented him with the scholarship was something money can't buy. That's why I do this. It was an extremely special moment. At that moment, his grandfather was the proudest grandfather in America and that was the best 4
th of July party in the country," said Barnum.
Brister and his grandfather told the rest of the party after Barnum left. "I'm told they didn't need any fireworks to heighten the celebration," said Barnum.
Besides rewarding Brister's persistence and efforts, Barnum had another reason for the summer announcement.
"His academic scholarship didn't cover summer school. He was having a little difficulty affording a summer class he needed to graduate. If he hadn't been able to take that class, it would have delayed his graduation until after he took it next summer. I didn't want that to happen. I wanted him to graduate this year," Barnum said.
Even then, at the end of fall camp, Brister didn't realize how much he'd impressed the coaches. Leunen told him he was going to start at left guard in the team's first game of the season against the SEC Arkansas Razorbacks in a nationally televised game at Razorback Stadium.
"When the coaches told me I was to start at left guard against Arkansas, I was surprised. It was like all that work and persistence had finally paid off," he said. Starting against an SEC team was a big deal. Heck, just playing against an SEC team was a big deal.
"When I got there and saw the stands, how big the stadium was, the crowd…it was nerve wracking. The coaches had emphasized how good their defensive line was. They were really good, but we almost beat them and after a few plays we thought maybe they'd been a bit over-hyped," he said.
Brister's odyssey to become the Viking's starting left guard this season didn't begin until he was a freshman in high school. Unlike a lot of kids, he'd played no organized sports until then.
"I had a lot of anxiety in middle school. I was just stressing about everything. I wanted to play football to make my dad proud (
Larry Brister senior also had played fullback and linebacker at Jefferson). Once I started playing, I liked it and the anxieties began to drift away. I was able to play for me," he said.
He began thinking about playing on the Division 1 college football his junior year in high school and his only regret is that he didn't get to play earlier.
Leunen said that team over individual attitude is one of the things he likes about Brister, who described himself as being very family oriented.
"We like that he's a family-oriented kid. All the guys hang around together. It's a close-knit position. He's always been close to his family and that transfers over," said Leunen.
Brister also has been successful in the classroom and is carrying a 3.4 GPA in Applied Health and Fitness. He'll graduate next spring.
His college years have been quite a journey. "I never gave up on playing and I felt proud for making it. I tell people 'if you have a dream, don't give up. Be persistent'."
