Chadron State College Athletics

One of CSC’s all-time great basketball players, Larsen scored 1,605 points during his four years (1949-53) at CSC for an average of 17 points a game. He was the Eagles’ career scoring leader for 26 years before Steve Coon finally passed him. He still ranks third on the all-time list. He was the first CSC player to average more than 20 points a game. He did it as a senior in 1952-53 after averaging 18.8 the previous season. The Eagles, led by Larsen and Nels Christiansen, represented Nebraska at the NAIA National Tournament in 1951-52. A native of Springview, where he now lives, Larsen was a three-time all-conference selection at CSC and was a second-team All-American his senior year.
After graduating, Larsen coached Valentine and Alliance basketball teams that reached the state tournament. He later was an administrator at several Nebraska schools and the Pine Ridge Job Corps Center. Another of his life-long interests has been raising and racing thoroughbreds. His horses ran on nearly all the tracks in the Midwest and in Arizona. He was selected as Nebraska’s Thoroughbred Breeder of the Year in 1984. His wife, Marilyn, is from Chadron.