Lincoln University of Missouri Athletics

Dr. Larry Terry completed his bachelor’s degree from Lincoln University in 1974 and later went on to earn both a master’s degree from the University of Missouri at Columbia and a PhD from the Center for Public Administration and Policy at Virginia Tech.

Dr. Terry was team captain of the football team in 1973 and 1974. He was part of the 1972 team that went 9-1 and tied for the MIAA Championships. The two years that followed, Dr. Terry was a part of the All-MIAA first team in 1973 and 1974 as a defensive end. He was the top pass rusher on the team from 1972-1974, recording 10 sacks as a freshman and tallied 13 more as a sophomore, even after missing a couple of games due to a neck injury.

Dr. Terry was often double-teamed in games, but the 6-foot-2 athlete was given the label of “dirty player” because of his aggressive attitude during the game. He was always small for his position (195 pounds), but he made up for it with his quickness and determination.

Dr. Terry later went on to serve in his most recent position of Vice President for Business and Professor of Public Administration at the University of Texas at Dallas. He became widely known for his book, The Leadership of Public Bureaucracies: The Administrator as Conservator, Second Edition. He passed away in 2006.