Larry Agajanian
LONG BEACH - The recent passing of Larry Agajanian brought tears to the eyes of his friends, but the memorial service planned in his honor should be exemplary for the number of stories and smiles people have about his warm and generous personality.
Agajanian was a standout defensive lineman at Wilson High and UCLA, a successful real estate developer, and the son of former NFL kicker Ben Agajanian. He died of natural causes Nov. 30 at the age of 66 after dealing with health issues for several years.
A celebration of his life will be held Dec. 15 at the Long Beach Yacht Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. It is open to the public.
The Yacht Club membership is conducting a fundraising drive in his honor, but friends and the public are invited to attend without obligation.
Agajanian didn't play high school football until his senior year at Wilson in 1963, but he played well enough to earn a scholarship to UCLA and be a three-year letterman as a defensive tackle on Tommy Prothro's early Bruin teams.
He was an eighth-round draft pick by the Green Bay Packers in 1968 and spent two preseasons with the Packers before retiring because of a major knee injury. He returned to Long Beach and opened his own real estate development company and was a key player in the Pine Avenue restoration project.
"He was a sweetheart," Art Levine, a Long Beach State ethics and legal studies professor and host of the "Straight Talk" television show, said
Thursday. "Warm, loyal, larger than life, generous to a fault, and a man of high integrity in a field where it is rare."I met Larry when I moved to Long Beach more than 30 years ago, and he virtually took me in as a member of his family. You couldn't find a better friend."
"He enjoyed life so much and had hundreds of friends," said a close friend, Mark Gray. "He was a Long Beach guy and a UCLA Bruin forever. He truly liked people."
The Agajanian family has deep roots in Long Beach and the South Bay.
His father, Ben, went to San Pedro High, Compton College and the University of New Mexico, spent 20 years in professional football as a placekicker, and became one of the pre-eminent kicking instructors after his career ended.
His uncle J.C. Agajanian operated the legendary Ascot Speedway in Gardena. His daughters Lisa and Lauren were standout volleyball players at Wilson who went on to play at UCLA and Pepperdine, respectively.
"I'm a passionate Bruin, and will always be one," Agajanian told the Press-Telegram during an interview several years ago. "I never miss a Bruin football game. I have great memories from that school. I got a good education there, and had a lot of fun on Saturdays playing football."
He played during the Gary Beban era and was part of the 1966 team that upset USC behind backup quarterback Norman Dow. A year later, he played in the memorable UCLA-USC game pitting Beban against O.J. Simpson. He was named most outstanding senior in 1968.
Packers coach Vince Lombardi called him personally after he was drafted.
"He told me he liked my quickness and work ethic," Agajanian said.
He suffered a knee injury in the final preseason game as a rookie that would end his career. He tried a comeback the following year but was one of the Packers' last cuts.
"You always wonder how you would have done if you had a chance to prove yourself," Agajanian said. "I came back to Long Beach, and I remember my mom saying to me, `It's time for you to go out and get a job.' I gave up football and got into real estate."
He was a successful real estate broker for 40 years and served on the executive board of the Long Beach Association of Realtors. He was appointed by Gov. George Deukmejian to the Property Assessors Appeals Board of the State Board of Equalization.
His company was part of the original development team to revive Pine Avenue, and it successfully renovated the large bank building on Pine and First Street. A recession in the early '90s led to some reversals of fortune and he closed his company and thereafter worked for Matlow Kennedy, which was later bought by Cushman and Wakefield.
"He had a vision of Pine Avenue, and it might never have happened without him," Levine said. "His clients remained loyal through good times and bad times because he was such an honest, fair person."
He is survived by his father, Ben, sisters Lynne and Lori, brother Lewis, daughters Lisa and Lauren, son-in-law Larry, and two grandsons, Mason and Carter.
bob.keisser@presstelegram.com Twitter/@BobKeisser
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