Remembering Indy sports great Larry Highbaugh

Larry Highbaugh was an athletic marvel — a three-sport star at Washington High School in Indianapolis, a track and football legend at IU and a Hall of Famer in the Canadian Football League.

Highbaugh, who died Tuesday at age 67, had speed and skill that made him a football, basketball and track phenomenon during a golden era of athletics at Washington.

He was a sophomore on the Continentals' 1964-65 state basketball championship team and a football star on the 1966 state title team as a senior. In the spring of his senior year, Highbaugh set the state record in the 100-yard dash and 220-yard dash.

At Indiana, he was the first athlete to win the "Jesse Owens Slam" at a Big Ten Conference meet as a sophomore with victories in the 100 and 220, long jump and sprint relay. Highbaugh was a two-time All-American in the 440-yard relay and finished third at the NCAA championships in 1970 and 1971. He still holds the second fastest 100-yard dash time (9.3 seconds) in program history, set at the 1969 Drake Relays.

As a defensive back for the Hoosiers, Highbaugh was a member of the 1967 Big Ten championship team that faced Southern California in the 1968 Rose Bowl. "Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Highbaugh family," IU football coach Tom Allen said in a news release. "Larry was a tremendous player and an incredible athlete. The IU Football family is deeply saddened by his loss."

After college, Highbaugh played briefly with the Dallas Cowboys, then spent 13 years in the Canadian Football League, winning six Grey Cups with the Edmonton Eskimos —  five of them in a row from 1978 to 1982. Highbaugh holds the Eskimos' records for longest kick return (118 yards), longest punt return (116), career interceptions (66, second most in CFL history) and kick return touchdowns (3), according to Vikings.com.

"In a league where speed wins, Larry Highbaugh was the fastest,"  said CFL commissioner Jeffrey Orridge in a news release. “In a league where big plays deliver excitement, he was electrifying.

"And for all those who saw him play, he made the game more fun, and his place in it unforgettable."

After his many years of sports glory were behind him, Highbaugh taught at South Gwinnett High School in Snellville, Ga. He also coached track and field. “His wide grin and engaging personality made him a beloved figure" at the school, the Gwinnett Post reported. He worked with students with autism in the special education department for more than 20 years, according to the Post.

Highbaugh died Tuesday evening after complications from heart surgery, the Post reported. He had been diagnosed with a heart ailment and had been on a transplant list, the Post reported, before being removed from the list when prostate cancer was discovered and he had to be treated for that.

Survivors include his wife, Ela, and five children: Monica, Angela, Tara, Alisa and Bria. Tre Roberson, the 2010 IndyStar Mr. Football, was Highbaugh's grandson. Roberson was the first true freshman to star at quarterback at IU and later transferred to Illinois State, leading the Redbirds to the FCS national championship game in 2014. He has spent time as a defensive back with the Minnesota Vikings.