When Sandburg Hall of Fame football tailback Mike Navarro had a season to remember in 1968, scoring 22 touchdowns and rushing for 1,168 yards, leading the Eagles to a perfect 8-0 record, historians thought they had seen the most durable running back in the storied history of the Orland Park school.
But two years later, Ron Larcher, also a punishing tailback, wrote a legacy of his own.
Hall of Fame coach Joe Devine put together another unbeaten 8-0 season in 1970, this time with two-way standout Larcher leading the way for a team that on an average outscored opponents by a 27-5 margin.. After starring at safety on defense as a junior in 1969, , Larcher became the signature of an offensive attack as a senior.. When the season was over and the Eagles were ranked fifth in the entire Chicagoland area, Larcher earned All-State recognition. Perfecting the "dive play" into the line, Larcher carried the football an astonishing 247 times for 961 yards, 11 touchdowns and 6 2-point runs.
When you average more than 30 carries per game and every opponent is tuned in to your every move, it's amazing that Larcher avoided injuries. But he was relentless, never giving in to an opposing defense. In a crucial 29-8 win over arch-rival Reavis, Larcher had 214 yards in 35 carries, scoring two TDs. He also recovered two fumbles on defense.
In a hard-fought 10-7 win over Evergreen Park, Larcher scored the deciding touchdown in the fourth quarter, breaking Navarro's school record of carries in one game (45) with 47 attempts for 154 yards. Just imagine how Ron's body felt after that game.
In a showdown against Rich East on a frigid, windy night in Orland Park, Sandburg prevailed 7-0 as Larcher, who was held to 62 yards rushing, intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the game.
And, in the 21-20 season-ending, Southwest Suburban Conference title-clinching win at Homewood-Flossmoor, Larcher scored the winning touchdown with 1:30 to play In addition to running 36 times for 125 yards.
As the accolades poured in after the season, Larcher and All-State lineman Bruce Wells led the list of 10 Eagles on the Southwest Suburban Conference First Team of all-stars. In praise of Larcher, Palos-Worth Reporter Sports Editor said of Larcher, "No team could stop Larcher. He displayed great strength, quickness and intelligence when he played the game. He ran straight up and picked his holes in the line. He was so valuable on both sides of the line. Coach Devine wanted Larcher on the field in the game's biggest moments. Larcher was the difference between an outstanding season and an unbeaten season."
In the spring of 1971, Larcher's athletic excellence extended to the baseball diamond where the Eagles ranked as one of the best teams in the area. The hard-throwing Larcher was named the top pitcher in the Southwest Suburban Conference, also helping Sandburg win the Illinois High School Association Regional championship.


After attending the University of Texas, Ron became a highly-respected chiropractor like his legendary father Angelo.
Ron passed away in 2011 at the age of 57 after a courageous battle against Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. The son of Angelo and Edith Larcher was the father of Ronald C., D.C., "Angel" Miriam Levitan, D.D.S. and dear brother of Kathleen Cunningham, Cheryl O'Connell, Floyd Larcher, D.C. and the late Judith Christiano and Debra Larcher.