single blocked punt. Over the course of his 11-year NFL career, he punted 503 times for 22,279 yards for an average of 44.3 yards. His 48.9 yard average in 1963 was the second highest single-season total in NFL history, trailing only Sammy Baugh's 51.3 yard average in 1940. At the time of his retirement in 1964, Lary's 44.3 yard career punting average ranked second in NFL history, trailing only Sammy Baugh. In addition to the length of his punts, Lary was also known for the hang time on his punts and once had a string of six games and 32 punts with no returns. Teammate Joe Schmidt later recalled, "Kicking from the end zone, Yale invariably put the ball across midfield with enough hang time to let us cover the kick. He made our defense look good because he always gave us room to work." In 1992, sports writer Jack Saylor rated Lary as the second best punter in NFL history. Paul Hornung went further, saying in 2004 that Lary was the best punter ever. Lary also handled punt returns for the Lions. He returned three punts for touchdowns and was among the NFL leaders in punt return yardage and yards per return in 1952, 1953, 1957, and 1958. He had the NFL's longest punt return in 1957 at 71 yards. In July 1965, Lary announced that he was retiring from football. He said at the time that "it's too much to move my wife and kids twice a year. It's not fair to them." Personal life and later years Lary and his wife, Mary Jane, were married in 1952. They had two children: Yale, Jr., and Nancy Jane. Followed by four grandchildren Tara, and Tori Mathews Yale III, and Erin Lary. Even before retiring from the NFL, Lary served in the Texas House of Representatives, as a Democrat, from 1959 to 1963. In February 1965, he also broke ground on a Ford Motor Company dealership in Fort Worth to be owned by Lary and a childhood friend. He operated the automobile dealership for nearly a decade. He later formed an investment company with interests in real estate, oil and gas leases, and oil and natural gas production. He died on May 11, 2017 at the age of 86. Honors Lary has received numerous honors and awards since retiring from football. These include: In 1969, Lary was selected as a