GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Some called him Little Larry. Others preferred Lil' Lightning.Regardless of the nickname, Larry Libertore remains a part of Florida football lore and in 2005 was inducted into the University of Florida Athletics Hall of Fame. Libertore died Monday on Christmas day at age 78 following a brief illness.Despite his small stature – Libertore stood 5-foot-8 and weighed less than 140 pounds in his three seasons with the Gators from 1960-62 – Libertore played a large role in some signature victories.Libertore finished his career as a defensive back, but he gained notoriety as Florida's starting quarterback when he led the Gators to a 13-10 victory at LSU in 1960 as a sophomore. Libertore scored on a 66-yard touchdown run at Tiger Stadium on the first play of the game.According to a 2006 story on the game by Gators historian, Libertore faked a handoff to fullback Don Goodman, cut inside left tackle, shook off a defensive back and then reversed field to the right and scooted 66 yards for a score with only 42 seconds gone in the game."Jon MacBeth made a good fake and Lindy Infante threw a great block that let me get started," Libertore said then. "Once Lindy opened the hole and I sort of bounced off a defender, it was just a matter of outrunning people to the end zone."The 1960 Gators, in head coach Ray Graves' first season, recorded the first nine-win season in UF history. Three weeks prior to Florida's win at LSU, the Gators pulled off an 18-17 victory at home against Georgia Tech. Trailing 17-10, Libertore pitched to Infante for a 4-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds left. Rather than go for the tie, Graves went for two and Libertore hit MacBeth for the winning score on the two-point conversion.Libertore was inducted into the UF Hall of Fame in a class that also included Gator Greats Tami Bruce (swimming 1986-89), Mark Merklein (tennis 1991-94), Dennis Mitchell (track 1985-87), Errict Rhett (football 1990-93) and Sophia Witherspoon (basketball 1989-91).Born in Ohio, Libertore moved to Florida and was a standout prep quarterback at Miami Edison High. He signed with the Gators and was named MVP in Florida's 13-12 win over Baylor in the 1960 Gator Bowl."I could have gone to UF, Florida State or Miami, but looking at the quarterback situations at the time and the type of offense each school had, Florida was my best opportunity to play all three years," Libertore told The Lakeland Ledger in 2005.Libertore went on to have a successful career in business and politics. He owned a real estate company and served as a Polk County Commissioner and in the Florida Legislature.He told the Ledger he considered the upset of No. 10 Georgia Tech in his third career game the highlight of his football career."That game was real thrill," he said. "It's something I'll always remember."Libertore was a defensive back by the time his career ended with a win over Penn State in the 1962 Gator Bowl.