Football career
After an All-American career at the University of Tulsa, Largent was selected in the fourth round of the 1976 NFL draft by the Houston Oilers. After four preseason games, he was initially slated to be cut, but was instead traded to the expansion Seattle Seahawks for a 1977 eighth-round pick.
Largent spent 16 years with the Seahawks, and, while not particularly fast, was extremely sure-handed. He was selected to the NFL Pro Bowl seven times, and was the first Seahawk to earn that honor. His number (80) was retired in 1992; as of 2007 he is the only Seahawk to be so honored (although the team has retired number 12 in honor of the fans, the so-called “twelfth man”).
Largent was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1997. In 1999, he was ranked number 46 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Football Players, the only Seahawk on the list.
When Largent retired, he held many NFL receiving records, including: most receptions in a career (819), most receiving yards in a career (13,089), and most touchdown receptions (100). He was also in possession of a then-record streak of 177 consecutive regular-season games with a reception.
During Jerry Rice's stint with the Seahawks in 2004, Largent's number 80 was temporarily "unretired" with his approval, permitting Rice to continue to wear the number he had used for his entire career. Largent remains the most prolific receiver in team history.
Political career
Largent returned to Miamisburg in 1992 and soon became active in politics. However, he didn't make his first run for office until 1994. That year, 1st District Congressman Jim Inhofe ran in a special election to succeed Senator David Boren. Largent entered the Republican primary for the Tulsa-based district. He won the nomination and went on to win easily in November. He was reelected three times, never winning less than 60 percent of the vote in the heavily Republican district.
Like many of his colleagues in the Republican freshmen elected in 1994—when the Republicans took control of the House for the first time in 40 years—Largent's voting record was conservative. Largent was one of the "true believers" in that freshman class. He devoted most of his time to issues important to the religious right.
One of his first bills was a "parental rights" bill that died in committee after it attracted opposition even from other Christian conservatives. Another one of his early bills would have abolished the federal tax code at the end of 2001, a measure that made Republicans appear fiscally irresponsible in the press. He opposed ending the 1996 federal government shutdown, and when it ended was one of the major players in an attempted coup against House Speaker Newt Gingrich. After the Republicans suffered heavy losses in the 1998 midterm elections, Largent was one of a group of Republican congressmen who drove Gingrich into retirement. He introduced a bill that would ban adoptions by gay and lesbian parents in Washington, D.C.
Largent himself tried to take advantage of discontent with Majority Leader Dick Armey by challenging Armey for the post. Armey was very unpopular in the Republican caucus, but managed to defeat Largent because Largent wasn't seen as a team player. However, the bruising contest all but ended Armey's chances of becoming Speaker.
Largent decided to run for Governor of Oklahoma in 2002. He easily won the Republican nomination and resigned his House seat to devote all his energy to the race. Initially seen as an overwhelming favorite against Democratic state senator Brad Henry, Largent lost a three-way race.
The surprise gubernatorial loss came as a result of three factors:
the presence of a well-funded independent (a former Democrat) on the general election ballot;
Democrat nominee Brad Henry's pro-cock fighting position garnering a last minute endorsement by rural cock-fighting interests who turned out in large numbers as the legality of cockfighting was on the ballot; and
Largent's unfamiliarity with hostile press interviews, as he had been somewhat of a popular local celebrity in Tulsa. This led to what was perhaps his greatest misstep: swearing at an Oklahoma City television reporter who wanted to know where he was at the time of the September 11, 2001 attacks. Largent's press secretary released a statement as if it were from Largent; then it was learned that Largent had been on a hunting trip and didn't find out about the events of 9/11 until a day or so later.
Largent lost to Henry by just under 7,000 votes in the three-way race.
Most political observers believe that Largent, still a young man, will return to the political realm with this valuable experience as a stronger candidate.
Largent is currently the CEO of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association since 2003. The CTIA is the largest lobbying organization for the cellular phone industry.
