By Aaron Allen, The Seattle Medium
Anyone involved in the CD Panthers Little League football community in Seattle’s Central District knows the name Larry Evans. Known affectionately as “Mr. Larry,” Evans has been a driving force behind the seamless operation of game days for nearly 20 years. From the organized concession stands to the set game clocks and fields ready for play, Evans’ presence is felt across the league.
Shavon Robinson, Vice President of the CD Panthers, considers Evans essential to the organization, which he joined nearly two decades ago.
“So currently he [Evans] is our field manager, and Larry has been with us for, I think, like 20 years,” Robinson shared. “He is one of the most important people because he helps with everything, whether it’s putting the field together, running the clock, making sure the kids have equipment, or making sure the equipment fits. He’s always handling things that other people don’t want to do.”
Evans’ journey to Seattle began in 1978 when, newly discharged from the military, he was encouraged by a friend to visit the Pacific Northwest.
“I had a friend who had moved out here, so when he came back to visit his mom, he was telling me about this area,” Evans recalled. “So, I said, ‘Man, you know, I just got out of the service, and this is a chance for me to get away and be somewhere different.’ I told him, if we drive, I’d drive out here, and I’ve been here ever since.”
After a brief move to Texas in 1997, he returned to Seattle in 2002, setting down roots and immersing himself in the Central District’s football scene.
Following his service in the Marine Corps and the National Guard, Evans worked at the shipyard while raising his family in Seattle. His children joined the CD Panthers, with some playing football and others participating on the cheer teams. His initial involvement was suggested by a close friend during one of their frequent fishing trips.
“My best friend, he’s passed now, but we used to be out on the lake fishing all the time. We’d be in the middle of the lake catching fish, and all of a sudden, he’d say, ‘Oh, man, I got to go!’” Evans laughed. “I thought, what’s taking this man from fishing? I decided to check it out, went to a Panthers practice, and that’s how I basically got started.”
When Evans initially joined the Panthers, he applied for an assistant athletic director position, hoping to gradually learn the ropes. However, when the person meant to serve as the athletic director didn’t show up, the responsibility unexpectedly fell into his hands.
“I applied for assistant athletic director after coaching for a year or two, but when the guy that was supposed to be athletic director never showed up, I walked in one day, and they said, ‘Guess what, Larry? You’re the new athletic director,’” Evans recalls. “I took it because I love the kids and the sport, but I wanted to learn it slowly first.”
Despite stepping down from the athletic director role a few years ago, Evans remains a fixture at the Panthers. At 70, he continues to assist on game days by setting up fields, running the game clock, and handling logistics that keep everything in motion. His dedication to the organization was formally recognized when he received the Charles Jackson Award, named in honor of the Panthers’ founder, for his longstanding contributions.
Evans’ commitment to the children and his sense of responsibility to his community go beyond the field. Reflecting on his early years with the Panthers, Evans noted how the crack epidemic devastated Black communities, leaving many young people without male role models.
“We have all these kids, and when crack came to this area, it almost wiped out a whole generation,” Evans explained. “I think we, as older guys, have to be mentors for these kids because, if not, they’re going to be lost. I didn’t want to see that happen. The kids are our future.”
He recalled noticing the absence of fathers at games early in his time with the Panthers.
“When I first got with the Panthers, it used to trouble me—I never saw men at the game,” he explained. “It was always a bunch of women, and I couldn’t understand that. Most of the men were either locked up or away from their families. But as time went on, there was a shift, and more men started coming out, which was beautiful. As men, we have to be mentors to these young guys we’re coaching and around—we have to set an example.”
This shift toward stronger male involvement had a powerful impact on Evans, reinforcing his belief that positive male figures could make a profound difference in young lives. The change, he noted, brought much-needed balance to the community’s efforts to raise the next generation, with fathers and mentors standing alongside mothers in support.
Robinson values Evans’ contributions and sees him as an irreplaceable part of the Panthers family. She believes his presence is a blessing to the community, especially to the children in the league.
“He believes more in those little kids than anybody in the world,” she remarked. “More than anybody I’ve ever come across. He may complain, he yells at people just like an older gentleman would, but everyone knows it’s from the heart. We never take it seriously or personally because everything he does is from the heart.”
