SPORTS & RECREATION
Nearly two decades of bowling excellence — including a perfect game — earns the Pensacola Senior Games standout the state’s top honor.
Pensacola Parks and Recreation is celebrating one of its own. Larry Draeger has been named the 2024 Florida Senior Games Male Athlete of the Year, an honor he received during a special recognition ceremony in November 2025.
Draeger, a longtime competitor in the Pensacola Senior Games, has built a reputation as a standout bowler at both the state and national levels — a run of success spanning nearly two decades.
Draeger began competing in the Florida Senior Games in 2008 and has since racked up numerous gold medals in men’s singles, men’s doubles and mixed doubles. In 2011, he etched his name into the record book, becoming only the third bowler in Florida Senior Games history to bowl a perfect game during competition.
The accolades kept coming in 2024. Draeger earned a bronze medal at the National Senior Games in Des Moines, Iowa, competing in the Men’s Singles 85-89 division, and took home gold in men’s doubles at the Florida Senior Games alongside fellow Pensacola athlete Gary Harlan.
“Larry represents the very best of the Pensacola Senior Games,” said Cheryl Fox, Athletics Division Manager for Pensacola Parks and Recreation. His commitment to staying active, competing at a high level and representing Pensacola with pride is truly inspiring. We are thrilled to see him recognized with this incredible honor.
About the Pensacola Senior Games: Hosted annually in September by Pensacola Parks and Recreation, the games give adults age 50 and better the chance to compete across a wide variety of athletic events while promoting healthy lifestyles, camaraderie and lifelong fitness. The games are sanctioned by the Florida Sports Foundation and serve as a qualifier for the Florida Senior Games.
