Bryan Larson

Vice President of Risk Management

Leggett & Platt Inc.

Baseball has always been one of Bryan Larson’s biggest passions in life.

Growing up in Minnesota he was always a big fan of the Twins, and he played so much that he became good enough to get a college scholarship from Missouri Southern State University. He played third base for the Lions in 1991 and 1992 – two of the university’s winningest seasons, which included back-to-back MIAA titles.

Even after graduation from Southern, Larson continued with baseball, trying out for an MLB team and playing and managing a semi-pro league for about 10 years. But eventually he hung up his glove and, since 1993, he’s been working in the business world.

Currently he serves as staff vice president of risk management for Leggett & Platt Inc. He started with the company as a general liability claims manager, which evolved into three different roles before finally landing his current position. And that journey from baseball to marketing and management degree to vice president of a Fortune 500 company is one that he looks back on with fondness and humility.

“A lot of my success comes from the foundation I received while at Missouri Southern,” Larson said. “The business department there is a good, tight-knit group. One of the nicest things about going to MSSU is that all the professors get to know your name. I was always impressed with how engaged the professors got with their students. I still talk to some of them to this day. And they’re not just engaged in their students’ course work, but also their day-to-day life. They really care about getting to know you as a person.”

To this day, he considers Lions athletics to be a big draw for the university. His two children – a daughter and son – both play sports and love to attend MSSU sporting events. His son has signed an agreement to play baseball with the university in 2018. Larson is also on the Lionbacker committee and has continued to be a supporter of the institution since he left more than 20 years ago. Getting involved has always been one of his top priorities, and it’s something he recommends for all students.

“Keep your options open,” he said. “As an incoming freshman you don’t need to have life figured out. Just get involved as much as you can. Meet as many people as you can. And through four years on campus, it’ll come to you. You don’t have to force it – just let the curriculum and the activities and the networking with other people do its job and it’ll come to you. You’ll discover what you want do to.”