Larry Surock graduated from Paterson High School in Paterson, New Jersey. He tried playing minor league baseball with a New York Giants farm team, but left for the University of Baltimore, where he played soccer (football) and made All-American in 1952. After appearing for the US at the 1952 Olympics, Surock turned professional in 1954, playing with the Baltimore Rockets of the American Soccer League (ASL). He also served in the Korean War, but managed to return, despite all this, and complete his college degree via night school. Surock is a member of the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame (1991) and the University of Baltimore Athletic Hall of Fame (2004).