I never personally met Freddie Solomon. Any time I saw him out in public he would have person after person coming up to greet him and talk to him. Sometimes it seemed like one had to wait in line just to shake the man’s hand. He was famous for his incredible football talents. In Tampa he was legendary for just being a great guy. He cared about people and he cared about his community.
Just a few weeks ago, the Tampa Tribune ran a story of the renaming of the sheriff’s annex in Ybor City to the “Freddie Solomon Annex”. There is a scholarship in his name. The footprints he left in Tampa will be remembered for generations to come.
I never personally met Freddie Solomon. I never shook his hand. I only heard of his legend but that was enough for me to admire him. Any person who cares so deeply about Tampa like Freddie Solomon did will always be a friend to me.
Many of us wish we could have had thirty more years of Freddie Solomon because 59 years old is often times just too young, but we can always be thankful for his great inspiration in that brief period of time we were blessed to have him.
He was the positive inspiration I wish we had more of.
Guido Maniscalco's World 