A late FAMU football legend is receiving a huge honor in his hometown.
Solomon Calhoun, St. Augustine’s first All-American football player, will become the namesake of St. Johns County’s newest community center.
The county commission voted to dedicate the facility to him earlier this week.
According to the St. Augustine Record, the “$6.2 million, 18,000- square-foot facility sits on 10 acres at the south end of Duval Street and will contain an Junior Olympic size swimming pool, a smaller practice pool, a full basketball court, a performance stage, a fitness room, a splash zone, a library and rooms for games and classes, such as yoga, dance or karate.”
After graduating from FAMU, Calhoun initiated a long career as a school administrator and sports coach. He served as principal of Excelsior High School on Central Avenue (now Martin Luther King, Jr. Avenue) from 1955 to 1968.
His mentees included Willie “The Galloping Ghost” Galimore, who became a three-time All-American football player at FAMU and went on to play for the Chicago Bears.
After district officials shut Excelsior down, Calhoun became the St. Johns County School District’s first black truancy officer.
The grand opening of the Solomon Calhoun Community Center is scheduled for 10 a.m. on April 25th.
This is Wonderful news. Most people don't know that St. Augustine is a city that has contributed to the state and FAMU, we ought to partner with. Many Rattlers were raised there. I think the community there face challenges that we can solve quickly. Gentrification is already under way there.
ReplyDeleteWho is Gentrification?? Where does he live? Did he graduate from FAMU, too?
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Just kidding folks, just kidding. Just having a lil' bit of TGIF fun. As God is my witness, TGIF.