Crime & Safety

Tampa's Freddie Solomon Dies at 59

The local football legend, NFL standout and community coordinator for the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office has lost his battle with cancer, TBO.com reports.

Freddie Solomon, a former University of Tampa quarterback and NFL standout who spent more than 20 years working in community relations with the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office, has died, TBO.com reports. He was 59.

Solomon died Monday afternoon after a nine-month battle with colon and liver cancer, the website reported, citing family friend George Levy. He had been hospitalized on Feb. 4.

The South Carolina native finished 12th in the Heisman Trophy balloting after his senior season at UT in 1974, then spent 11 seasons in the NFL, winning two Super Bowls with the San Francisco 49ers as a wide receiver.

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Solomon was honored Jan. 11, his 59th birthday, during the dedication of the Hillsborough Sheriff's annex in Ybor City, which was christened the Freddie Solomon Annex.

He joined the sheriff's office as a community coordinator in 1991, counseling and coaching at-risk youth through sheriff's-sponsored programs.

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"His is a story not of fame and fortune, but one that unlocks the human spirit,'' Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee told TBO.com.

Solomon is survived by his wife of 33 years, the former Delilah (Dee) Jeffers of Tampa, TBO.com reports. Funeral arrangements are pending.


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