Freddie Solomon (January 11, 1953 – February 13, 2012) was an American professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

player who was a

wide receiver A wide receiver (WR), also referred to as a wideout, and historically known as a split end (SE) or flanker (FL), is an eligible receiver in gridiron football. A key skill position of the offense (American football), offense, WR gets its name ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...

in the second round of the

1975 NFL draft The 1975 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkowski. Player selectio ...

. A native of Sumter, South Carolina, he was a graduate of

Sumter High School Sumter High School is a co-educational four-year public high school serving grades 9 through 12 in Sumter School District located in the south side of Sumter, South Carolina, United States. With an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students, Sum ...

class of 1971. A 5-foot-11, 184-pound receiver from the

University of Tampa The University of Tampa (UTampa, UT or Tampa U) is a private university in Tampa, Florida. It is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. UTampa offers more than 200 programs of study, including 19 master's degrees and a br ...

(where he had played quarterback), Solomon played in 11 NFL seasons for the Dolphins and

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

from 1975 to 1985. On December 5, 1976, Solomon had a career game, with 5 catches for 114 yards and a touchdown, 1 rushing attempt for 59 yards and a touchdown, and a punt return for 79 yards and a touchdown. Solomon won two

Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...

s with the 49ers, the first two in the history of the franchise. On " The Catch",

Dwight Clark Dwight Edward Clark (January 8, 1957 – June 4, 2018) was an American professional football wide receiver who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL) from 1979 He was a member of San Francisco's first two Sup ...

's famous leaping grab that helped the 49ers beat the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...

in the 1982 NFC Playoffs, Solomon was the primary target on the play, but slipped coming out of his cut. Solomon made several key plays on the 49ers final drive of that game.

Early life

Solomon played both

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and football while attending Sumter High School. As the

sixth man The sixth man in basketball is a player who is not a starting lineup, starter but comes off the bench much more often than other reserves, often being the first player to be substituted in, and the first to be used against the other team's subst ...

on his basketball team he scored two important baskets as the buzzer went off for half-time and third-quarter during a game against Howard in In football, Solomon led his team to its first undefeated season and first South Carolina High School state football championship. In 1969, Soloman in a game against Howard High School scored the team's only points in a 74-yard kick-off return. His longest run that season was for 90 yards. In the 1970 Shrine Bowl, Soloman had 29 carries for 197 yards, and two touchdowns runs (22 & 41 yards). He was an honorary captain of the 1991 Shrine Bowl in Charlotte, NC.

Legacy & awards

* Solomon was inducted into the Sumter Sports Hall of Fame * South Carolina Sports Hall of Fame 2014 Class (posthumously) * 1994 class of the Florida Sports Hall of Fame * Two-time Super Bowl Champion

Personal life

He was married to his wife Delilah for 33 years. After retiring from the NFL, Solomon worked for 20 years at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office. with a special youth program. Solomon's community engagement was extensive, spanning initiatives such as organizing Back to School events, Christmas programs, Family Fun Days, and Football Camps/Clinics, all aimed at supporting children and families. Solomon died on February 13, 2012, after a nine-month battle with colon and liver cancer.

NFL career statistics

Regular season

Playoffs

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Freddie 1953 births 2012 deaths American football return specialists American football wide receivers Miami Dolphins players San Francisco 49ers players Tampa Spartans football players Players of American football from Sumter, South Carolina Deaths from colorectal cancer in Florida Deaths from liver cancer in Florida 20th-century African-American sportsmen 21st-century African-American sportsmen