Who was Traz Powell?

TheMatador

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Many of you probably know. Some might not.

I always kind of remembered seeing his name among outstanding Dade players in high school. (I think I saw his name on some lists along with Willis McGahee Sr., a stud DL at the segregated Mays HS I think in the late '60's). I knew he played at FAMU but didn't remember much else.

http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?a=headlines&p=display&news=2895

Unfortunately, the underlying article, from the American Airlines magazine, is no longer available at the link.

I moved away from South Florida the same year the stadium was built, 1963. I never really understood the significance of the stadium since it became a major venue after I left.

This story might be interesting to some of you.

I do remember when the Orange Blossom Classic was a major event in the OB along with the North-South Shrine Classic and the Orange Bowl Game. The Orange Blossom Classic was played every year between FAMU and a major historically Black college from around the country. It would often be another major power like Grambling, Prairie View, Jackson State, Morgan State or any one if a number of others.

EDIT: http://www.sfltimes.com/uncategorized/fans-coaches-athletes-reminisce-about-the-historic-orange-blossom-classic

The North-South game featured a lot of very good college seniors from around the country. Because there were so few bowls, unlike now, many top college players went to one of the major all-star fames (North-South, East-West, Blue-Gray, Senior Bowl.) I think some players played on more than one. Also, around July, the top college seniors would play in Chicago against the NFL champions. Very occasionally, the college all-stars won. But not often.

I don't know when these all star games ended. I guess some still play. I remember for a few years the OB hosted a Runner-Up Bowl for the next two teams in the NFL.
 
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Many of you probably know. Some might not.

I always kind of remembered seeing his name among outstanding Dade players in high school. (I think I saw his name on some lists along with Willis McGahee Sr., a stud DL at the segregated Mays HS I think in the late '60's). I knew he played at FAMU but didn't remember much else.

http://www.famu.edu/index.cfm?a=headlines&p=display&news=2895

Unfortunately, the underlying article, from the American Airlines magazine, is no longer available at the link.

I moved away from South Florida the same year the stadium was built, 1963. I never really understood the significance of the stadium since it became a major venue after I left.

This story might be interesting to some of you.

I do remember when the Orange Blossom Classic was a major event in the OB along with the North-South Shrine Classic and the Orange Bowl Game. The Orange Blossom Classic was played every year between FAMU and a major historically Black college from around the country. It would often be another major power like Grambling, Prairie View, Jackson State, Morgan State or any one if a number of others.

EDIT: http://www.sfltimes.com/uncategorized/fans-coaches-athletes-reminisce-about-the-historic-orange-blossom-classic

The North-South game featured a lot of very good college seniors from around the country. Because there were so few bowls, unlike now, many top college players went to one of the major all-star fames (North-South, East-West, Blue-Gray, Senior Bowl.) I think some players played on more than one. Also, around July, the top college seniors would play in Chicago against the NFL champions. Very occasionally, the college all-stars won. But not often.

I don't know when these all star games ended. I guess some still play. I remember for a few years the OB hosted a Runner-Up Bowl for the next two teams in the NFL.

Thank you! I appreciate you putting that info on here. It’s great to hear about black men in history!!!!
 
He was a legendary Black coach from Overtown that went to BTW & played at FAMU, was also the first African-American player to ever score a TD in the OB back in the 1940's.

He's one of the best High school coaches in Dade county history winning 7 state titles.

Dade county pioneer & did a lot of good for the community back in the day. I wasn't even alive during his lifetime but I have multiple family members who were & they've all said he was one of the greatest coaches ever at the HS level.
 
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He was a legendary Black coach from Overtown that went to BTW & played at FAMU, was also the first African-American player to ever score a TD in the OB back in the 1940's.

He's one of the best High school coaches in Dade county history winning 7 state titles.

Dade county pioneer & did a lot of good for the community back in the day. I wasn't even alive during his lifetime but I have multiple family members who were & they've all said he was one of the greatest coaches ever at the HS level.

Legendary football coach who lost his HC gig when schools started integrating in the late 1960s.
He continued to coach Track&Field and I believed died of a heart attack in 1980.
Lots of history in soFla regarding high school sports, especially during segregation era.
It's too bad most of this hasn't been documented or written.
If done right, it would make a good book or two.
But, alas, local soFla sports people are lazy and have collective IQs of 10 day old empanada.
They rather stick to Marino vs Wade and other Dan LeBatardish ****** stuff.
 
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Legendary football coach who lost his HC gig when schools started integrating in the late 1960s.
He continued to coach Track&Field and I believed died of a heart attack in 1980.
Lots of history in soFla regarding high school sports, especially during segregation era.
It's too bad most of this hasn't been documented or written.
If done right, it would make a good book or two.
But, alas, local soFla sports people are lazy and have collective IQs of 10 day old empanada.
They rather stick to Marino vs Wade and other Dan LeBatardish ****** stuff.
I remember reading about Kotys at Gables around that time, but never about Coach Powell.Thanks for all the history. Much appreciated.
 
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Legendary football coach who lost his HC gig when schools started integrating in the late 1960s.
He continued to coach Track&Field and I believed died of a heart attack in 1980.
Lots of history in soFla regarding high school sports, especially during segregation era.
It's too bad most of this hasn't been documented or written.
If done right, it would make a good book or two.
But, alas, local soFla sports people are lazy and have collective IQs of 10 day old empanada.
They rather stick to Marino vs Wade and other Dan LeBatardish ****** stuff.

It's really a shame not much of this was captured. The Miami High teams of the 30s, 40s and 50s were dominant nationally and they played out of state powerhouses. My mom cheered for Chattanooga Central in the late 40s and they played Miami High in the Orange Bowl in front of twenty thousand. We know even less about those Carver teams that were every bit as good as Miami High. There was always a big game in the Orange Bowl Saturday nights. That's why the University of Miami used to play on Friday nights at home. UM drew very well in the 30s, 40s and 50s and through the mid-60s.
 
It's really a shame not much of this was captured. The Miami High teams of the 30s, 40s and 50s were dominant nationally and they played out of state powerhouses. My mom cheered for Chattanooga Central in the late 40s and they played Miami High in the Orange Bowl in front of twenty thousand. We know even less about those Carver teams that were every bit as good as Miami High. There was always a big game in the Orange Bowl Saturday nights. That's why the University of Miami used to play on Friday nights at home. UM drew very well in the 30s, 40s and 50s and through the mid-60s.

Cool stuff as usual Pentagon.
There was a book authored by Robert Andrew Powell a few years ago titled "We own this game", dealing with crazy Pop Warner scene in South Florida...a great read on that topic, but he also did a wonderful job of providing background and context to the societal issues in soFla going back to early 20th century and how that is the Genesis to the local football scene, if not the current broader issues.....a dam good read if one really wants to know the Miami sports culture without the fake splashy Billy Corbenish Sports Illustrated pablum stuff (ironically, author wrote for SI)....I lent the book to someone and never saw it again...lol

 
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Cool stuff as usual Pentagon.
There was a book authored by Robert Andrew Powell a few years ago titled "We own this game", dealing with crazy Pop Warner scene in South Florida...a great read on that topic, but he also did a wonderful job of providing background and context to the societal issues in soFla going back to early 20th century and how that is the Genesis to the local football scene, if not the current issues.....a dam good read if one really wants to know the Miami sports culture without the fake splashy Billy Corbenish Sports Illustrated pablum stuff (ironically, author wrote for SI)....I lent the book to someone and never saw it again...lol


Yeah, it was crazy. I played Miami Beach Optimist and we would go down to Goulds or play Central Boys Club and I'd be like WTF. It was serious business and the crowds were crazy at a youth game. We held our own. Looking back it was a great experience. Glad I was post-integration although only 4 years removed. Had some really nice kids on my football team who were salt of the earth from Liberty City. Not sure the kids on this site can really appreciate how much has really changed. Yeah, I'd like to get a hold of that book.
 
On an even more broad scale and especially applicable to South Florida (as many have mentioned), it really is a shame how many people don't know the history and appreciate the intended honor that went behind the naming of a lot of places and landmarks that have been part of their lives for years and years.

I'm a history junkie too but can be guilty of it as well. I recently only took the 3 seconds required on the Google machine to learn about the person Sistrunk Blvd was named after- which now I'm sure sadly puts me in the vast minority of Broward County residents.
 
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It's really a shame not much of this was captured. The Miami High teams of the 30s, 40s and 50s were dominant nationally and they played out of state powerhouses. My mom cheered for Chattanooga Central in the late 40s and they played Miami High in the Orange Bowl in front of twenty thousand. We know even less about those Carver teams that were every bit as good as Miami High. There was always a big game in the Orange Bowl Saturday nights. That's why the University of Miami used to play on Friday nights at home. UM drew very well in the 30s, 40s and 50s and through the mid-60s.

My granddad played on some of those teams in the 50s. His best friend and teammate went on to play for the packers. From what they have told me, Lee Corso led Miami Jackson to an upset win of Miami High which was their first loss in years. I need to get some more stories out of them while they are still around.
 
My granddad played on some of those teams in the 50s. His best friend and teammate went on to play for the packers. From what they have told me, Lee Corso led Miami Jackson to an upset win of Miami High which was their first loss in years. I need to get some more stories out of them while they are still around.

Miami High did not lose often in the 1940s and 1950s. They had guys like Arnold Tucker who played at UM for one year before going to West Point where he was the quarterback of arguably the greatest college football teams ever with Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside. On a side note, Tucker just passed away this year. He was an All-State basketball and football player at Miami High and he captained both sports at West Point. Also, he commanded my flying squadron in Vietnam--16th Special Operations Squadron. He would later be an Assistant AD at UM. He did a really nice thing for me as a kid. Gave me a team jersey at the halftime of the Auburn/Miami game for being a great fan of the university. My dad set it up and it was a great memory. One other note, Lieutenant Colonel Tucker's last military job was the Professor of Aerospace Studies at the University of Miami, the same detachment my son is a member as a 100. Amazing how everything goes full circle.
 
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