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Who was Traz Powell?

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Pentagon Cane said:
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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Yes. I've mentioned Arnold Tucker and that great Army backfield with Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard. Future UM head coach Andy Gustafson was an offensive assistant at Army who coached that backfield.

If you look at Tucker's write-up for his entry in the College Football Hall of Fame, I believe it lists both UM and Army as his college teams
 
TheMatador said:
Willis McGahee Sr. No. 68 in the back row. Played for Traz Powell at Mays and Carver.

Two younger brothers, Willis Jr.'s uncles, played at Gables later, in the '70's.

Maybe they played for Nick Kotys.


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Without stirring anything up, everything I've read (not enough) and heard from fam, etc is that Miamah was pretty much crackerville with pockets of exception, including Gables, Bay Heights etc.

All I read/heard was always about the High and then Kotys and Gables. All the time it seems, the at least equally great Coach Traz Powell was busy against the odds, with a lot less I'm certain, turning out champion student-athletes.

Can't give enough praise to the real trailblazers on whose shoulders the rest of us have climbed on.

Thanks to ALL of you for these great stories. Insightful to the Max.
 
Pentagon Cane said:
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.
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Did you play for Coach Newton at Nor-Isle Optimist?
 
MedleyCane said:
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

We Own This Game | Robert Andrew Powell

robertandrewpowell.com robertandrewpowell.com
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I have your book Medley. I'm sorry :concern:

I was just starting to go deep into my addiction :6fps6:at that time and thought I could resell it...... I couldn't.

SOoooo....Can I come by and get something else?

Or even better yet....just tell me when you're NOT going to be home today....I'll pick out some things myself
 
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Pentagon Cane said:
I played 2 years, 115 and 135. As I recall, I played for Sonny at 115.
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What year did you graduate high school? I was 1984. If you played with my age group then I knew guys on your team. I remember football games at Flamingo Park though I played neighborhood games at Polo and Fisher Parks.
 
RVACane said:
What year did you graduate high school? I was 1984. If you played with my age group then I knew guys on your team. I remember football games at Flamingo Park though I played neighborhood games at Polo and Fisher Parks.
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1978. We practiced behind the baseball stadium on the grass of the little league field. Yes, we played on Beach High's field. I was at Polo Park almost everyday after school from North Beach or Nautilus.
 
Pentagon Cane said:
1978. We practiced behind the baseball stadium on the grass of the little league field. Yes, we played on Beach High's field. I was at Polo Park almost everyday after school from North Beach or Nautilus.
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You wen to Beach with my cousins. I'll PM you.

I went to North Beach and Nautilus. Of your generation, the greatest player in Polo Park history that I remember, and I was younger, was Gene Attics - I cant remember how to spell it.
 
RVACane said:
What year did you graduate high school? I was 1984. If you played with my age group then I knew guys on your team. I remember football games at Flamingo Park though I played neighborhood games at Polo and Fisher Parks.
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I used to go to Beach High games at Flamingo Park in the early '60's. Does it still exist? I remember handball was real popular at the park back then. I think a lot of the New Yorkers brought it down with them when they migrated.
 
RVACane said:
You wen to Beach with my cousins. I'll PM you.

I went to North Beach and Nautilus. Of your generation, the greatest player in Polo Park history that I remember, and I was younger, was Gene Attics - I cant remember how to spell it.
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I went to Nautilus. Was Polo Park separate from the athletic fields at Nautilus? I guess the school shared the fields with the park system.

I remember a little building at the far end from the school which I guess administered the park.

I remember when Neal Walk wasn't good enough to make junior high basketball team.
 
Tad Footeball said:
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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Wondered who Sistrunk was countless times, and still no idea.
 
TheMatador said:
I used to go to Beach High games at Flamingo Park in the early '60's. Does it still exist? I remember handball was real popular at the park back then. I think a lot of the New Yorkers brought it down with them when they migrated.
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Did you ever run into Meyer playing Racket......
 
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CandideCane said:
Did you ever run into Meyer playing Racket......
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Don't know who Meyer is, and I guess you mean racket ball, which I think is the sport that got popular in the '70's. I guess it was like handball but played with rackets. I think a big center of racket ball was the St. Louis ****** Community Center and a guy named Marty Hogan.

Here in Maryland, a sport played at some of the ritzy country clubs is platform tennis, played on outdoor courts in winter. Then there were some of my friends who were older and played squash.

I started to look into all these sports back in the '70's. Now, too old.

Don't know how popular any of these sports are now. Haven't kept up.
 
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TheMatador said:
Don't know who Meyer is, and I guess you mean racket ball, which I think is the sport that hot popular in the '70's. I guess it was like handball but played with rackets. I think a big center of racket ball was the St. Louis ****** Community Center and a guy named Marty Hogan.

Here in Maryland, a sport played at some of the ritzy country clubs is platform tennis, played on outdoor courts in winter. Then there were some of my friends who were older and played squash.

I started to look into all these sports back in the '70's. Now, too old.

Don't know how popular any of these sports are now. Haven't kept up.
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You're the best, but I stumped you with Meyer and Racket really? A 60's High-Tide? Come on...
 
CandideCane said:
You're the best, but I stumped you with Meyer and Racket really? A 60's High-Tide? Come on...
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What year? I left Miami Beach in '63 so I missed most of the '60's. The only guy I remember who was outstanding with a racket was Mike Belkin in tennis. He was a couple of years ahead of me.
 
TheMatador said:
What year? I left Miami Beach in '63 so I missed most of the '60's. The only guy I remember who was outstanding with a racket was Mike Belkin in tennis. He was a couple of years ahead of me.
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Ok. Different approach. He tried to buy an Israeli vacation but was told sorry, no room.
 
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