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This book is dedicated to Freddie ""Sperky"" Summers and his family. Freddie passed away prematurely from complications related to injuries sustained as a professional football player. His legacy lives on through the many lives that were positively affected by his generosity and commitment. Freddie was loved by many. The author of this book was a childhood friend and a recipient of Freddie's kindness. On February 16, 1947, Freddie ""Sperky"" Summers was born in Columbia, South Carolina. He was the oldest of three brothers. When Freddie was a young boy, his family relocated to the Roxbury neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. Freddie attended the Lewis Junior High School and Dorchester High School of the Boston Public School System. Freddie was the first African American student to play quarterback at Dorchester High School. A standout high school quarterback, Freddie made the decision to join his childhood friend William ""Bill"" Overton at McCook Junior College in McCook, Nebraska (now Mid-Plains Community College) on a football scholarship. Freddie Summers was an outstanding two-way player at McCook Junior College, playing both quarterback and defensive back. He excelled at both positions and was offered numerous scholarships to Division I universities. At the urging of Coach Bill Tate, and once again following his childhood friend Bill Overton, Freddie made the decision to attend Wake Forrest University. On September 23, 1967, when Coach Tate named Freddie as the starting quarterback against Clemson University, Summers became the first African American quarterback at a major university in the south and the first African American quarterback in the Atlantic Coast Conference. As a junior in 1967, Summers was named first team All-Atlantic Coast Conference while leading the league in total offense. In 1969, Freddie Summers was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the fourth round of the National Football League as a defensive back. As a member of the kickoff team, Summers made history against the New York Jets, when he made the first tackle in the first Monday Night Football game ever played. Summers played for three years with the Cleveland Browns before being traded to the New York Giants. After one year, he left the Giants for a brief stint in the Canadian Football League where he suffered a devastating career ending injury to his cervical and lumbar spinal column. While an active NFL player, Summers' philanthropic efforts made it possible for other Boston youth to attend college. The author of this book is one of the beneficiaries of his kindness. Summers also assisted athletes with their NFL contract negotiations. Freddie Summers died in Randolph, Massachusetts in 1994 from football-related injuries. In 2020, Freddie Summers was posthumously inducted into the Wake Forrest Sports Hall of Fame.

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9781970688016

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