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The Sports Network
Tampa, FL-- University of Tampa and San Francisco 49er football star, Freddie Solomon, died Monday in Tampa after a 9-month battle with colon cancer. He was 59.
"The 49ers lost a member of our family today. We'll miss you, Freddie Solomon. Our prayers go out to your family," 49ers president and CEO Jed York said on Twitter.
Former owner of the 49ers, Edward DeBartolo Jr, was a close friend of Freddie Solomon. He issued this statement"
"I am deeply saddened by the passing of my dear friend Freddie Solomon today. My heart goes out to Dee, his family, the 49ers football family, the Hillsborough County Sheriff's office and football fans everywhere. Freddie and I have been friends for 35 years, and he was one of the most gentle and best men I have ever met in my life. Scores of generations will remember Freddie through their children and the youth he's helped over all these decades. I have never met a man who cared so much about the human race, and there will never be another Freddie."
Freddie Solomon was a record breaking quarterback at UT. In 1974, he rushed for a then NCAA QB record 1,300 yards (with 19 TDs and a 6.74 yards per carry average). "Fabulous Freddie" finished his four years at UT with 5,803 total yards and a then QB record 3,299 career rushing yards (with 39 TDs and a 76.7 yards per game average). He received thirteen first place votes, and finished 12th, for the 1974 Heisman Trophy.
Mr. Solomon was picked by Miami in the second round of the 1975 draft and played wide receiver, quarterback, running back and returned kicks as a pro. He was at Miami for three seasons and played at San Francisco until 1985. In his career, Solomon caught 371 passes for 5,846 yards and scored a total of 57 touchdowns. He played in 151 games and on two of San Francisco's Super Bowl champion teams, when he developed a close friendship with Edward DeBartolo Jr.
Jerry Rice, considered the best wide receiver in NFL history, said Solomon was influential in teaching him about work ethic and professionalism.
"He inspired me to go out there every day and emulate him," Rice said in a statement released through the 49ers.
Quarterback Joe Montana considered Solomon "a dear friend and a great teammate."
"There was no one who gave more on and off the field than Freddie," said Montana. "The kindness he demonstrated was inspirational to all that knew him, and a joy to be around. The warmth of his smile will be forever embedded in my mind and heart."
After he retired from football, Mr. Solomon returned to Tampa, where he said he "grew up" as a college star. He spend 20 years with Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office, working with their community outreach center. He and his wife Dee, hosted a Christmas luncheon every year to benefit the children of the Family Enrichment Center. He organized a football camp every summer, for young players.
DeBartolo pledged that those programs would continue.
In November, Mr. Solomon's friends established a scholarship in his name at the University of Tampa.
In January, Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office dedicated the annex building to his memory.
Freddie Solomon was 59.
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