Monday night was a sad one for me. I opened a story on the wire and learned that Freddie Solomon had died of cancer at the age of 59.
Solomon was the first pro athlete I ever met. I was 11 or 12 and met him at the San Francisco Zoo when a bunch of the players were there for a fan event.
My dad spent some time chatting with Solomon, who was sitting on a train with some other lesser known players. I was there but all I wanted to do was find Joe Montana, Dwight Clark and Ronnie Lott, who would turn out to be my favorite football player of all time.
After making the rounds and somehow getting Joe Montana’s autograph (my dad held me out as far as he could so I could get to his table and get a scribble that is, I guess, his name), I returned to where Solomon and others were.
My dad finally convinced me I should go up and get Solomon’s autograph. So, I walked up to him and asked. To my surprise (now), Solomon said, “Steve, from Eureka, right?” I nodded and got his autograph.
The next season Solomon was walking off the field after a game and I went up to the front rail near the dugout. As he got closer I yelled, Hey, Freddie, it’s me, Steve from Eureka.”
Solomon looked up at me, nodded, then took off one of his elbow pads and tossed it up to me. Then he ran into the dugout. I have no idea if he knew who I was but it was still pretty cool. And I still have that pad.
I believe that was Solomon’s final season with the 49ers.
He went on to do so much community service work after football.
Here are a few comments from former teammates from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Said former 49ers tight end Charle Young: “Football is what Freddie did and what we did, but that’s just a small glimpse at who Freddie was. Freddie was a giving person. In some cases, Freddie cared about you more than some people cared about themselves.”
Said former owner Eddie DeBartolo, who often took Solomon to chemotherapy treatments in Tampa: “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.”
Rest in peace, Freddie.
