Talkin' Old School with Roger Franklin Williams

ARMY HALL OF FAME QB LEAMON HALL Part 1

Army Hall of Fame QB Leamon Hall shares great stories about his career including the significance of the Army-Navy football game; both with football fans in general and within the Armed Forces and the story of his rise up the depth chart during his freshman season. Part One 

Brian Paldin co-founder of the Madlegz Senior Showcase and Jones High School Coach Elijah Williams

Brian Paldin co-founder of the Madlegz Senior Showcase gives great advice on High School and Youth Sports for parents and young ballplayers and the opportunities, pitfalls & behind-the-scenes culture AND shares about his son BP's basketball journey and success at New Smyrna Beach High. Also, Coach Elijah Williams, Head Coach of the Jones Tigers talks about Jones Undefeated regular season, the Tigers current journey through the playoffs, the culture of the Jones program AND his career as a 4-year starter for Coach Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators, which included being the leading rusher on the 1976 National Championship team. 

Talkin' Old School Tribute to Veteran's Day Army Combat Vet Jose' Belen & WW II Navy Vet Peter Durante

The 2024 Talkin' Old School Tribute to Veteran's Day featured interviews with two distinguished US Military Veterans; US Army Combat Veteran from Operations Iraqi Freedom I and II Jose' Belen shares his gut-wrenching personal account of his extensive combat experience in Iraq in 2002 and 2003 and talks about the lives and culture of the Combat Soldier, before and after war. Later in the program US Navy Veteran of WW II Peter Durante, who celebrated his 100th Birthday earlier this year, shares about his experience in the Pacific with the Seabees, his life in America in Brooklyn before he was called into war and his current work to support the Honor Flights program. Vito Fera, founder of Network Sound and Video joins us at Co-host of the segment with Mr. Peter Durante. 

Scott Trimble Historic 1984 Gators; Boone Braves Coach Andy Johnson; Coach Joe Kennedy subject of the Movie "Average Joe"

This edition of Talkin' Old School features 3 different, but relevant, topical interviews. Former Florida Gator Offensive Lineman Scott Trimble, member of the Great Wall of Florida, and host Roger Franklin Williams discuss the bittersweet legacy of the 1984 Florida Gators as Scott Trimble shares about the Reunion of the '84 Gators; in the second segment Boone Braves Football Coach discusses the current landscape of high school football in Florida and shares practical wisdom for high school players; in the final segment Coach Joe Kennedy, the Bremerton, Washington Football Coach who lost his job for praying on the field after games, fought that decision in the US Court System for 8-plus years and finally won at the US Supreme Court, talks about that difficult process and shares uplifting hope for the legacy of that decision. His battle is documented in the book "Average Joe, One Man's Fight to Change a Nation" and the movie "Average Joe". Average Joe opened in theaters around the USA in October of 2024.

RETROSPECTIVE ON THE GREAT BOYD COFFIE ERA OF ROLLINS COLLEGE BASEBALL WITH 3 ALLTIME TARS GREATS, PART 1

Talkin' Old School features a Retrospective on the Outstanding Boyd Coffie Era of Rollins College Baseball, including the mid 1970's, with three of the Tars ALLTIME Great Players; 3B John Castino, RHP Blake Lorenz & RHP Bill Miller. Castino went on to a career as starting 3B for the Minnesota Twins, where he was named American League Co-Rookie of the Year in 1979; RHP Blake Lorenz led the nation is wins during his Sophomore season in 1974 and played professionally in the Chicago Cubs organization and Bill Miller was a stalwart in the Pitching Rotation from 1974-76, a period when the Tars were ranked as high as #2 in Divison II College Baseball during those seasons. Major topics include the extraordinary impact of Rollins Baseball Coach Boyd Coffie, both on the exceptional success of the Rollins Baseball Program, and especially his lifelong influence in the lives of his players; the tremendous success of Rollins College Baseball in this era, especially against major Division I College Baseball Powers such as South Carolina, Tennessee, Florida, Miami, Duke, North Carolina, Clemson to name a few; and the specific on-the-field achievements of the 3 Rollins Greats.

Rollins Baseball Greats from 1972-76 3B John Castino; RHP Blake Lorenz & RHP Bill Miller

Talkin' Old School feature on a Great Era of Rollins College Baseball, 1972-76, with Rollins Greats 3B John Castino, American League Co-Rookie of the Year 1979; RHP Blake Lorenz and RHP Bill Miller. In this segment Host Roger Franklin Williams highlights the fact that Rollins College was one of the top College Baseball programs in America during this era; the Rollins Greats also talk about the unique, separate paths that led them to play Baseball at Rollins even though all 3 were highly recruited in multiple sports by a number of high profile Division I schools.

ROLLINS COLLEGE BASEBALL GREATS JOHN CASTINO, AL CO-ROOKIE OF THE YEAR 1979, RHP BLAKE LORENZ & RHP BILL MILLER

Part 3 of Talkin' Old School featuring Rollins College Baseball Greats from 1972-1976, 3B John Castino, American League Co-Rookie of the Year 1977; RHP Blake Lorenz & RHP Bill Miller. In this segment the Rollins Greats and Host Roger Franklin Williams reflect on the extraordinary lifelong impact of the influence of Rollins Baseball Coach Boyd Coffie.

KISSIMMEE OSCEOLA FOOTBALL GREAT GARY LARSON, PART 3

Talkin' Old School Retrospective on the Apopka Blue Darters vs Kissimmee Osceola Football Series with Kowboys Great Gary Larson, Part 3. In this segment Talkin' Old School Host Roger Franklin Williams shares his recollections of Larson's outstanding play in the 1974 Apopka-Osceola game, which was the key to the Kowboys hard fought 14-6 victory. Gary Larson also reminisces about the lifelong impact of the great memories of those days and, especially, the lifelong friendships with his Osceola Kowboys  and Princeton Tigers teammates.

Kissimmee Osceola Football Legend Gary Larson, Part 2

Part 2 of the Talkin' Old School Retrospective of the Apopka High vs Kissimmee Osceola High Football Series featuring Kowboys Great, QB Gary Larson. In this segment Larson and Host Roger Franklin Williams reminisce about the grueling, physical style of practices from the 1970's era, which included no water at practice, and the culture of players playing with injuries. Williams shares his first hand account of Larson's impact in the success of Kowboys Football, including his outstanding play in the 1974 OSH-Apopka game, and both reflect on their fond memories of teammates and life in Central Florida in the pre-Disney 1960's and '70's.

KISSIMMEE OSCEOLA HIGH FOOTBALL LEGEND GARY LARSON PART 1

As the Apopka Blue Darters and Kissimmee Osceola Kowboys prepare to renew a High School Football Series that goes back over 70 years, Talkin' Old School presents a Retrospective on the series featuring one of the Great players in Kissimmee Osceola Kowboys history, QB Gary Larson. Gary Larson was the starting duel-threat QB for OHS for 3 seasons, fall of 1972-74, where is unique physical style of playing QB helped to lead the Kowboys to numerous victories. He also played Middle Linebacker on Defense his Senior season. After high school, Larson attended Princeton University where he became one of the few Central Florida high school players from that era to play in the Ivy League; Larson started at FB during his career at Princeton, and he played a key role on one of the Tigers biggest victories on their Ivy League era, the 20-7 upset of previously Undefeated Harvard on October 22, 1977,