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Taken from the "Ghosts of the Orange Bowl" Facebook page The late Roger Coffey was one of South Florida's all time great high school football coaches. Coffey was the first African American football coach to lead his school to a FHSAA state championship when he led all-black Delray Beach Carver to back-to-back state titles in 1968 and 1969. It was an amazing start to a career that spanned more than 30 years while coaching at Delray Beach Carver, Boca Raton, Miami Northwestern, Miami Jackson and Miami Central High Schools. During that time, he coached some of South Florida's most iconic players and teams. When Coffey started his coaching career in the mid 1960s, high school football in Florida was segregated. Black high schools were not allowed to play their white counterparts. There was also the stereotype that black schools had good athletes but lacked good coaching and discipline. Coffey's Delray Beach Carver teams would shatter that myth. As Florida schools began to integrate in the late 1960s, Carver was one of the first black high schools allowed to join the FHSAA and compete against white schools. Carver players often endured horrible racist taunts from opponents and opposing fans. The team competed in Class B, a classification created by the FHSAA for small high schools at the time. Carver defeated Williston in the 1968 Class B championship game and Alachua Santa Fe in the 1969 title game. Carver was loaded with great athletes, including defensive back/receiver Barry Hill, who went to play for the Miami Dolphins. Both state championship games were played on the road in front of hostile crowds. Carver players and coaches had to be escorted by state troopers to protect their safety.

Don Latimer. Fort Pierce Central. ?

link: https://www.google.com/search?tbs=simg:CAESmQEJFaocgDCZyUsajQELEKjU2AQaBghCCBQICgwLELCMpwgaYgpgCAMSKMwCngf0AZwH9gGVAfoB-QGdB8UC7y3dLfItmy71JJwu8C3pLaYu3DwaMBufvtq2QqYdRV9rOMPBK08ylIop7QEsGKoQWbXLoRdjdDt2OiVdl_114HOFjW483iiAEDAsQjq7-CBoKCggIARIEKVoeZAw&q=old+school+american+football&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwj-w8-0jezgAhUNw1kKHexSDzcQsw56BAgCEAE&biw=1396&bih=686

Great job, guys. The 68 and 69 Carver teams dominated, holding their playoff opponents to an average of 7 points or less in those years. Great coach Roger Coffey passed away about 5 years ago at the age of 77. What some teams/players went through to play back then was remarkable.

Saw them knock Daytona Fr. Lopez out of the playoffs in one of those championship years. Had a cousin playing for the Green Wave at that time. Lopez had black athletes in the early 1960's. They were recuited out of the public junior highs (7-9 grd.). One of the earliest was (Dr) Ernest Cook. Later on he was a star fullback for the U. of Minnesota Golden Gophers. Back then no college freshman could play on a D-1 Varsity team (only JV). Yes Kids, colleges had JV teams....

I was fortunate enough to have my boss provide me with tickets to that game, the only other time I saw the Gators live was also at Tampa against Mississippi State in 1989. Florida during the 70's and 80's would periodically play at Tampa Stadium, I remember also when Tony Green (Sarasota Riverview) made his big splash as a true Freshman at Florida against the University of Maryland in a game also played at Tampa Stadium.......

I just want to say the classic 60s and 70s photos of football players doing some weird move are so much better than photos we get today of athletes. Almost every photo of a player today, is them is a tight dryfit shirt from some recruiting camp with a triple digit number. They stand next to a brick/block wall or in front of a white screen. Either way they are always the same. Sure we get game action shots today, but in football when you can barely see their faces, it could be anybody. No personality. I demand every yearbook editor/coach/principal/local newspaper editor fix this immediately.

Carver High School (Delray Beach) 196_? North Centralish Florida School (St. Augustine, Palatka, Bradford, Williston, Baker County) Something like that

It is Don Latimer, Fort Pierce Central Class of 1973. He played on FPC's 1971 4A state championship team. He set a Canes record with 15 sacks in his senior year(1977). He played in the 1978 Blue-Gray game and the Senior Bowl, and was named a first team All-American by The Sporting News. Latimer was a first round draft pick of the Denver Broncos and played 6 seasons in the NFL. He was elected to the Hurricanes Sports Hall of Fame in 1999. Great job, Perspective!

6 of the 11 games in the original post were Final 4 games. Check out the original post where I have clarified the round of each game. No doubt St Thomas has an incredible athletic program. Excluding football, in a number of cases, they could not get past a local foe to win their region. Maybe I am wrong, but I wouldn't think it would be that difficult for St Thomas to actively recruit players in these other sports and ensure a trip beyond the region final..if they wanted to.

I believe you are correct, was going to be my guess as well!

Ok, so assuming the games listed are "Final Four" games, that pretty remarkable that over a two-year period, a single school would have three girls teams (volleyball, basketball and softball) and four boys teams (football, soccer, basketball and baseball) making it that far. And, based on my recollection, the last two years is not an aberration. The overwhelming majority of public schools would be lucky to have one or two (or, in a very, very good year, three) teams make it that far. The only way to win a state title is to make it to the championship game. STA appears to get to this point more often than just about any other school in the state, regardless of classification. State championship talent just doesn't show up at public schools year in and year out. But, as your list demonstrates, getting to the final four and coming home with the gold medal are two different things.

there is always someone trying to get you fired. Sucks people act or think that way.