Funeral services for a former NFL football star who died recently are scheduled for this Friday.
Services for Solomon Freelon, Jr. will be held on Friday, March 26, 2021, at 1 p.m. at the Greater Free Gift Baptist Church.
He died on Wednesday, March 10, 2021.
In 1972, Freelon joined the growing number of local athletes who were drafted into the National Football League under the guidance of the late Eddie Robinson, Sr. at Grambling State University, many of them from Carroll High School.
However, even in his high school years, Freelon was a terror on the football field, who seemed destined for greatness.
After his professional career, he spent his life mentoring young people and promoting the Christian faith among athletes and through an unusual ministry approach of playing religious music on a trumpet. After a performance, many youths looked him up on Youtube and realized that he was a “big deal,” listened to his advice and many changed their course in life.
Official Obituary
His official obituary reads as follows:
Solomon Freelon, Jr., was born on February 19, 1951, into a loving family led by Solomon Freelon, Sr. and Lucille Freelon in Monroe, Louisiana. He was the second oldest of five children (Girthia, Joseph, Norman, and Roy).
At the time of his death, he fellowshipped at Macedonia Seventh Day Adventist Church in Monroe, LA where Pastor Anthony Smith presides.
Solomon Jr. attended Little Flower Academy and then Carroll High School where he was a basketball player and a celebrated high school football player. Upon high school graduation, he attended Grambling State University majoring in Accounting. After college, Solomon, Jr. entered the NFL being drafted by the Houston Oilers and playing from 1972 to 1976.
Ministry, Music, and Football
Throughout the years, Solomon, Jr. traveled and lived in the U.S. and abroad. Solomon also attended Texas Southern University in Houston pursuing a Master’s degree in Business Administration with a Special Certification in Spanish.
Throughout his life, he capitalized on his various talents and shared these gifts with the world. He was a motivational speaker, a high school Spanish teacher, an entrepreneur, and the owner of SF Tailors, Custom Tailoring, and Alterations. A man of many talents, he re-dedicated himself to mastering the trumpet. Solomon Jr. devoted himself to music and ministry. Over the years, he traveled to many churches across the South to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ through his horn. Through ministry, music, football, and his gregarious personality, Solomon Jr. amassed many friends and acquaintances from all walks of life. He was always comfortable meeting and making friends.
On Wednesday, March 10, Solomon, Jr. departed this earth. He is now at rest with both his parents and his older sister. He is survived by his wife, Bessie Dawson Freelon; his brothers, Joseph, Norman, and Roy; and his two sons, Byron and Jonathan as well as his nieces, nephews, and step-children.
