[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 120 (Thursday, September 4, 2003)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1679]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 TRIBUTE TO MR. WILLIAM ``BILLY'' ROLLE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. KENDRICK B. MEEK

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Wednesday, September 3, 2003

  Mr. MEEK of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to Mr. 
William ``Billy'' Rolle, Former Head Coach of the Miami Northwestern 
Senior High School Football Team. He has become the winningest varsity 
coach in the recent history of Miami-Dade Public Schools, the nation's 
fourth largest school system. This Friday, September 5, 2003, Coach 
Rolle will be inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame of Florida A&M 
University in Tallahassee, Florida.
  Coach Rolle will join members of his family in this elite circle of 
achievement to be so honored by this great university, my Alma Mater. 
Honorees include his late father William Rolle, his mother Frankie 
Shannon Rolle, his aunt Sophia and his uncle Walter White, his late 
cousin FAMU Coach Bob Mungen and his late godbrother, the legendary 
Robert ``Bob'' Hayes.
  Indeed, this is a milestone in the annals of FAMU's athletic glory, 
and has distinctly elicited so much following from the constituents of 
the 17th Congressional District. As I join them in extolling the hard 
work and sacrifices of his parents, the faculty and staff of Miami 
Northwestern Senior High School located in the heart of Liberty City, I 
want to likewise commend the exemplary role of this honoree. Due to his 
utmost commitment to his students, particularly his student-athletes, 
Coach ``Billy'' Rolle has become the cornerstone of excellent programs 
that buttress academic scholarship on one hand, and athletic 
achievement on the other.
  I would like to congratulate him for fast becoming the legendary 
coach that he is now known among his colleagues and in high school 
football circles not only across Florida, but across the nation as 
well. I am also to privy to his work ethic and dogged discipline 
throughout his coaching years, paving the way for excellence both in 
the classroom and on the gridiron. Known for his no-nonsense approach 
to forthright guidance and counseling among his student-athletes, Coach 
``Billy'' Rolle has certainly surrounded himself with excellent 
coaching staffs whose knowledge and sensitivity to sporting activities 
befitting the school ambiance superbly complements and supplements the 
learning needs of his students.
  His sterling approach to educating, motivating and mentoring the 
members of his football teams has led to two District Championships in 
the year 2000, and culminating in four District Championships at Miami 
Northwestern Senior High with a hard-to-beat record of 60 wins against 
only 9 losses. As Assistant Coach, he contributed to the winning of the 
1995 6-A Florida Football State Championship, and as Head Coach, he 
likewise won the 1998 6-A Florida Football State Championship. These 
enviable achievements were made possible by his emphasis on utmost 
personal responsibility and his ability to converge same into a zealous 
dedication to the demands of teamwork above any and all individual 
accomplishments.

  As a whole, our community is genuinely honored by the leadership of 
Coach ``Billy'' Rolle. Accordingly, his being enshrined into the Sports 
Hall of Fame at Florida A&M University this Friday is an unerring 
testament to his honoring the family of students and parents, the 
faculty and staffs of various senior high schools to which he has been 
assigned all through these years since 1983. The dedication of his 
sterling efforts toward molding the minds and hearts of countless young 
student-athletes gives honor and respect to a community that is fully 
cognizant of his many sacrifices and unselfish contributions.
  This is the magnificent legacy Coach William ``Billy'' Rolle 
genuinely bequeaths to all of us as he enters the Sports Hall of Fame. 
Suffice it to say that his pursuit of athletic excellence amidst 
scholastic achievement is not beyond the reach of those willing to dare 
the impossible through hard work, discipline and resilience. Indeed, I 
am privileged but deeply humbled to represent him, his wife Loretta and 
his two children, B.J. and Sheree, along with his noble forbears, in 
the United States Congress, knowing full well that together they have 
done so much to dignify the pride of a grateful community.

                          ____________________