By Bill Buchalter
Do you remember these somewhat favorite fathers and an occasional grandfather?
Look for a familiar name from oldtimers who could play the game and have passed it along to the current generation.
Here’s a top 10 list, alphabetically:
- Tampa Alonso junior football lineman Anthony Chickillo.
- University of South Florida freshman basketball player Jordan Dumars
- Then Tampa Catholic super senior athlete Christian Green
- Then Winter Park Lake Howell multisport athlete and highly-touted football linebacker Christian Jones
- University of Central Florida freshman basketball player Marcus Jordan
- Orlando Dr. Phillips junior basketball point guard Shane Larkin
- Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas defensive back and state champion track hurdler Cody Riggs
- Daytona Beach Seabreeze senior quarterback Lynn Thompson
- Tallahassee North Florida Christian senior quarterback Clint Trickett
- And Tampa Plant super athlete and defensive end/linebacker James Wilder Jr.
They DO sound familiar!
Chickillo is the son of former University of Miami standout lineman Tony (Class of 1979-82) and grandson of former Hurricane star Nick (1951-52). He is one of the rising stars of Suncoast football and should be one of the region’s most recruited linemen for the Class of 2011.
Dumars is the sons of Joe Dumars, the general manager of the Detroit Pistons and a future NBA Hall of Famer who was know for his clutch shooting and defensive tenacity. He is expected to compete for playing time as a true freshman.
Green already is one of the Region’s top senior football prospects. He is the son of Hiram Green, the former USF basketball starter from Bartow. The younger Green favors football where he is a standout wildcat-style quarterback who projects to become a wide receiver on the next level.
Jones is the son of former Florida State All-American and Oakland Raiders defensive lineman Willie Jones (originally from Homestead) and the brother of Willie, Jr., who held at one time the Dade County record for sacks. Like Christian Green, he has his choice of any school in the country who all are recruiting him as a linebacker prospect.
Jordan is the son of NBA (and University of North Carolina) legend Michael Jordan, and came to UCF from Chicago. He is expected to compete for playing time as a true freshman and, according to Coach Kirk Speraw already is one of the most popular players on the squad.
Larkin is a rising star in both the high school and AAU travel team basketball circuit. He is the son of retired Major League Baseball Hall of Fame candidate Barry Larkin.
Riggs, one of a whopping 18 major college football prospects on the roster of the nation’s No. 1 ranked high school football team, is the son of former NFL running back Gerald Riggs who played for the Atlanta Falcons. Riggs is being recruited as a corner backs by some of the nation’s top programs.
Thompson, who has thrown and run for nearly 20 touchdowns this year after missing his junior year with a broken leg, is the son of former Bethune Cookman football player Lynn Thompson who now serves as BCU’s athletic director. Young Thompson not only has led Seabreeze back to the playoffs but also was named Homecoming King.
Trickett led North Florida Christian to a state championship a year ago and he has picked up where he left off leading the team back to the playoffs. He is the son of Rick Trickett, the Florida State University assistant head coach and offensive line coach.
Wilder is the son of the former Tampa Bay Bucs running back star. He is one of the most versatile underclass football prospects in the region. He could be a fullback like his daddy, or a defensive end where he started as a sophomore for Tampa Chamberlain or outside linebacker where he plays for Plants. Physically, he looks like a college player now.
This is just a fun list but it also is just the tip of the state-wide iceberg as former professional athletes retire to the state.