Charlotte was the first high school in the state to integrate without being forced to — 1965/66 school year Peezy, we just put up a plaque in the school last year. In 1968 our Junior high team had maybe 10 brothers on it. Only a few of us off that undefeated team got moved up to varsity, so my 10th grade season it was Ben (S went to FSU) and Reggie, a junior bad ass DT on varsity. The next season it was up to maybe 8 and my senior year probably 10, almost a 3rd of the team. Until 1970 or so, some were still busing from Punta Gorda to all black Dunbar in Ft Myers. Heck if they had some of those cats in the mid-1960s they wouldn't have been a doormat.
The superintendent who ushered that in had been a Tarpon O-lineman in the 1930s. One of the first brothers, G. "Turtle Head" Middleton, ended up being my DE position coach my senior season. But Punta Gorda has a long history of "mixing." One of our northern settlers helped open the first African Baptist Church where whites and blacks actually worshiped in the late 1800's-kind of unheard of in the South. Blacks were involved heavily in the fishing industry here and even Tarpon guided,so it was a little different. Punta Gorda also had the first black postmaster. One of my black teammates, Rufus Taylor taught me how to dance (The breakdown, never found the need for another one after all these years) we're enlightened people in PG bro.