Bradford tabbed winner of Freddie Solomon Award
LUBBOCK, Texas – Texas Tech senior defensive lineman Tony Bradford Jr. has received yet another honor for his work in the Lubbock community as he has been named the 2023 recipient of the Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award.
The annual award recognizes football student-athletes for “helping make the world a better place by impacting the lives of others through community service.” It is the second such award this season for Bradford, who was tabbed the recipient of the Pop Warner Award earlier this month. He is also a finalist currently for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award.
Bradford was chosen over 10 other semifinalists from across the country for the award, which honors the late Solomon, who played college football at the University of Tampa before going on to play 11 seasons in the NFL as a wide receiver, winning two Super Bowls during that time.
Following his playing career, Solomon, a native of Sumter, South Carolina, devoted the next 12 years of his life to the youth of Tampa Bay, working with the Sherriff’s department to teach kids life lessons through football. He passed away in 2012 after a nine-month battle with cancer. The Freddie Solomon Community Spirit Award was created to honor his legacy with the winner annually selected by the Solomon family.
“After reviewing the qualifications of a competitive collection of nominations, it was very difficult to select this year’s recipient,” said Freddie Solomon’s widow, Delilah “Dee” Solomon. “After a thorough process to determine who best represents what Freddie Solomon embodies, Mr. Bradford’s dedication to academics, skills as an athlete and service to the community are what stood out. It was our pleasure to review the high quality student-athletes and recognize him as the winner of this award.”
Bradford is a staple in the West Texas community through his advocacy of volunteer work, especially in underprivileged areas of East Lubbock. Bradford has been actively involved in neighborhood cleanups throughout his career as well as voter registration drives, peace walks and visits to local elementary schools and local non-profit organizations. Bradford has regularly visited local school districts to demonstrate, as he puts it, that “kids who look just like me can achieve what I have, too.”
Prior to the Thanksgiving holiday, Bradford organized a turkey giveaway that benefited roughly 200 families in the Lubbock community. Bradford donated 100 turkeys on his own through NIL proceeds he had generated, which was matched locally by United Supermarkets Arena. The planned two-hour giveaway was completed in roughly half the time as Bradford had lines of cars waiting 60 minutes prior to the 11 a.m. start time.
In the classroom, Bradford is a two-time graduate of Texas Tech University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in interdisciplinary studies. He is currently pursuing another graduate degree in public administration to further his career goal of eventually joining law enforcement and rising to the role of chief of police for a major metropolitan city.
Bradford helped lead the Red Raiders to one final victory in his final outing in scarlet and black as Texas Tech topped Cal in the Radiant Technology Independence Bowl last Saturday. He closed his career with 147 tackles, 30.5 tackles for loss and 15.0 sacks as a three-time All-Big 12 selection and previous honoree of the AFCA Good Works Team.
–TECH–
Release provided by Matt Dowdy Texas Tech Athletics
