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Talbot Freeland

Talbot Freeland

by | Feb 17, 2023

Talbot came to Bennett H.S. from P.S. 31 in September of ’55. His outgoing, positive personality, as well as his athletic talent, were immediately evident to his classmates at Bennett.

Talbot was a star in basketball and football, the two most high profile sports at the Main Street school. In basketball, he was a starter as a sophomore, and contributed many valuable minutes as Bennett won the 1957 Yale Cup. In his senior year, Bennett repeated as Yale Cup champions, with Talbot being the main cog. He averaged nearly 19 points per game, provided excellent ball handling and floor play, and finished second in the Yale Cup scoring race. As a result of his sterling efforts, he was named All-High in the Buffalo Evening News and the Courier Express. In addition, Talbot was the first Bennett player to be named to the All Western New York basketball team, as the Courier Express published its first edition of that honor squad during Talbot’s senior year.

In football, Talbot showed his athletic skill with a key touchdown pass reception against the Tech Engineers during a Bennett victory in 1958. Talbot earned three major letters in football.

After graduation, Talbot matriculated at Winston-Salem State University (NC). While a member of the basketball team there, he was a teammate of NB legend Earl “The Peart” Monroe.

Talbot Freeland passed away in February of 1996.

Frank Ralabate

Frank Ralabate

by | Feb 17, 2023

Frank was a two sport athlete all four of his years at Bennett. He earned major varsity letters in Cross Country and Track. His All-High accomplishments include the 880 yard freshman relay in track, and two top 5 finishes in All-High Cross country meets in his Junior and senior years. Frank finished 5th overall in his junior season, and 2nd place in the entire city as a senior. Frank was also selected as the male “Athlete of the Year” in 1959. Always active in running, his sport of choice, Frank was President of the “ Bennett Track Club”, and founded the “Varsity Club” at Bennett. After high school Frank was designated a “Paul Harris Fellow” by Rotary International. Frank also was active in “Matthewson – McCarthy” baseball and the Rotary Club.

Frank went on to graduate in Law School, and is now a Lawyer locally with offices in Williamsville specializing in Real Estate. Frank has presented seminars to other Lawyers on Real Estate.

Today, Frank and his wife Judy reside in Williamsville, and are the proud parents of 3 children ( Cynthia, Thomas, and Theodore ) and 5 grandchildren.

Reg Eyre

Reg Eyre

by | Feb 17, 2023

If ever there was a “man for all seasons” in the annals of Bennett High School sports history, it would be none other than 1959 graduate, Reggie Eyre. As a football, basketball and baseball major letterman, Eyre is one of the select few Bennett athletes to have played on a championship team in all three sports. When the Tigers won the Cornell Cup baseball championship in 1957, the Harvard Cup championship for football in 1958, and were crowned Yale Cup basketball champions in 1959, he became a member of the exclusive “trifecta” club.

As a hard hitting, multi position baseball player, Eyre was named first team All-High in his senior year, hitting a robust .520 and patrolling the outfield positions with skill and grace. A starting End on the gridiron, reliable #17, Reg Eyre played with determination and was a major cog in the 1958 Bennett team that rolled through the Harvard Cup season undefeated, finishing an unblemished 7 wins, 0 losses.

On the hardcourt, Eyre was part of a Bennett hoops squad that was the first Bennett team to capture the Yale Cup, as well as the Board of Education playoff trophy. At the culmination of his final season at Bennett, he was the only member of his senior class of 1959 to win a varsity letter in three sports.

After completing his education at Bennett, Eyre attended the University of Buffalo. He currently resides in Tonawanda, NY.