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.
