Legacy 77: Seabreeze alumni return to share stories of success, failure, trials and jubilations

Class of 1977 alumnus Randy DiGirolamo organized the three-day event with classmates to give back to their alma mater.

  • By Michele Meyers
  • | 3:00 p.m. August 12, 2026
  • Ormond Beach Observer
  • Sports
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Randy DiGirolamo graduated from Seabreeze High School in 1977. He played on the Sandcrabs’ football team — a second-stringer, not a starter.

“But I was out there giving it my all, all the time, and had the respect of my peers,” he said. “They knew I could step in if needed, even though I wasn’t the starter. I wanted these Seabreeze players to hear that because not all of them will start. You can be a winner in life, you can be successful in business, and you don’t have to start on the team, but you’re part of the team, and you’re part of what makes a group successful.”

This year, DiGirolamo organized Legacy 77, an event held July 29-31 at the Seabreeze campus after interest was expressed by head football coach Mike Klein. Seabreeze alumni from the class of 1977 returned after nearly 50 years to talk about their lives, including their successes, failures, trials and jubilations with the football team. The group consisted predominantly of friends who DiGirolamo had played baseball and football with in high school whose interests in giving back to their alma mater aligned with his.

These were the same friends he stayed in touch with while attending Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where he graduated with a degree in Aviation Management. Mid-degree, he discussed the potential of going into air cargo with his father, Tony, who taught at ERAU and later became a dean there.

“My dad said, ‘Randy. There’s this small company in Memphis, Tennessee, called Federal Express, and I think they’re onto something,’” DiGirolamo recalled. “I did my research, I studied, then I did an internship at FedEx in 1979.”

He graduated from ERAU on April 18, 1981, and began his 42-year-plus career at FedEx on May 4. Throughout his tenure, he traveled to Orlando and South Florida on business from his home in Arlington, Tennessee. He said he would stop in to see friends and catch up.

“A combination of things (motivated me to start Legacy 77),” he said. “Some of my best friends from high school never stopped keeping in touch. There was always this tie to Ormond and Daytona Beach. Through time, and raising a family, I wanted my kids to have coastal experiences, so I’d bring them down here. We’d always see my high school friends.”

The concept of Legacy 77 accelerated during his 40th reunion, DiGirolamo said. While there, Vince Jennelle, who owned a marina in Big Pine Key, invited a group of classmates there to snorkel and explore the Keys. Their camaraderie and friendship deepened during the COVID-19 pandemic when they would invite each other to visit on a regular basis.

I want to leave you with three things. Prepare because confidence comes from preparation. Adjust because life will change the defense. Protect your brand because your reputation will open doors long after football is over." — MARK THOMAS, Seabreeze class of 1977 quarterback

DiGirolamo said if he lived to experience his 50-year anniversary, he would make a financial contribution to Seabreeze, where he developed close relationships with his baseball and football teammates.

“I started thinking that I so enjoy, and I’m blessed by this relationship of people,” DiGirolamo said. “When we moved here my junior year, my classmates were so welcoming. It had such a positive impact on my identity and who I was in an affirmative way. That was a huge building block change in how I viewed myself that launched me successfully in life, and that’s another reason why I wanted to give back.”

Nine months ago, he decided to include his classmates in his philanthropic endeavors. Eight speakers committed to join him for Legacy 77, including two from the class of 1978: former Seabreeze football coach, artist and published author Mark Lewis, and Clay Newbill, founder, president, and executive producer at 310 Entertainment Inc. Newbill is also the executive producer of Shark Tank.

“One of the things I’ve thought about is this would be nice to perpetuate, but I can’t do it every year,” DiGirolamo said. “Well, Clay (Newbill) has said he’ll take the mantle for next year and get the class of 78.”

DiGirolamo presented on the first day of the event, followed by a video submitted by former quarterback Mark Thomas and then Newbill.

“As I close, I want to leave you with three things,” Thomas said. “Prepare because confidence comes from preparation. Adjust because life will change the defense. Protect your brand because your reputation will open doors long after football is over.”

Day two of Legacy 77 included 4x400 meter relay Olympic gold medalist Walter McCoy; Auto Hospitality Group founder and CEO, and AutoShop Answers Founder Todd Hayes; local construction and cabinet business owner Dennis Beckton; retired O’Neal Industries, Inc. Executive Vice President and CFO Mike Rowland; and Jennelle.

A key thread connecting all the speakers was to work hard no matter the task at hand. Hayes was a successful motocross rider. When he turned professional, he faced a different level of competition and opted to retire from racing. At age 26, he launched his own business with $26,000, and by the time he was 37 years old, he sold it for $25 million.

“You’ve got to find your lane, guys,” he said. “You’ve got to find what you love. If you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. But really, the saying is: If you love what you do, you will work harder than anybody else because the load’s so easy to carry because you love it.”

Lewis was the last speaker of the event. He said he should have graduated with the class of 1977 but was held back due to his struggles with ADD, of which he had not received a diagnosis at the time.

Brothers in arms is not a small thing, Lewis said. He said the Seabreeze coaches spend endless hours dedicating themselves to teaching them what they need to know to perform and encouraged the players to meet their coaches halfway.

“Confidence is the thing that God gives you — don’t waste your gifts,” he said. “It’s not enough to just wear the uniform. You got to go out every day and want to be better than you were the day before. That is what makes a team better from the time you come from summer camp to the last game of the season."

 

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