Many years ago a young man named Rodney Long was a team mate of mine at Southside High School. Rodney was an all around super individual and was respected by everybody. He was killed by gun fire at point blank range by David Frye in his Freshman year at college on February 11, 1982. His reward for giving David Frye a ride. David Frye has an upcoming parole hearing and my High School Football coach, Randy Ross, is asking folks that knew Rodney to write to kimberly.gentry@tn.gov to keep this cold blooded killer behind bars. He was, after all, sentenced to life in prison for this brutal crime. There is a Facebook page group with comments about Rodney, contact information for the parole board, our plans to attend the meeting to help keep this murderer behind bars and more.
I have included here a letter from Coach Ross to the parole board, a letter from Coach Ross to Joe Dismuke, and a letter from Joe Dismuke to other people asking us to take action. These letters say so much about how Rodney Long affected the people that knew him best and how those that knew him feel about him to this day. If you knew Rodney, I ask you please, take the time to write as it has and does affect how the parole board views this case.
Email from Joe Dismuke regarding David Frye's parole hearing:
Coach
Ross asked me to pass this on to as many people as possible. If you do
only one thing for me, do this…Email Kimberly Gentry at the address
provided below and let’s keep a murderer off the streets. Mark your
calendars for May 3rd, and do what you have to... do to make the trip
to the parole hearing. Rodney was one of the finest if not THE finest
person I ever knew. I know we all feel the great loss every day. Please
forward this to EVERYONE in your address book that may have known
Rodney. It will be better to receive this email 10 times than never to
have gotten this. Please honor Rodney by taking the time to send an
email. There are 2 emails at the bottom of the page, first one is the
email to me from Coach Ross, the 2nd is Coach Ross’s email to the
Parole Board. Take the time to read…
Thank you all so much, I love you and miss seeing…God bless you,
Joe Dismuke
Maco Industries
Phone 205-338-7341 ext 223
Fax 205-338-4536
Cell 256-453-1637
Randy Ross
SMU Football
Director of Football Operations
214-768-1221
Joe,
As
you know 6 years ago the person, david frye, who shot Rodney Long in
cold blooded murder was eligible for parole. Hundreds of people
responded with letters and by showing up at the parole hearing and
expressed that they felt he should not be released from prison. He had
been given a life sentence and we all felt he should serve the
sentence. As you know and I really don't have to even tell you what a
great individual Rodney was. He was loved and respected by everyone
that came into contact with him. As Rodney's Head Coach at Southside I
always felt that he gave his all over and over, day in and day out for
me and now I feel I owe that back to Rodney. All of us who played and
coached at Southside was always a close knit group that cared about
each other (if not those guys didn't last long) and now let's get
everyone to stick together one more time and support one of our own. I
am asking anyone who would do so, please take a moment and send an
email on behalf of Rodney. This will make a huge difference. I was
there 6 years ago and the parole board members said that the reason
they didn't release fyre was the letters and all the people who showed
up in person.
I will follow up with an email later that gives
the location of the hearing for anyone who wants to go. I will be there
and hopefully many others can attend. It looks like it will be in
Chattanooga, Tn. The date is May 3rd.
Also if you choose to write an email, they must receive those by April 7th.
The letter that I wrote is below. This may help you get started writing your own.
If you write an email you need to send it to:
kimberly.gentry@tn.gov
From: Ross, Randy
Sent: Monday, March 29, 2010 8:12 PM
To: kimberly.gentry@tn.gov
Subject: David Frye-Parole Hearing
To whom it may concern:
I am writing in reference to David Frye-Tomis number 00097956
I
was Rodney Long's Head Football Coach in High School for 3 years at
Southside High School in Gadsden, Alabama. I was a ...high school coach
for 12 years, then for 23 in college football. I coached at Vanderbilt
University for 3 years, then 17 years at the University of Alabama. I
am now entering my 4th year at Southern Methodist University (SMU) in
Dallas, Texas. I have never been around a better and more respected
young man than Rodney was. Rodney was like a son to my wife, Ann, and
me. He spent many hours at my home while he was in high school. He
loved to play board games with Ann. He was a young man who had high
morals, values and was an exceptional young man of integrity. I trusted
Rodney with my life because I knew he was a caring individual and would
never disappoint me in any way.
A mother, father, brother,
brother-in-law, uncle, cousin, and friends were robbed of getting to
spend many years with Rodney because of the senseless murder that took
place. Rodney was the type of young man that would have been a great
husband, father, employee and someone who had the potential to be the
governor, senator or congressman of his state.
A decision was
made that night when Rodney was shot at point blank range. Call it what
it was, it was cold blooded murder. When the trial reached the end they
read the verdict of life in prison. It is confusing to me why parole is
even being discussed. Life in prison to me should be life in prison and
not a certain number of years.
I know that statistics today
tell us that when a person is released from prison they will commit the
same act again that got them in prison in the first place. So I am
asking you today to keep David Frye in prison and off the streets so
that another innocent life is not taken.
Thanks in advance for making the right decision,
Randy Ross
Director of Football Operations
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, Texas
