LeRoy Hoequist was known throughout Orlando for his athletic endeavors. He played basketball, enjoyed handball, and excelled at track and field events. His biggest talents appeared on the football field where he played several positions including quarterback and running back at Orlando High School. Long considered one of the greatest football players to come out of Orlando, he was an All-State and All-Southern player in 1941 as well as an All-Armed Forces pick in 1942, the year he was recruited to play football at the University of Georgia. He was inducted into the Central Florida Sports Hall of Fame.
World War Two changed the trajectory of Hoequist’s life. While enjoying his freshman year of college playing football, he found himself enrolled in Navy Pre-Flight with a number of other leading college football players. They formed a football team and won games against Auburn and the Alabama team that would win the Orange Bowl later that winter. Hoequist found himself piloting a Hellcat fighter aircraft for the Navy.
Though he was promised a chance to retake the football field for Georgia after the war, Hoequist returned to Orlando where he was appreciated for his status as Orlando’s most gifted home-grown athlete. He inspired many with his storied athletic career and efforts during World War II. He also exemplified kindness and understanding for many others as a Funeral Director, caring for the bereaved in their darkest hours.
Hoequist was known for his love of sports, fair play, and the outdoors. He played on Orlando’s first professional football team, the Orlando Ramblers and played softball and other sports in the community. He also founded an Old Timers Athletics Association and invested countless hours of his time and talents to officiate youth sports over several decades. His involvement and commitment to youth sports earned him the honor of bestowing his name upon this wonderful City of Orlando park.