By ED BRANNON Sports editor During his childhood years in Franklin's Third Ward, Ted Marchibroda did what most kids did in those days … he played sports. And, according to many first-hand accounts, he was destined to succeed, whether it was in baseball, track and field, basketball or football. Twenty years later in Franklin's Third Ward, Rolland “Bay”Lawrence did what most kids did in those days … he played sports. And, according to many first-hand accounts, he was destined to succeed, whether it was in baseball, track and field, basketball or football. Both boys grew into young men and sure enough, they excelled in various sports at Franklin High School. As it turned out, football was the sport that both would pursue after high school. In a sense, football gave us Marchibroda and Lawrence and took Marchibroda and Lawrence away from us. Ironically, football is what will bring them both back to Franklin on Oct.12. That's because 6 p.m. in the Bandstand Park (next to the courthouse), Franklin High School will hold a special ceremony to retire the football jerseys worn by its two living legends. In the case of rain, the event will moved to the second floor of the Franklin Elks Club. The ceremony is open to all and an autograph session will follow at the Elks Club. Marchibroda's No. 23 and placeCityLawrence's No. 21 will become the third and fourth jerseys retired by the school, joining the No. 22 worn by Paul “Red” Law in the mid-1960s and the No. 20 of recently graduated Nate Byham, who is a freshman tight end at the University of Pittsburgh. Marchibroda and Lawrence have shared the spotlight on other occasions, most notably in 1975 when Marchibroda was selected as the NFL's Coach of the Year and Lawrence was named an All-Pro cornerback. Both men are looking forward to tonight's event, especially Marchibroda, who seemed choked up when he heard of the plans. “I'm really honored … and it's great to be going in with Bay,” Marchibroda said from his home in Weems, Va. “I remember when Bay was in Atlanta and one of his old coaches, Fred Bruney, and I were talking. I told Fred that he was getting a good one.” Lawrence, whose No. 3 was retired a few years ago by placeTabor College, cut straight to the point. “I will always be a Franklin Knight at heart,” he said. “It's a wonderful honor and a real pleasure to be associated with Ted. I hope I've made a difference in people's lives and hope I entertained them when I played.” The 75-year-old Marchibroda still vividly recalls his high school playing days. “I remember a lateral pass to John Boughner against Titusville my sophomore year,” he said. “They were up, 7-6, in the final minute and he went 84 yards for the touchdown to win the game. I don't recall why, but that game was played at Hasson Heights for some reason. “Another game I remember from that season was against Punxsutawney,” he added. “We were down 13-0 but managed to come back and tie them. I also remember a game against Meadville my senior year and a late touchdown pass to Dick Russell.” For Marchibroda, however, there was only one opponent that really mattered … “I don't know, but some reason I always seemed to play better against them,” he said. “One game against them, I returned an interception 79 yards for a touchdown, threw a 9-yard touchdown pass and passed for two extra points. That's a game that I'll never forget. “For me, I think high school is a great experience for any young man and I'll always remember the guys I played with,” he said. “Guys like Jim Kockler, Dick Russell, Bob Cardy, John Boughner, Frank Trinch, Dusty Rhoads, Sam Fonzo and many, many others. Coaching kept me away from Franklin, but I still try to follow the team as best I can.” Lawrence never forgot his roots, either. “I never got to see Ted play, but I was fortunate enough to be a practice dummy for Red, who started this jersey retiring thing a long time ago,” he said. “And I was lucky to see Nate play the past few years. “This comes at a stage in my life where I don't know what to say,” he added. “It's been a long time since I've been in high school, but it was a wonderful time. Times have changed since those days. There were people who opposed coach (Dave) Stewart for making me the first black quarterback in school history. But, it was people like him, the coaches and my teammates, for believing in me that something like this could even happen.” Stewart also believed in Lawrence's ability to call audibles at the line of scrimmage. “We were ahead of our time in that area, nobody called audibles in those days,” Lawrence said. We were the first team to do that and it was very effective. I still remember a lot of the plays. If the play was a dive, I'd call out Swan or Flip. If it was a quick-look pass, I'd yell out the name of a magazine because LOOK magazine was big during those days. If it was a pitch, I'd use baseball terms like knuckleball, fastball or curveball.” Remarkably, Lawrence was one of three area players who eventually made it to the NFL in the late 1960s. The others included Jim Romaniszyn of Titusville and Ed O'Neil of Warren. Perhaps even more remarkable is that they're the last three area players to make it to the pros. At 55, Lawrence has mixed emotions about the Oct. 12 event. “To be honest, it really hasn't sunk in because I've been so busy,” he said. “I respect Franklin High School and coach Dave Smith for taking the time to do this and to be honored there with Ted. “The only sad thing is that Mom and Dad and several other family members who have passed away won't be there to see this. Lord willing, they'll be there with me.”