Courtesy of Roger Williams
The “Talkin’ Old School with Roger Franklin Williams” radio program will present the 2025 Dave Powers Crying Towel Invitational next week at Christner’s Prime Steak and Lobster.
The 12th annual event is set to take place at 5 p.m. on Monday, Aug. 11, when four Orlando area high school football coaches will share previews of their upcoming football seasons.
This year, new coaches Marcus Neeson of Apopka and Patrick Browning of Edgewater will join Boone’s Andy Johnson in a competition to dethrone Bishop Moore’s Matt Hedrick as the Crying Towel Champion.
“It’s an evening of lighthearted camaraderie,” host Roger Williams said. “They’re trying to outdo each other to paint the most bleak picture of the season.”
After the coaches make their presentations, a panel of judges will determine the winner, who will then receive the Crying Towel, the Crying Towel Plaque for 2025, and a $200 gift card to Christner’s. While the judges deliberate, the coaches will take questions from a live audience, according to a press release.
Williams said the Crying Towel tradition originally started in the 1960s or 1970s, when Orange County had only eight to 10 high schools. The Rotary Club would host the event as a luncheon. As more high schools arrived in Orange County, though, the tradition eventually disappeared.
Williams credits the invitational’s namesake, Dave Powers, for revitalizing the tradition in 2014. Powers served as the primary sponsor of “Talkin’ Old School with Roger Franklin Williams” and contributed financially to the athletic program at Bishop Moore Catholic High School, his alma mater. Powers died on Nov. 7, 2017, after presiding over United Legacy Bank and other community banks.
The rejuvenated event’s format differs from the original. Instead of presenting all Orange County high schools, the invitational features only four coaches. It also includes a social hour and prix fixe dinner instead of a luncheon. Christner’s Prime Steak and Lobster has hosted the Crying Towel Invitational dinner and presentation ever since it returned in 2014.
“This event would not be possible without the support of the Christner Family, Jim Flanagan, Christner’s Operations Manager, and the support of our other sponsors,” Williams said in a press release. “They recognize the importance of celebrating the tremendous positive impact of high school athletics and, especially, the contributions of these dedicated coaches.”
The Crying Towel event usually draws 40-50 people, but Williams hopes for a larger turnout this year in support of one of Neeson’s first public appearances as Apopka High School’s head football coach.
“Fans and alumni of the four schools, many of whom were classmates, teammates, or rivals decades ago, have the opportunity to renew old acquaintances and friendships and reminisce about rivalries from long ago,” Williams said in a press release.
Williams and Crying Towel co-host Despina McLaughlin will broadcast a special Crying Towel episode of the “Talkin’ Old School with Roger Franklin Williams” radio program at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 13, on FM 94.9/AM 950 The Answer.
Those wishing to attend the invitational may call Christner’s for a reservation at 407-645-4443.