‘Inspired by the city and for the city.’ New documentary tells story of Traz Powell Stadium
Say no to drugs and yes to education. Tackled by the turf monster. First and a jitney ride.
If you’ve ever been to a high school football game at Traz Powell stadium, you’ve heard these sayings.
They make the game fun. They give the game flavor. And, arguably most important, they make the game unique. Coined by William Wilcox, the phrases – more specifically the man himself – are just as much a part of Miami high school football as the stadium in which he sits perched high in the press box like a witty war eagle. The significance of the three – Wilcox, Traz Powell Stadium and Miami high school football – are explored in a new, unreleased documentary entitled “The Mecca: Legends of Traz Powell.”
“Places like Traz Powell Stadium are a Miami staple,” filmmaker and “The Mecca” creator Nicanson Guerrier told the Miami Herald in an interview.
Produced by Guerrier, School Board member Steve Gallon and Carol City grad turned Super Bowl champion Kenny Phillips, the project ultimately cements what everybody here already knows: this is the Mecca of high school football. The documentary weaves together interviews from key figures including Teddy Bridgewater and Earl Little with stock footage from games and even clips of Nathanial “Traz” Powell himself. Sure, names like Dalvin Cook and Amari Cooper might ring bells but to see their high school tape in constant succession alongside that of Lavonte David and others will leave viewers in Miami and beyond in awe.
“When you look at all the players who have come out of there, all the coaches who have produced there,” recruiting analyst Larry Blustein said in the documentary. “There’s not a facility in the country that has had more big games than Traz-Powell Stadium.”
Added Phillips:”Playing at the mecca definitely gave me the confidence to play at the next level.”
The numbers certainly bear that out. A total of 19 NFL players played their high school ball in Miami when the 2022 season started, according to the league’s website, a number matched only by Houston. Throw in Plantation, Fla. with 11 and Fort Lauderdale, Fla. with 10 and South Florida’s reputation as high school football factory becomes a bit more clear.
“High school football has turned into something that’s so much bigger than just the sport,” Booker T. Washington High principal Kevin Lawrence said. “You show up at Traz Powell Stadium, it’s an event. You’re going to see bands, you’re going to see cheerleaders, you’re going to see people and all of that centers back on the field.”
Put differently, a Traz Powell stadium game feels more like a college matchup than high school. Then comes the question of why does high school football matter so much. The temperatures that allow for year-round certainly has something to do with it. As does the close proximity of the schools that can pit neighbor against neighbor. But Guerrier also presents an alternative narrative: the racism that shaped Miami led for a need of escapism that came in the form of football.
“When you go through stuff like that, it really bonds you,” Guerrier said, paraphrasing a quote from “The Mecca.” “Football is a form of community pride.”
While Guerrier touches on the history of Miami, the film positions Powell as a man who rallied the community through football. An Overtown native who became the first person of African descent to score a touchdown at the Orange Bowl, Powell helped shaped the standard of what it means to coach Miami high school football. Not only did Powell win – he finished with a record of 167-37-3 as well as six championships – but he became a staunch advocate for equality, endearing himself even further to the Black community.
“What Nate did helped create the scene for Black football,” former Miami Northwestern football coach Max Edwards said in the documentary.
Although Powell retired from coaching in 1968, coaches to this very day still try to live up to his legacy. Part of that, as many of the interviewed coaches will say, involves not just being a a coach but bearing the responsibility of shaping the boys into young men.
The film does not yet have a release date, however, Guerrier wants to host a premiere at Traz Powell for the entirety of Miami to see.
“This documentary was inspired by the city and for the city,” Guerrier said.
