Freddie Dyles was a prominent figure in Pinellas County and garnered widespread respect from his coaching peers and the community. 

In 1964, while segregation was still in place, Freddie Dyles joined St. Petersburg Gibbs High School as a teacher and a coach. During the 1965-66 school year, he won a state basketball championship in the all-Black Florida Interscholastic Athletic Association (FIAA). The following year, Gibbs High School became the first all-Black school to join the all-White Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA). With Coach Dyles at the helm, Gibbs High School won a state championship their first year in the new integrated Florida High School Athletic Association.

Gibbs High School basketball drew large crowds whenever and wherever they competed. One of the most electrifying sports events in St. Petersburg history occurred on December 30,1966 when all-black Gibbs High School played all-white Clearwater High School in the final game of a holiday tournament played in St. Petersburg’s Bayfront Center. Nearly 7,500 fans were in attendance.  At the time, it was said to have been the largest crowd ever to attend a high school game in Florida, and the Gibbs Gladiators were victorious, winning 70-66.  Coach Dyles then went on to win another FHSAA state championship during the 1968-69 basketball season.

Dyles retired in June 1993 with a lifetime record of 674-236, which made him the winningest boys high school basketball coach in Pinellas County of his time. It was not until 2010 when one of Coach Dyles’ former players (Dan Wright) surpassed his record of being the winningest boys basketball coach in Pinellas County. More than that, Coach Dyles left a legacy of instilling discipline, pride, determination and respect in legions of young men.

On February 1, 2020 Gibbs High School renamed its gym to the Freddie Dyles Gymnasium in honor of the iconic coach. The event was hosted by the Gibbs High School Hall of Fame Committee.  The renaming ceremony was featured in the Tampa Bay Times, The Weekly Challenger, and many television outlets.

Coach Dyles, who was Gibbs High School’s basketball coach for nearly 30 years before retiring, passed away on June 18, 1999, at the age of 66.