Sigma Sigma () is a men's upperclassmen honorary fraternity at the

University of Cincinnati The University of Cincinnati (UC or Cincinnati) is a public research university in Cincinnati, Ohio. Founded in 1819 as Cincinnati College, it is the oldest institution of higher education in Cincinnati and has an annual enrollment of over 44,0 ...

. Founded in 1898, it is the oldest of such organizations at the University of Cincinnati. The constitution of the organization is as follows, "The name of the organization shall be Sigma Sigma. All matters transacted shall be for the good of the order and of the University of Cincinnati. This constitution shall not be amended."

History

Sigma Sigma was founded in the summer of 1898 by Parke Johnson, Russell Wilson, Robert Humphreys, Walter Everhardt, Charles W. Adler, Smith Hickenlooper, Andrew Hickenlooper, and Ada Innes. Originally created as a sophomore society, by 1902 Sigma Sigma had become known as an upperclassmen male organization. The purpose has remained the same, advancement of the

, which has been carried out in many ways since the founding. The organization donated the ceremonial mace that is carried in by the university marshal before each commencement ceremony. Since its founding the organization has sponsored a number of events and philanthropic goals for the university, with the organization's membership donating over $72 million as of 2019.

Sigma Sigma Commons

Leading up to the organization's centennial in 1998, the society contributed to the university through the Sigma Sigma Commons as part of the 1991 master plan of the campus. The society raised over $1.8 million to complete the project, which encapsulates 3.5 acres and includes a

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

amphitheater seats for 1,850 people and the 64 ft tall Ronald Walker Tower.

Carnival

An annual tradition since 1939, each year Sigma Sigma holds a carnival for the student body with booths run by a number of student organizations. The carnival traditionally brings thousands of people to campus and Sigma Sigma uses the proceeds for various donations back to the university. Since the completion of the Sigma Sigma Commons, the Carnival is annually held in the space. Previously, the carnival was hosted at the

Armory Fieldhouse Armory Fieldhouse is an on-campus facility located at the University of Cincinnati. It was built in 1954 to replace the old Schmidlapp Gymnasium, and originally was used as the home for the Bearcats men's basketball team, who opened the building w ...

and

Nippert Stadium James Gamble Nippert Memorial Stadium is an outdoor stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio, on the campus of the University of Cincinnati. Primarily used for American football, it is the home field of the Cincinnati Bearcats football team. The stadium has ...

Mr. Bearcat

Another tradition of the organization, is the long-standing award of Mr. Bearcat. The honor recognizes a graduating senior man who has achieved academic success, demonstrated leadership in diverse settings, and contributed to the University of Cincinnati with Bearcat spirit. The award has been given annually by Sigma Sigma since 1949.

Notable student members

* Russell Wilson (1898), politician and former

Mayor of Cincinnati The Mayor of Cincinnati is recognised as the official head and representative of the city for all purposes. There have been seventy-six mayors of Cincinnati, the first of which being David Ziegler in 1802. The current mayor is Aftab Pureval, w ...

* Smith Hickenlooper (1898), US federal judge * Jimmy Nippert (1923), college football player and namesake for

* George Smith (1933), head basketball coach and athletic director at

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

* Jim Holstein (1951), NBA player, head basketball coach at Ball State *

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(1951), former college football player, head football coach at

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(1951), former amateur World No. 1

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champion *

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(1953), NBA player *

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(1958), actor *

Carl Bouldin Carl Edward Bouldin (born September 17, 1939) is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who also played college baseball and college basketball for the University of Cincinnati, where he was a member of the NCAA Championship-winning 196 ...

(1960),

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player *

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(1963), college basketball player, head basketball coach at

Brig Owens Brigman Owens (February 16, 1943 – June 21, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Redskins. He played college football at the University o ...

(1964), NFL player * Myron Ullman (1967), former chairman and CEO of J. C. Penney, current chairman of

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(1969), NFL player * Jim O'Brien (1969), NFL player *

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(1975), former OH State Representative, judge * Kari Yli-Renko (1980),

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player * George Warhop (1983),

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Reggie Taylor Reginald Tremain "Reggie" Taylor (born January 12, 1977) is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played for the Philadelphia Phillies, Cincinnati Reds, and Tampa Bay Devil Rays during his five-year Major League Baseball care ...

(1987),

player * Lewis Johnson (1987), sports commentator and

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* Roger McClendon (1987), college basketball player, former chief sustainability officer of

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Doug Rosfeld
(1999), college football player, NFL coach *

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(2009),

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(2009), NFL player *

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(2009), competition swimmer *

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(2010), college football player * J. K. Schaffer (2010), NFL player *

Connor Barwin Connor Alfred Barwin (born October 15, 1986) is an American football executive and former outside linebacker, currently serving as the director of player development for the Philadelphia Eagles. He played college football at Cincinnati, and was ...

(2011), NFL player *

Sean Kilpatrick Sean Redell Kilpatrick (born January 6, 1990) is an American professional basketball player for the Fujian Sturgeons of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). A 6'4" shooting guard born in Yonkers, New York, during his senior season of 2013–1 ...

(2012), NBA player * Gary Clark (2018), NBA player *

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(2021), NFL player Source

Notable alumni members

* Walter Langsam (1971), former president of the

* William Keating Sr. (1975), former US Representative,

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executive Source

References

{{University of Cincinnati Collegiate secret societies Honor societies Student societies in the United States University of Cincinnati Student organizations established in 1898 1898 establishments in Ohio