Sidney Arthur Justin, sometimes spelled Sydney Justin (born August 14, 1954), is an American former

gridiron football Gridiron football,"Gridiron football"
''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Ret ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

, singer and

songwriter A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

. He played professionally for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West division. They play their home games at IG Fiel ...

, and

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

after playing

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Los Angeles Southwest and

Long Beach State California State University, Long Beach (CSULB) is a public research university in Long Beach, California. The 322-acre campus is the second largest of the 23-school California State University system (CSU) and one of the largest universities i ...

. He also played for the

minor league Minor leagues are professional sports leagues which are not regarded as the premier leagues in those sports. Minor league teams tend to play in smaller, less elaborate venues, often competing in smaller cities/markets. This term is used in Nor ...

Southern California Rhinos and was briefly with the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, as well as the Los Angeles Express of the

United States Football League The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

(USFL). Following his football career, Justin was a member of several vocal groups, including

Shalamar Shalamar () is an American R&B and soul music vocal group active since the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s. Shalamar's classic line-up on the SOLAR label consisted of Howard Hewett, Jody Watley, and Jeffrey Daniel, together with dancer ...

and

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

Early life and education

Justin was born on August 14, 1954, in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans
Merriam-Webster. ; french: La Nouvelle-Orléans , es, Nuev ...

. He attended

Crenshaw High School Crenshaw High School is a four-year public secondary school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, located on 11th Avenue in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The school first opened in 1968 and currently enrolls aroun ...

Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

, being a

gymnast Gymnastics is a type of sport that includes physical exercises requiring balance, strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, dedication and endurance. The movements involved in gymnastics contribute to the development of the arms, legs, sh ...

rather than a

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player. Justin started attending

Los Angeles Southwest College Los Angeles Southwest College (LASC) is a public community college in the unincorporated area of West Athens, California in Los Angeles County, California. It is part of the Los Angeles Community College District and its service area includes In ...

in 1973 after his graduation from Crenshaw and was convinced by his friends to begin playing football. He was a starter as both a

freshman A freshman, fresher, first year, or frosh, is a person in the first year at an educational institution, usually a secondary school or at the college and university level, but also in other forms of post-secondary educational institutions. Ara ...

and sophomore, before transferring to

in 1975. He saw extensive playing time in his first year at Long Beach State and became a starter for his senior season. Justin was named All-

Pacific Coast Athletic Association The Big West Conference (BWC) is an American collegiate athletic conference whose member institutions participate in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's Division I. The conference was originally formed on July 1, 1969, as the Pacific ...

in his last year at

cornerback A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create tur ...

Professional football and coaching career

Justin went unselected in the

1977 NFL Draft The 1977 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held May 3–4, 1977, at the Roosevelt Hotel ...

. He spent the entire 1977 season as a

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

. In 1978, he trained with several

players and one of them convinced the team to give Justin an invite to the spring minicamp. The team had many

s at the time and one coach suggested that Justin go to play for the

Southern California Rhinos, which he did for the season. His performance there led him to receive interest again from the Rams, and they signed him for the 1979 season after buying out his rights from the Rhinos for $1,500. Justin was considered a long shot to make the team, but impressed in preseason for his talent in

man-to-man coverage A cornerback (CB) is a member of the defensive backfield or secondary in gridiron football. Cornerbacks cover receivers most of the time, but also blitz and defend against such offensive running plays as sweeps and reverses. They create turnov ...

and quickness. Ultimately, however, he was one of five released at the final roster cuts in August. Shortly after, at the start of September, he was re-signed due to an injury to Jeff Severson. Justin went on to appear in 13 games for the Rams that year, recording one

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

and making an 80-yard blocked

field goal A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ba ...

return

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

, the only score of his career, before being placed on injured reserve in mid-December due to a pulled

hamstring In human anatomy, a hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in between the hip and the knee (from medial to lateral: semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris). The hamstrings are susceptible to injury. In quadrupeds, ...

suffered on the blocked field goal return. While he was on injured reserve, the Rams went on to be runners-up in

Super Bowl XIV Super Bowl XIV was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Los Angeles Rams and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champi ...

against the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

. Justin was waived by the Rams on August 13, 1980, and was then claimed by the

. He was waived by Tampa Bay on August 25. He traveled to Canada and signed with the

of the

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) on September 6. Justin played two games for the Blue Bombers, posting one interception return for two yards before being released at the end of the month. Justin returned to the NFL and signed with the

in February 1981. He was placed on injured reserve on August 17 and was released on August 31. He joined the

for the 1982 season. Justin made the team and was the starting right cornerback to begin the season. He appeared in a total of five games, two as a starter, before suffering a cracked vertebrae which sidelined him for the rest of the season. Justin was waived by the Colts in March 1983. Justin had a brief stint with the

after being waived by the Colts, but was released in July. In October, he was signed by the Los Angeles Express of the

(USFL) for the 1984 season, joining his brother Tyrone who also played for the Express. He was released on January 21, 1984. After ending his playing career, Justin became a coach. He began as an assistant to Harold Daniels at Harbor Junior College, before becoming a coach at Westchester High School in Los Angeles. He subsequently served two years as

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

Granada Hills High School Granada Hills Charter (often abbreviated to GHCHS/GHC or simply Granada) is an independent charter school consisting of over 4,600 students in grades K–12, located in the Granada Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, United States. It i ...

before accepting a position as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach for the semi-professional Ventura Cardinals. The Cardinals folded after one season, and Justin then went to

Taft High School Taft School or Taft High School may refer to: * Taft School in Watertown, Connecticut, founded by Horace Dutton Taft, William Howard Taft's brother Schools named after William Howard Taft: * William Howard Taft High School (Los Angeles) * William ...

as defensive backs coach, helping them reach the city championship. In 2012, Justin became one of many former players to file lawsuits against the NFL for

concussion A concussion, also known as a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), is a head injury that temporarily affects brain functioning. Symptoms may include loss of consciousness (LOC); memory loss; headaches; difficulty with thinking, concentration, ...

-related injuries.

Music career

Justin liked music from a young age, and participated in several talent shows in high school. After high school, he worked for a time with singer

Candi Staton Canzetta Maria "Candi" Staton (, ) (born March 13, 1940) is an American singer–songwriter, best known in the United States for her 1970 remake of Tammy Wynette's " Stand by Your Man" and her 1976 disco chart-topper "Young Hearts Run Free". In E ...

and performed for several movie soundtracks, including the songs " Shout" and "

Shama Lama Ding Dong "Shama Lama Ding Dong" is a song written by and performed by fictional band Otis Day and the Knights in the 1978 film ''National Lampoon's Animal House''. Although Otis Day was portrayed by DeWayne Jessie in the film, the lead vocals were actually ...

" in ''

Animal House ''National Lampoon's Animal House'' is a 1978 American comedy film directed by John Landis and written by Harold Ramis, Douglas Kenney and Chris Miller. It stars John Belushi, Peter Riegert, Tim Matheson, John Vernon, Verna Bloom, Thomas Hu ...

''. He auditioned for the vocal group

in 1978 and was given the job, but turned it down to continue his football career. He also worked with

Hawk Wolinski David James "Hawk" Wolinski (born May 13, 1948) is an American keyboardist, songwriter and record producer, best known for his work with the funk band Rufus and their lead singer Chaka Khan. Biography Wolinski grew up in Chicago, Illinois, an ...

in producing the soundtrack for ''

Wildcats The wildcat is a species complex comprising two small wild cat species: the European wildcat (''Felis silvestris'') and the African wildcat (''F. lybica''). The European wildcat inhabits forests in Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus, while the ...

''. During his football career, Justin would sing and write songs during the offseason, and was able to do it full-time after his retirement from the sport. He was part of the songwriting team Sylverspoon Productions, working with artists and groups including

Leon Sylvers III Leon Frank Sylvers III (born March 7, 1953, Memphis, Tennessee) is an American singer, songwriter, disc-jockey, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He was a member of the family group The Sylvers and became one of the most successful pro ...

, Glen Jones,

Lakeside Lakeside or Lake Side may refer to: Places Australia * Lakeside College, Pakenham, Victoria * Lakeside Joondalup Shopping City, Joondalup, Western Australia * Lakeside, near Reservoir, Victoria * Lakeside International Raceway, Pine Rivers, Quee ...

The Whispers The Whispers is an American group from Los Angeles, California, who have scored hit records since the late 1960s. They are best known for their two number one R&B singles, " And the Beat Goes On" in 1980 and "Rock Steady" in 1987. The Whispers ...

Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...

and

. He went on to join Shalamar soon afterwards as their lead singer, replacing

Howard Hewett Howard Hewett Jr. (born October 1, 1955) is an American singer–songwriter. Hewett rose to fame as the lead vocalist of the group Shalamar. In 1985, he left the group to pursue his solo career, but he later returned to the group in 2001. He sig ...

in 1987. Justin worked with

Babyface Babyface or Baby Face can refer to: Nicknames * Lester Joseph Gillis a.k.a. Baby Face Nelson, an infamous 1930s bank robber * Roosevelt "Baby Face" Willette (1933–1971), an American hard bop and soul-jazz musician * "Baby Face", Jimmy McLarnin ...

and

L.A. Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world ...

in producing the album ''

Circumstantial Evidence Circumstantial evidence is evidence that relies on an inference to connect it to a conclusion of fact—such as a fingerprint at the scene of a crime. By contrast, direct evidence supports the truth of an assertion directly—i.e., without need ...

'', which featured the song " Love's Grown Deep" that placed number one on charts in Asia for five months. Justin received various different producing and songwriting positions afterwards. He produced for the soundtrack of the film ''

Lambada Lambada () is a dance from State of Pará, Brazil. The dance became internationally popular in the 1980s, especially in the Philippines, Latin America and Caribbean countries. It has adopted aspects of dances such as forró, salsa, merengue, m ...

'', working with

Tony Terry Antonio "Tony" Terry (born March 12, 1964) is an American soul/ new jack swing singer from Washington, D.C., who had several R&B hits in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Biography Singing Terry is a graduate at the Duke Ellington School of th ...

for the song "Tease Me, Please Me." He also sung in

Bobby Brown Robert Barisford Brown (born February 5, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter and dancer. Brown, alongside frequent collaborator Teddy Riley, is noted as one of the pioneers of new jack swing: a fusion of hip hop and R&B. Brown started h ...

platinum Platinum is a chemical element with the symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a dense, malleable, ductile, highly unreactive, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name originates from Spanish , a diminutive of "silver". Platinu ...

hits "

Every Little Step "Every Little Step" is a 1989 single by American singer Bobby Brown, written by L.A. Reid and Kenneth "Babyface" Edmonds and released by MCA Records. Released as the fourth single on his second album ''Don't Be Cruel'' it reached number three on ...

" and "

Rock Wit'cha "Rock Wit'cha" is the fifth and final single released by Bobby Brown from the album ''Don't Be Cruel''. It is a ballad with two versions of the song. The music video uses the remix version found in the '' Dance!...Ya Know It!'' album. It peaked at ...

." Justin performed in concerts with various other groups, including

The Gap Band The Gap Band was an American R&B and funk band that rose to fame during the 1970s and 1980s. The band consisted of three brothers: Charlie, Ronnie, and Robert Wilson, along with other members; it was named after streets (Greenwood, Archer, an ...

, Zapp,

Earth, Wind & Fire Earth, Wind & Fire (EW&F or EWF) is an American band whose music spans the genres of jazz, R&B, soul, funk, disco, pop, big band, Latin, and Afro pop. They are among the best-selling bands of all time, with sales of over 90 million re ...

, and

Rose Royce Rose Royce is an American soul and R&B group. They are best known for several hit singles during the 1970s including "Car Wash", " I Wanna Get Next to You", " I'm Going Down", "Wishing on a Star", and "Love Don't Live Here Anymore". Career Th ...

. In 1990, Justin wrote, produced, and performed half of the album '' Wake Up'', the last album recorded by Shalamar before disbanding. In 1993, Justin joined The Miracles and after several concerts was introduced as lead singer. He has performed with them at numerous locations over many years, later being joined by his brother

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

. He and The Miracles have made appearances on various television shows, including ''

Good Morning America ''Good Morning America'' (often abbreviated as ''GMA'') is an American morning television program that is broadcast on ABC. It debuted on November 3, 1975, and first expanded to weekends with the debut of a Sunday edition on January 3, 1993. Th ...

'', ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'', ''

George & Alana ''George & Alana'' (also called ''The George & Alana Show'' or ''G&A'') is an American daytime talk show that aired in broadcast syndication from September 18, 1995, to March 29, 1996, and was hosted by actor George Hamilton and his former wife ...

'', ''

Home & Family ''Home & Family'' (formerly ''The Home and Family Show'') is an American daytime talk show. The series originally premiered on April 1, 1996, on The Family Channel, and was dropped by the network immediately prior to its 1998 relaunch as the Fox ...

'', ''The

Pat Bullard Patrick Bullard (born February 6, 1959) is a Canadian television writer and comedian. Biography Born in Mississauga, Ontario, Bullard wrote for such sitcoms as '' Roseanne'', '' Reba'', ''Two Guys, a Girl and a Pizza Place'', ''Grace Under Fire ...

Show'', and '' Donny & Marie'', among others. The National Football League has had Justin sing ''

The Star-Spangled Banner "The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the b ...

'' on several occasions prior to games.

Later and personal life

Justin is also an

artist An artist is a person engaged in an activity related to creating art, practicing the arts, or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse refers to a practitioner in the visual arts only. However, th ...

; he attended

Otis Art Institute Otis College of Art and Design is a private art and design school in Los Angeles, California. Established in 1918, it was the city's first independent professional school of art. The main campus is located in the former IBM Aerospace headquarte ...

and was taught by Charles W. White and

Ernie Barnes Ernest Eugene Barnes Jr. (July 15, 1938 – April 27, 2009) was an American artist, well known for his unique style of elongated characters and movement. He was also a professional football player, actor and author. Early life Childhood E ...

. His work has been featured at several exhibits. Justin is a brother of USFL defensive back Tyrone Justin, NFL and USFL defensive back Kerry Justin, and the father of CFL and

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays its ...

defensive back Airabin Justin. He and Tyrone appeared as extras in the television series '' 1st & Ten''. Justin published a book on how to play defensive back, titled ''The Lost Art'', in June 2016. He is a

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Justin, Sid 1954 births Living people American football defensive backs Players of American football from New Orleans Singers from Louisiana Songwriters from Louisiana Crenshaw High School alumni Long Beach State 49ers football players Los Angeles Rams players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Winnipeg Blue Bombers players Buffalo Bills players Baltimore Colts players Kansas City Chiefs players Los Angeles Express players High school football coaches in California Shalamar members The Miracles members Junior college football players in the United States Junior college football coaches in the United States Otis College of Art and Design alumni