Wallace Sykes Reed (December 14, 1904 – March 21, 1972) was an American

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player and dentist, best known for his All-American college career at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...

(Pitt). Sykes came from Braddock, Pennsylvania, where he played basketball for Braddock High School with future Pitt teammate Stash Wrobleski. The two came to Pitt to play for future Hall of Fame coach

Doc Carlson Henry Clifford "Doc" Carlson (July 4, 1894 – November 1, 1964) was an American basketball coach and football player. He is a Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame inductee as the men's college basketball coach of his alma mater, the University of Pi ...

and, in the 1927–28 season, were both starters on the Panthers' first undefeated team. Reed captained the team and at the end of the season was named an All-American along with teammate Chuck Hyatt. The squad finished the season 21–0 and would later be honored as historical national champions by both the

Helms Athletic Foundation The Helms Athletic Foundation, founded in 1936, was a Los Angeles-based organization dedicated to the promotion of athletics and sportsmanship. Paul H. Helms was the organization's founder and benefactor, funding the foundation via his ownership ...

and the Premo-Porretta Power Poll. Following his basketball career, Reed became a dentist and refereed local basketball and football games. He died of an apparent heart attack while playing golf in

Fort Lauderdale, Florida Fort Lauderdale () is a coastal city located in the U.S. state of Florida, north of Miami along the Atlantic Ocean. It is the county seat of and largest city in Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the 2020 census, making it the tenth ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reed, Sykes 1904 births 1972 deaths All-American college men's basketball players American dentists Guards (basketball) People from Braddock, Pennsylvania Basketball players from Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh Panthers men's basketball players American men's basketball players 20th-century dentists