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 (appro ...

player and dentist, best known for his

All-American The All-America designation is an annual honor bestowed on outstanding athletes in the United States who are considered to be among the best athletes in their respective sport. Individuals receiving this distinction are typically added to an Al ...

college career at the

University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. The university is composed of seventeen undergraduate and graduate schools and colle ...

(Pitt). Sykes came from

Braddock, Pennsylvania Braddock is a Borough (Pennsylvania), borough located in the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, upstream from the mouth of the Monongahela River. The population was 1,721 as of the 2020 United States ...

, 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 ...

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 owner ...

and the

Premo-Porretta Power Poll The Premo-Porretta Power Poll is a retroactive end-of-year ranking for American college basketball teams competing in the 1895–96 through the 1947–48 seasons. The Premo-Porretta Polls are intended to serve collectively as a source of informa ...

. 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 most populous city in Broward County, Florida, Broward County with a population of 182,760 at the ...

References

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