Born:
November 4, 1919
Philadelphia, PA
Died:
September 2, 2005
Scottsdale, AZ
Career
1938-39 West High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1939-40 West High School - Philadelphia (High School)
1940-41 Philadelphia YMHA All-Stars (Independent)
1941-42 Trenton Tigers (ABL)
1944-45 Baltimore Bullets (ABL)
1946-47 Allentown Rockets (EPBL)
Sigholtz was a four-sport star in high school and played some pro basketball before enlisting in the U.S. Army at the onset of World War 2. He served in Burma and China, and after the war, he played with the Baltimore Bullets of the ABL and the Allentown Rockets of the Eastern League. When the Korean War broke out, Sigholtz was recalled to duty. He was a reconnaissance officer and also served in the special forces and in the 802nd Airborne. He was eventually promoted to colonel and commanded the 2nd Battalion of the 503rd Infantry Regiment in Vietnam. He led the only parachute assault by U.S. forces in the Vietnam War, and after the war, he became a professor of military science at Georgetown University as well as athletic director. He was fired as athletic director in 1972, but not before hiring John Thompson as head coach. (Thompson would go on to lead Georgetown to an NCAA title in 1984). Sigholtz took a job as managed RFK Stadium in Washington from 1973 to 1984, and lead an unsuccessful attempt to get a major league baseball team back in Washington.
Sigholtz died in 2005 of complications from a fall. He was 85.Bob married Roberta Wynee and they had a son and a daughter. His son, Robert Jr, was killed in combat in Vietnam. Following the death of his daughter in 1980, Sigholtz adopted her children. After divorcing Roberta, he remarried Sara O'Meara in 1985.
Trivia:
Sigholtz is the only pro basketball player to serve in World War 2, the Korean War and the Vietnam War.
Source:
Obituary, Washington Post, September 9, 2005
Stats:
http://probasketballencyclopedia.com/player/bob-sigholtz/
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