Today's Tidbit... Fred Sington's Sideline Invention

One can accomplish a great deal in athletics and life yet have your longest-term legacy go unremarked upon, with few being aware you were its inventor. Fred Sington was one of those individuals who succeeded in nearly everything he tried, which is remarkable because he tried so many things.

Sington grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, attending Phillips High School and earning four letters each in football, basketball, track, and baseball. Several baseball franchises wanted to sign him, but he chose to attend Alabama, where he became a three-year starter at tackle, a campus leader and earned Phi Beta Kappa status. Playing for Wallace Wade, he was a unanimous All-American and the team spokesperson as a senior when the 10-0 Crimson Tide were greeted at train stations while making their way to Pasadena for the 1931 Rose Bowl. Having given up only 13 points all season, they dominated Washington State on their way to a 24-0 victory.

(1931 Alabama yearbook)

A power hitter on Alabama's baseball team, he signed with an Atlanta minor league team. He eventually played all or parts of the 1934 through 1939 seasons for the Washington Senators and Brooklyn Dodgers while assisting Wade Wallace with Duke football during his minor league years.

1939 Play Ball baseball card (Jewish Baseball Museum)

He spent the war years in the Navy, coaching or administering athletic programs, with one highlight being his time playing for the North Carolina Pre-Flight baseball team while rooming with Ted Williams.