Former UH men’s basketball player Sidney Edwards died of cancer July 7 in his home at the age of 58.
Edwards, who played for UH from 1971-74, competed in two NCAA Tournaments. He was named captain of the 1973-74 team, averaging 15.2 points and 9.9 rebounds during his senior season.
The 6-9 Edwards played forward and center during his career as a Cougar, scoring more than 700 points in his 80 games.
Edwards was persuaded to play at UH by legendary head coach Guy V. Lewis after a successful high school career at Linton High School in Schenectady, N.Y. Edwards, whose family relocated to New York from North Carolina, helped lead the Blue Devils to back-to-back sectional championships in 1969 and 1970.
The 1970 Linton basketball team, led by Edwards, was ranked No. 1 in the state, went undefeated (24-0) and is regarded as one of the best high school squads to ever play in the Capital Region. Edwards was also recognized as a Capital Region top 50 all-time player.
The two-time high school All-American and averaged 27 points and 17 rebounds during his senior season, capping it with a 50-point outburst in the playoffs.
Edwards finished his career at Linton with 1,432 points, breaking the previous school records set by Barry Kramer and future Basketball Hall of Fame coach Pat Riley.
Edwards was later inducted into the Schenectady City School District Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007, and became a member of the inaugural Capital District Basketball Hall of Fame class last month.
After his career at UH ended, Edwards played three seasons for the Harlem Globetrotters alongside Hall of Famers Meadowlark Lemon and Marques Haynes.
Edwards retired from basketball in 1978 after playing one season with a German professional team.
Beginning in 1989, he worked as an independent over-the-road truck driver and helped his sisters establish the E.S.E. Trucking Company of Niskayuna, N.Y.
Funeral services for Edwards will be held 11 a.m. Eastern time Saturday at the Friendship Baptist Church (409 Union St., Schenectady, N.Y.). Burial will take place at Park View Cemetery (Schenectady, N.Y.) shortly after.
Edwards is survived by his mother, Ruth Edwards, sisters Sylvia (Alvin) Smith and B. Laverne Edwards, and stepchildren Greg and Tiffany Thompson.
The epitome of a team player, Edwards leaves a legacy that will forever be remembered by those who watched and played with him.
