SPORTS HALL of FAME COACH
William Davidson

When Bill Davidson was a cross country runner and a wrestler during his days at Union High School in New Jersey, could he have envisioned coaching somewhere? There are no doubt scores of Sidney Alumni who are glad his love of those two sports did not end when he graduated in 1954.

Yes, Bill must have caught on to what his scholastic coaches taught him, as he in turn shared his knowledge of both running and wrestling exploits while pursuing a degree in English/Journalism. Shortly after graduating from Grinnell College in 1957, Bill joined the United States Army. By the next summer he married Betsy Hunt and would begin his teaching career in Hillside, N.J. Bill & Betsy also started their family, starting with son Tom in 1960. In fact, as second son, Chris, was born in June of 1961, Bill accepted his first job at Sidney - teaching 7th grade math.

However, Uncle Sam called once again during the Berlin Wall crisis in October of'61. Bill's commitment there lasted through the summer of 1962, which by that time allowed him to return to Sidney. From 1962-63 school year through June of 1988, Bill's teaching days were spent in Sidney, though his subjects and venues changed a few times. Most will recall being in the third floor of the Junior High (Room 352) for 8th grade English, including a unit on public speaking!

At the same time he re-started at Sidney, Bill dove right into additional coaching duties. For three seasons, he assisted AI Drake with 7th grade football. Wrestling coach Tom Robertson brought Bill into the fold for the winters of 1962-73. Serving as Tom's JV and assistant varsity coach, Bill helped develop some of the best wrestling talent in the state of New York.

In those days, JV matches were nearly as intense as the varsity bouts. Much of that had to do with Sidney's incredible depth of talent. Being the second best wrestler in a given weight class at Sidney meant being on the mat for a JV preliminary match, Under Coach Davidson's direction, the JV teams were 113-29 - an amazing 79.6 winning percentage!

In the summer of 1965, the Sidney Board of Education approved the funds to launch a new fall sport which would give boys who did not play football a chance to participate in something else. Dr. Howard Lynch, in his first full year as Superintendent of schools, suggested Cross Country, a sport which required very little equipment. All they needed was a place to run, some runners and a coach.

Enter Bill Davidson.

Not only did Bill accept this new responsibility, he - well - ran with it! In just three seasons, Bill created a program that rose all the way to number three in the state! The 1967 season was special indeed, as the Warriors, known then as "Harriers", never lost a race to any Section IV school including the larger Southern Tier Athletic Association. Sidney won the Section IV team title again the next year! They were also Sus League champs three times, with countless more invitational trophies earned along the way. One of the great aspects of cross country was individuals could also run their way to the New York State meet, and Sidney had quite a few do just that.

Before he retired as cross country coach in 1980, Bill helped others realize their potential in running, as a junior high program was instituted in the early 1970s, followed by a girls program in 1976. In honor of his achievements and commitment to cross country, the Sidney Invitational race held every October was renamed the Bill Davidson Invitational in 1980.

Bill has remained active since retiring from teaching in 1988. He is a Rotarian, sits on the Eagle Scout Board (he earned his Eagle in 1951), is involved in the American Legion and is the Financial Director for his college Class of 1957. Naturally, he and Betsy enjoy their "retirement" time but cherish family time when they can with Tom, Chris and Gordy and their families.

Similarly, the runners and wrestlers who were under the guidance of Coach Bill Davidson do not feel any less influenced by him just because of distance in time or mileage. It is why they are collectively proud of his induction into the Sidney Alumni Sports Hall of Fame.