A Tribute to Daryl Siedentop: A Visionary Leader of Physical Education and Sport Pedagogy

Abstract

Daryl Siedentop passed away on 15 July 2021, in Westerville, Ohio. Over the forty plus years of his professional career Daryl was a preeminent driving force in forging a vision for physical education and sport pedagogy with his commitment to “improving the quality of sport and other physical activity experiences in school physical education for all children and youth” (Rink & van der Mars, 2008, p. 9). Daryl’s seminal ideas in relation to teaching, physical education teacher education and research in sport pedagogy remain so embedded in the practices of the field that the title of “visionary leader” seems appropriate. This special issue is designed as a celebration of Daryl’s ideas and vision and pay tribute to his enduring legacy in the field of physical education and sport pedagogy. He humbly summarized his contribution as a “small role in the development of research in the field now universally referred to as sport pedagogy” (National Association Kinesiology [NAK], 2008). The genesis of this special issue tribute was the brainchild of a small cadre of Daryl’s former doctoral students and colleagues from The Ohio State University (OSU) who had worked with and alongside him during various stages of his career. Both Shiri and I, as coeditors, were international students who completed our doctoral degrees at OSU and had the privilege of studying with Daryl. Although we have first-hand knowledge of Daryl and his work, we also borrowed heavily from information Bobbie (Daryl’s wife) shared with us. Bobbie was a physical education teacher who Daryl met at OSU when she was studying for her master’s degree. During their 44 years together, they lived and learned from each other and Bobbie’s experiences as an elementary physical education teacher influenced Daryl’s contributions to the fields of physical education and sport pedagogy. Daryl spent his childhood developing his passion for playing sport on the south side of Chicago. He played basketball and graduated from Hope College in 1960. Daryl stayed at Hope College after graduating, working as a teacher and coach for ten years while earning his master’s degree from Western Michigan University and his doctorate in Physical Education from Indiana University. That time saw his first interlude into academic writing with his first book being a basketball performance textbook. Daryl developed his passion to engage in written forms of academic discourse with his doctoral dissertation on the role that education played in creating and reinforcing inequity; specifically how sport, when