Harry Singletary (1984) - Eckerd College Athletics Hall of Fame

Eckerd College Athletics Hall of Fame

Harry Singletary, also known as “Big Red,” is known for playing men’s basketball at Eckerd from 1964-1968.
He was the first African-American athlete to play a sport for an all-white college in the South.
He was Eckerd’s first All-American athlete, who averaged 27 points and 53 consecutive games in double figures.
Eckerd’s former Basketball Head Coach and Athletic Director Jim Harley said, "he was, in my opinion, the best basketball player that Eckerd has ever had, and we've had some good ones.”
Singletary was the winner of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Physical Fitness Award as a FPC Athlete of the Year for two consecutive years.
He received two NBA draft selection before continuing on to play for the Eastern League Blue Bombers in Wilmington, Delaware.
He then served as a Youth Counselor in Illinois’ juvenile corrections and was eventually promoted to Superintendent.
He earned his Master of Arts in Social Work from the University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration in 1971.
He returned to Florida and spent eight years as Assistant Secretary of Operations in the Florida Department of Corrections, and was later appointed Secretary from 1991 to 1998.
In 1996, his jersey # 52 was retired, which was the first number the school retired in any sport.
Singletary passed away on January 29, 2010. Harry is survived by his wife, Vivian, and their children, Harry III, Jon and Taiwo.