George Sydnor, 86, a two-time world record holder in the 60 yard dash, a longtime local civic leader and more recently a popular Garrett Hill crossing guard, passed away on Friday, March 18 after a battle with cancer. Sydnor was a lifelong resident of the Villanova area, ran on some of the greatest teams in Villanova track & field history, and was a distinguished member of the community who served 15 years in the Radnor Township Police Department after becoming the township's first Black police officer in 1964.

A viewing for Sydnor will be held on Friday morning, March 25, from 9 to 11 a.m. at Church of the Saviour, 651 North Wayne, Ave., Wayne, Pa. 19087. A celebration of life will follow. Donations in Sydnor's memory may be made to the Radnor High School Scholarship Fund, P.O. Box 8244, Radnor, Pa. 19087.

READ MORE: George Sydnor obituary in the Philadelphia Inquirer
 
During a storied career as a world-class sprinter, Sydnor was part of Villanova's 1957 track & field squad which won the NCAA outdoor championship and is regarded as one of the most dominant teams in collegiate history. Sydnor was a five-time Penn Relays champion during his collegiate career, including running the leadoff leg of the Mile Relay in 1958 for a team which was recognized on the Penn Relays Wall of Fame in 2011. He was inducted to the Villanova University Varsity Club Hall of Fame in 1985.
 
George Sydnor was born on September 23, 1935 at Bryn Mawr Hospital. He was the oldest of eight children, graduated from Haverford High School in 1954 and earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Villanova in 1958.
 
Sydnor was a standout running back on the football team and a national indoor champion on the track & field team at Haverford High School. He earned a track & field scholarship to attend Villanova after being a national high school champion in the 60 yard dash, as well as a Pennsylvania state champion at both 100 yards and 220 yards. As a sophomore at Villanova, Sydnor tied the standing world record in the 60 yard dash twice in the span of a month. He ran 6.1 on February 4, 1956 at the Millrose Games and matched the mark again on March 3, 1956 at the NY Knights of Columbus Meet.
 
During the 1955 collegiate track & field season a lineup of Sydnor, Walter Budney, Rowland Simpson and future Olympic gold medalist Ron Delany won the freshman mile relay at the Penn Relays with a winning time of 3:18.4. The freshman race was one of the Championship of America events in those years and Sydnor led off for only the second Villanova team ever to be freshman mile relay champions. The first was in 1932 when legendary track & field coach Jumbo Elliott, the architect of the Wildcats great championship teams, was himself a burgeoning Villanova runner.
 
Sydnor would go on to win four more Championship of America titles at the Penn Relays, including the Mile Relay and the Sprint Medley Relay in both 1956 and 1958. Sydnor ran along with Delany on all four of those teams, while Charles Jenkins who would go on to be the Wildcats first-ever Olympic gold medalist was part of the 1956 mile relay and sprint medley teams.
 
Athletics has been a family affair and Sydnor was followed to Villanova by his son, Willie, and his granddaughter, Lydia. Will competed for the Wildcats track & field and football teams, winning an NCAA championship in the distance medley relay and a BIG EAST title in the 4x100 meter relay while earning three career All-BIG EAST honors. He went on to play in the NFL for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Lydia was an All-BIG EAST and Mid-Atlantic All-Region performer for the Villanova field hockey team.
 
Sydnor had two other sons who played college football, Chris at Penn State and Chad at Maryland before an NFL career with the Chicago Bears. His daughter, Wanda, played field hockey at Radnor High School and he has a great-granddaughter who now is on the track & field team at Radnor.
 
Following his time at Villanova, Sydnor graduated from the Pennsylvania State Police Academy and the FBI National Academy 101^st Session. He joined the Radnor Township Police Department in 1964 as the department's first Black police officer and was a detective for eight of his 15 years on the force. Pieces of Sydnor's police uniform are displayed inside the Sports Legends of Delaware County Museum inside the Radnor Township building. He attended the grand opening of the museum in 2016.
 
Later in his career Sydnor worked as a private security supervisor at Wyeth Laboratories and West Chester University. He remained involved in the local community and in 1985 was named to Radnor's civil service commission which oversees the police department. After his retirement he was a crossing guard in Garrett Hill where he was a popular and well-recognized local figure.
 
Sydnor is survived by his daughters Wanda and Alycia; sons Skip, Willie, Chris and Chad; and foster son Manuel A. Howard. He is also survived by 15 grandchildren, a great granddaughter, two brothers and a sister. Sydnor was predeceased by his wife, Connie, three brothers and a sister.