Vale Professor Daryl Siedentop (1938-2021)

It is with sadness that we share the news that Professor Daryl Siedentop passed away on July 15, 2021. 

Prof. Siedentop was one of the founding fathers of Sport Pedagogy in North America. His scholarly contributions to Sport Pedagogy and Physical Education Teacher Education, in particular his mentorship of more than 80 doctoral students, leaves a legacy to our scholarly community.

He was one of the world's leading authorities on Sport Education for children and youth and is its most influential scholar in the analysis of teaching effectiveness in physical activity settings.

Prof. Siedentop's contributions to Physical Education cut across four key themes (Play Theory, Sport Education, Physical Activity Policy and the US National Physical Activity Plan, and Physical Education teaching and teacher education research). His mentoring and research with colleagues and doctoral students brought him much pleasure and many lifelong friends. He so much enjoyed hearing of the achievements of those scholars, and several were privileged to co-author articles and textbooks with him.

In the early 1980s, Prof. Siedentop created the Sport Education model and published his first book on the subject, Sport Education, in 1994. He consulted in the 1980s with the New Ministry of Education in New Zealand as they introduced Sport Education as a cornerstone of their Physical Education curriculum. He is also the author of several books on physical education, curriculum planning, and sport coaching.

In recognition of his scholarly contributions, in 1979, Prof. Siedentop was elected a Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Education (later to be the National Academy of Kinesiology). He earned the 1984 International Olympic Committee President’s Award (Samaranch Award), which is the highest honour for work in Sport Pedagogy.

The countless awards and recognitions for Prof. Siedentop’s achievements and accomplishments are a clear reflection of the impact he had on the field of Physical Education not just in North America, but globally.

Prof. Siedentop’s work had impacted virtually every school and student in Victoria. If you use Sport Education in your teaching, you have been influenced. One of our professional learning team, Dr Bernie Holland, was greatly influenced by his work which in turn impacted every physical education student he taught at RMIT for over 20 years. Any RMIT graduate who can recall being asked about how they use their time in teaching, and the use of different types of feedback when teaching can thank the work of Prof. Siedentop.