Statement on the Passing of Basketball Legend and Attorney Clarence Sherrod
I express today deep regret for the recent passing, with great appreciation for the life, of Wisconsin basketball legend and Madison School District Attorney Clarence Sherrod.
DETAILS:
Clarence Sherrod was part of the legendary Lincoln High School’s Milwaukee State Championship basketball team of 1967, led by the great and late coach James Smallins. Milwaukee Lincoln previously held the State Title in:
- 1959 beating Milwaukee North 65-56
- 1961 beating Rice Lake 77-75 in the first ever overtime in tournament history
- 1962 winning over Eau Claire 93-80
- 1966, also under Coach Smallins, triumphing over Wisconsin Rapids 75-62
The highly-rated 1966-67 group of basketball players, of which Clarence Sherrod was a member, captured the imagination not just of the City and County of Milwaukee basketball world but of all of Wisconsin with their spectacular win over Wausau, 61-56. A Wisconsin State Journal article of March 9, 2015, referred to Clarence as “the Comets’ cat-quick point guard.”
Clarence had his own drive to excel but that team added to his strength and to the strength of the other amazing players to overcome so many odds and so many obstacles, as did the other Lincoln teams with players of African American descent.
Clarence’s career as a guard for the Wisconsin Badgers was also highly regarded, gaining him the honor of selection into the UW Athletic Hall of Fame. According to uwbadgers.com, Clarence was on the Second Team All-Big Ten in both 1970 and 1971, received Academic All-Big Ten Honors in 1970, served as Badger team captain in 1971, and was a three-year starter (1969-1971) ending his career with 1,408 points.
Clarence established a UW career record for points per game (19.6 average), scored in double figures for 40 consecutive games, was Wisconsin’s scoring leader in 1970, set the school season records for free throws made and shots attempted, and was an eighth-round draft choice of the Chicago Bulls in 1970.
Clarence kept his personal life and his family close to him, with their love for him being a major factor in his drive and success. I’m confident it’s part of his history that those family ties drew him to work as the attorney for the Madison School District in our State’s Capital. Over decades, he was an influential figure not only in education but also in the legal community, and his loss will be felt by those in Madison who knew him and by those of us who benefited from his leadership.
We are thankful for his legacy and for his influence on promoting diversity, participation, and academic excellence, along with athletic excellence throughout Wisconsin. His work to ensure that the Madison School District was able to recruit and retain excellent teachers and administrators has helped make that school district what it is today.
Having attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Clarence having attended the University of Wisconsin Law School, as did my father Horace Raymond George, as did Dale and Vel Phillips and so many others of African American descent, we are thankful for what the University meant to Clarence as it prepared him for the works he did for the betterment of the Madison community and the State in so many ways. Let those achievements of his life represent a broader achievement by the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the entire UW System in its commitment to diversity and inclusion.
I thank Clarence Sherrod for his life of service.
Services for Clarence Sherrod are scheduled for Wednesday, August 27, 2025, at 11:00 am, at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, 2019 Fisher Street, Madison, Wisconsin, 53713.
– –Gary George
Articles on Clarence Sherrod and Milwaukee Lincoln State Championship
- State Boys Basketball Champions (1916-2025)
- Tournament Records
- 1961 – Wisconsin Interscholastic Athletic Association
- Milwaukee Lincoln Wears State Basketball Crown
- Articles on Clarence Sherrod’s UW-Madison basketball career
- Additional Article
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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