Duquesne great, father of Dukes’ coach
Sidney Dambrot, a member of the great Duquesne basketball teams in the 1950s, whose son, Keith, is the head coach of the Dukes program, died Tuesday in Akron, Ohio, at the age of 90.
The elder Dambrot was best known in his playing days as one of the leaders for the 1953-54 Duquesne team that went 26-3, reaching the finals of the National Invitation Tournament. It remains the most wins the Dukes have had in a season.
Mr. Dambrot’s legacy was brought back to the forefront when his son, Keith Dambrot, took over as the program’s 17th head coach in history. Keith Dambrot had success coaching his alma mater, Akron, before moving to Duquesne in 2017, in large part to help steer his father’s old team in the right direction.
“I felt like a lot of people were underestimating my dad’s school, and I don’t like the fact that there are no banners in that gym from a long time ago until now,” Keith Dambrot said in his introductory news conference more than four years ago.
In that same news conference, Keith Dambrot described a blue sweater with a red Duquesne “D” emblazoned on the chest. Keith, who turned 63 on the day of Sid’s passing, said then that his father had told him he wanted to be buried in that sweater.
“If he wants to wear his letter sweater into his casket, then I have to resurrect Duquesne basketball before I die,” Keith Dambrot said.
In his later years, Sid Dambrot and his son would talk on the phone every day, although Sid’s health prevented him from traveling to Pittsburgh to watch his son coach.
To begin the 2019-20 season, Keith Dambrot led the Dukes to a 10-0 record, which matched the best start to a season since the 1953-54 team.
The 1953-54 season was just one in a successful period for Duquesne when Sid Dambrot roamed the court from 1951-1954. The Dukes finished No. 4, No. 9 and No. 5, respectively, in the final AP polls those seasons, amassing a 70-15 record.
Sid Dambrot, a 6- foot guard on those teams, finished his career with 221 points in 67 games played.