March 16, 2018

DAVIS, Calif. - Joe Singleton, best known at UC Davis as its director of athletics from 1971 to 1987, died peacefully with his family by his side on Tuesday, March 13, at the age of 82. A 1993 inductee into the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame, he later was honored by the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics Hall of Fame in 2010.

A two-sport standout of New Mexico Highlands and a successful high school coach at Robertson High School in Las Vegas, New Mexico; Singleton joined the UC Davis physical education department in 1969 as a lecturer, assistant football coach and assistant track coach. Two years later, he was named as Bill Lakie's successor as the Aggies' director of athletics, at a time when few African-Americans held such a title outside of the historically black colleges and universities.

Singleton's tenure as athletics director marked a key span in the department's history. UC Davis teams won 41 conference championships, plus five total national team titles in men's golf, women's tennis and women's gymnastics. The university hosted NCAA championships in men's golf, wrestling and gymnastics, the last of which marked the first time ESPN had televised an event on the campus, during his tenure. Recreation Hall (now the Pavilion) opened its doors in 1977, while the Cal Aggie Athletics Hall of Fame began three years later.

Singleton also served as a key advocate for women's athletics, as the passage of Title IX took place early in his time at the helm. He guided the transition of Aggie women's sports from the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women Division III status to NCAA Division II status in the early 1980s.

Singleton pioneered a merger of separate men's and women's leagues into what became the Northern California Athletic Conference, while proposing national legislation that resulted in the beginning of NCAA sponsorship of women's championships.

In 1985, Singleton was presented with the Marco Smolich Award in 1985, an honor given to a Sacramento area sports figure who distinguishes himself by serving sports in a noteworthy capacity. He was a member of the NACDA Executive Committee from 1976-1980, and also served on NCAA committees such as the Executive Committee (1977-84); the Executive Committee on Standards (1980-82); the Postgraduate Scholarship Committee (1985); and the Presidential Committee on NCAA Legislative and Governance Committee (1988-89).

Although he retired as athletics director in 1987, Singleton remained in the Davis/Sacramento area as a teacher, coach and consultant in athletics. In 1990, he was appointed to a special NCAA committee to review the reorganization and governance of the national organization. Said Dean Ryan, then the chair of the UC Davis physical education department, "Joe Singleton's performance in the NCAA at the national level is truly outstanding. Not only did he bring prestige to himself, he contributed to greater recognition for the Davis campus."

Singleton later returned to his alma mater of New Mexico Highlands to serve as athletics director from 1996 to 2000. He retired for good after his stint in Las Vegas, later earning the NACDA Hall of Fame nod in 2010.

Joe is survived by his wife Corrine, sons Wendell, Philip(Patricia), Mark(Susan) and Jerry; daughter Rene, and grandchildren Devon, Kiah, Shawne, and Janel. At his request, no public funeral services will be held. In lieu of flowers the family suggests donations be made to the New Mexico Highlands University Athletic Fund or the UC Davis Joe Singleton Athletic Award. The latter was founded by Aggie alums Lois and Darryl Goss, and supports a football student-athlete who majors in ethnic studies, Chicano/a studies or African-American studies.