Hall of Fame
Sylvester Benson played basketball at Ozarks from 1963-67, becoming the first African-American to play intercollegiate sports at a traditionally white college in Arkansas. The Hugo, Okla., native helped break racial barriers in the state when he joined the Ozarks team in the fall of 1963. After graduating from Ozarks, Benson went on to a 35-year career as a high school teacher and administrator in Kansas, including 31 years in Manhattan, Kan. He retired as a principal in 2001. He has been an active member in the University’s Alumni Association for many years and was named to the University’s Board of Trustees in 2009.
