SUNY Cortland Athletics

James Sellars was a standout football player as well as a baseball and track and field letterwinner during his years as a Cortland student-athlete. He went on to serve his country in the U.S. Navy and has been a long-time successful business owner and community activist.

Sellars was a four-year starting center and linebacker for the Red Dragons from 1955-58. He was honored as a Small College All-American in 1958 and was a first team ECAC all-star and a team captain in both his junior and senior seasons. Also a standout punter, Sellars was selected to play in the first Gem City Bowl and was voted Cortland’s “Athlete of the Year” as a senior.

Sellars also was active on campus as a member of Beta Phi Epsilon for four years. As a senior, he was a member of the Student Activities Council and was president of the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation (AAHPER) on campus.

He signed with the Philadelphia Eagles of the NFL in 1959 and played during the exhibition season. In 1960, he signed a contract with the Buffalo Bills of the newly-formed American Football League (AFL). He was the team’s starting outside linebacker and backup punter for their first four exhibition games but was cut before the start of the season.

Sellars graduated from Naval Officer Candidate School with the rank of ensign USNR in 1961. He was assigned to the USS Henrico APA 45 as a deck officer and was promoted to gunnery officer prior to deployment during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He was promoted to lieutenant (junior grade) during active service and lieutenant commander while in the Naval Reserve.

Sellars held various sales and marketing positions with several computer oriented companies after his military career. In 1984, he founded Whalepole Painting, a business he continues to run.

An accomplished singer, Sellars has performed with the Los Cancioneros Master Chorale in the South Bay region of Los Angeles County for more than 17 years. The group, which raises money for music scholarships for local students, has performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City as well as venues in Europe and Canada.

Sellars has helped support high school athletics as a long-time member of the South Bay Athletic Club. He’s coached youth baseball, football, soccer and track and field, and is very active with Cortland’s West Coast Alumni Association.