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James A. Ridlon Papers

A description of his papers at the Syracuse University Archives


Finding aid created by: Jaihyun Park
Date: 2018



Biography

James A. "Jim" Ridlon was a football player and professor at Syracuse University and is an artist. Ridlon was born in 1934, in Nanuet, New York. During his undergraduate years at Syracuse University, he studied art and would bring a small green box of artist's supplies to football practices. He was a pupil of sculptor Ivan Mestrovic, who taught at Syracuse University from 1946 to 1955. As a football player, Ridlon played both tight end and halfback from 1954 through 1956 on the Syracuse team, which won the Eastern Championship with Jim Brown in 1956. Ridlon graduated Syracuse University in 1957. After six seasons as a defensive back for the San Francisco 49ers and two with the Dallas Cowboys, he retired in 1964. Ridlon returned to his alma mater, Syracuse University, in 1965 where he had an opportunity to serve as a defensive backfield coach and instructor at the Syracuse University Art Education Department. He left coaching in 1973 to take a full-time faculty position at the Syracuse University College of Visual and Performing Arts. Ridlon also worked as an analyst on a Syracuse football radio broadcast for more than 20 years. As an artist, Ridlon did work for ABC Television and Disneyland theme park. Ridlon's exhibition record spans the globe from the United States to Italy and India. He has won several national awards and has had exhibitions in numerous national museums and university galleries. Ridlon now works full time in his studio in New Woodstock, New York.


Scope and Content Note

The James A. Ridlon Papers includes various materials which document his activities in the field of art and sports. The papers comprise magazines, articles, correspondence, photographs, videos, scrapbooks, and audiocassettes.


Restrictions

Access Restrictions:

Please note that the collection is housed off-site, and advance notice is required to allow time to have the materials brought to the Reading Room on campus.

Access to recordings requires advance notice to produce a use copy.

Use Restrictions:

Written permission must be obtained from the Syracuse University Archives and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.


Related Material

The University Archives holds clipping and portrait files of Ridlon.


Selected Search Terms

Names

Ridlon, James A.
Syracuse University -- History.
Syracuse University.

Subjects

Football.
College teachers.
Football players.
Higher education.

Types of Material

Audiocassettes.
Correspondence.
Magazines (periodicals)
Photographs.
Scrapbooks.
Videotapes.

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

Preferred citation for this material is as follows:

James A. Ridlon Papers,
University Archives,
Special Collections Research Center
Syracuse University Libraries

Acquisition Information

James Ridlon donated his papers to the University Archives in 2001. The University's Alumni News Magazine transferred audiocassettes to the University Archives in 1982.

Processing Information

These records are not processed.


Arrangement

The collection is unprocessed and remains in original order.


Table of Contents


Inventory

An inventory has not yet been created for this collection. Please contact the Repository listed above for more information.