Ben Sirman was an all-state athlete, champion coach and long-time sports administrator at three high schools in Sussex County. At Laurel, he earned 10 varsity letters. In 1957 he was quarterback
on Laurel’s unbeaten football team and was selected to play in the third annual Blue-Gold All-Star game. He was the starting quarterback for the Gold and would become the first former
player to coach in the game when he returned in 1964. In basketball at Laurel in 1958, he averaged 21 points per game and was named first team All-State. At Swarthmore College, Sirman was a
standout in football, basketball, and baseball. He returned to Sussex County in 1962. At Bridgeville, he coached two unbeaten football teams during a 23-game winning streak from 1966 to 1968. Ben was
selected the state’s basketball coach of the year in 1968, when he led Bridgeville to a 19-1 record, losing only to state champion P. S. duPont. From 1972 to 1991, he was athletic director at
Seaford. During that time Seaford teams won 99 conference or division titles and nine state championships. Sirman chaired the boys state basketball committee for 15 years. He was named Delaware
athletic director of the year in 1991. Sirman’s accolades also include: Delaware Football Coaches Association Award of Excellence in 1995; “Ben Sirman Night” recognition from his former Bridgeville
players in 2003; inducted into the DIBCA Delaware Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005; and the Herm Reitzes Award from the Delaware Sportswriters and Broadcasters Association in 2009. Ben was inducted
into the Delaware Afro-American Sports Hall of Fame in 2012, and into the Delaware “Legends” Basketball Hall of Fame in 2014.