Michael Joseph "Mike" Sylvester (born December 10, 1951) is an American and Italian former professional baseball player, professional basketball player, and basketball coach. During his basketball playing career, at a height of 1.97m (6ft 5+1⁄2in), he was known as an accurate shooter. Due to the United States boycotting the 1980 Summer Olympics, he was the only American to win a medal at those games, using a dual citizenship to play for the senior Italian national basketball team.
The President of Olimpia Milano at that time, had directed Rubini to seek-out American basketball players of Italian descent, who wished to become naturalized citizens of Italy, and to play for Italy's senior national team. Sylvester qualified, due to one his grandfathers being an Italian immigrant. Sylvester (known in Italy by the spelling of "Silvester"), ended up signing with Milano. Sylvester was a major part of the Milano team that won the European-wide 2nd-tier level 1975–76 FIBA European Cup Winners' Cup championship. Milano's victorious years with Sylvester would end in 1980, as after he had a heated argument with teammate C. J. Kupec, the team's head coach Dan Peterson, would request that Sylvester leave the team. Sylvester would eventually be transferred to the Italian club VL Pesaro, for a then-Italian basketball league record transfer fee of $500,000 US Dollars.
Sylvester was naturalized as Italian citizen in 1977. Three years later, he would be called on to represent the senior Italy national basketball team, and he had a great performance at the 1980 FIBA European Olympic Qualifying Tournament, that gave the Italians a spot at the 1980 Moscow Summer Olympic Games. However, as soon as Sylvester heard the United States was leading the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott, Sylvester wondered if he needed to adhere, particularly as an Italian player, refusing an Olympic invitation could potentially cause a ban from playing professionally.
He contacted the U.S. State Department, who advised Sylvester to play. He still abstained from a vote within the Italian team about the boycott, saying he would follow the squad's decision – the Italians eventually played, though under the Olympic flag. Despite suffering a sprained ankle during the 1980 Summer Olympics Basketball Tournament, he won a silver medal, after the Italians upset the Soviet Union, before eventually losing in the Olympic final to Yugoslavia. Sylvester was the only American to win a medal at those games.[5][6]
Sylvester is a current resident of Loveland, Ohio.[10] The Sylvester family has a sports tradition. Mike's brothers, Steve and Vince, were American football players, with the former reaching the NFL and playing for the Oakland Raiders, and the latter being a college star at the University of Cincinnati. Mike's son Matt was also a basketball player, and he played in college for Ohio State, before going to Europe to play professionally like his father.[11][12]
↑ Sarantakes, Nicholas Evan (2010). Dropping the Torch: Jimmy Carter, the Olympic Boycott, and the Cold War. New York: Cambridge University Press. ISBN1139788566. p. 133.
↑ [Mike Sylvester Mike Sylvester Moeller (OH) HS Drafted in the 12th round (282nd overall) by the Chicago Cubs in 1970.]
↑ Meale, Tony (July 1, 2009). "CHCA lands former pro, Olympian". The Loveland Herald. The Community Press. Retrieved July 2, 2009. Sylvester, who had dual citizenship in Italy and the United States, also helped the Italian team to a silver medal at the 1980 Olympics in Moscow .... Born in the Elder heartland, the current Loveland resident is eager to begin his tenure at CHCA.
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