The WL graduate remembered much more than just a sports star

Sievers was a standout prep in multiple sports and was a starter in college and professional football

Through his lifelong involvement in sports, primarily football, Eric Sievers became an influential figure in Arlington and beyond.

He continues to do so in death, and many remember the Arlington native in so many positive ways that extend far beyond his playing career.

Sievers, a 1976 graduate of Washington-Lee High School, died April 10 after a six-year battle with bladder cancer, a disease that family members said he struggled with the same type of aggressiveness as when he was a high school football star . in college at the University of Maryland as a tight end and the same in the National Football League for three teams, mainly the San Diego Chargers.

Sievers was 66 years old.

At Washington-Lee, Sievers was a multi-sport standout, where he helped the Generals achieve one of their best football seasons in 1975 (9-2 record and second place in the region) and won seven times the previous season. Since then, no WL football team has won 16 games in consecutive seasons.

Sievers also played basketball at WL and was a member of the track team. He is considered one of the best and most talented athletes in the history of WL and Arlington sports.

Josh Shapiro, head football coach at Washington-Liberty (as it is now known), said that over the years, Sievers has continued to give back to the school by donating football equipment and giving motivational speeches to the team.

“He was an upper-class guy and still had a passion for the sport and the school in the English league,” Shapiro said. “He would walk into a room and everyone knew him.”

The numerous awards and recognitions that Sievers has received over the years at various levels are so long and significant that not all of them can be mentioned in this article. Lists can be found on various websites.

Sievers’ proudest achievements included his induction into the Hall of Fame in multiple sports, including his high school’s Hall of Fame, the Arlington Sports Hall of Fame and the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame. Sievers was an All-American Football Magazine Parade player in high school.

Longtime WL gymnastics coach Joe D’Emidio met Sievers and his wife, Diana, in high school, recalling how they were high school sweethearts and the 1976 WL Couple of the Year. D’Emidio was Diana’s coach on the gymnastics team.

“He was a great role model for other athletes at WL,” D’Emidio said. “He has been a great supporter of WL over the years. He made a donation to the Hall of Famers. Nobody said anything bad about him.”

Sievers was an exceptional quarterback at Maryland. Then he was the same in the NFL, where he played a big role in San Diego head coach Don Coryell’s offense, with quarterback Dan Fouts keeping in touch with Sievers until his death.

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Sievers played 10 seasons in the NFL, making the 1981 All-Rookie team. He has 214 catches for 2,485 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career.

In addition to his wife, Sievers is survived by sons Chris and Tim.

“The amount of support we received was amazing,” Chris Sievers told the GazetteLeader. “My dad was a great man who had a huge impact on many people and still loved Arlington High School and sports. He was very humble and never considered himself special. He had an incredible moral compass, always put others before himself, and his willingness to do everything in life was unparalleled.