Between the first and second quarter of Saturday’s game between Maryland and Syracuse, the Terrapins recognized and paid tribute to Wilmeth Sidat-Singh, who was not permitted to play when Syracuse visited Maryland in October of 1937.
Sidat-Singh’s family joined athletic director Kevin Anderson, Syracuse Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross and Maryland football legend and pioneer Darryl Hill in an on-field tribute and recognition on the video board.
Sidat-Singh’s family was presented a Maryland football Wounded Warrior jersey in recognition of his military service.
Sidat-Singh was a standout two-sport athlete at Syracuse, starring in basketball and football for the Orange. The Washington D.C., native was noted for his ball handling and scoring ability on the court and his speed as a halfback on the gridiron. Sidat-Singh only took up football after arriving at Syracuse.
After college, Sidat-Singh, a native of Washington, D.C., shelved a promising professional basketball career to enlist in the U.S. Army in the months following Pearl Harbor. A member of the first graduating class of what later took the name of the Tuskegee Airmen, Sidat-Singh lost his life when his plane went down in Lake Huron on a training flight in May of 1943. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2005, Syracuse raised Sidat-Singh’s No. 19 jersey to the rafters at the Carrier Dome for his contributions to the University and its athletic program. from umterps.com
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