Wilmeth Sidat-Singh starred for the Orange in football and basketball in the late 1930s.
SU to Wear Decal in Honor of Sidat-Singh
11/6/2013 2:51:00 PM | Football
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The members of the Syracuse football team will honor the memory and courage displayed by Wilmeth Sidat-Singh '39 this weekend by wearing No. 19 decals on their helmets for Saturday's game against Maryland at Byrd Stadium.
A two-sport star in football and basketball for the Orange, Sidat-Singh was subject to the indignities plaguing many African-Americans in the early-to-mid 1900s. He was banned from playing in some games in southern states, including a 1937 game at Maryland, by opposing school officials citing segregation laws.
In addition to the decal worn by the Orange, the University of Maryland will recognize Sidat-Singh between the first and second quarters of Saturday's game. Members of the Sidat-Singh family will be joined by SU Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross, Maryland AD Kevin Anderson and Maryland football pioneer Darryl Hill for an on-field tribute.
An All-New York City star at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Sidat-Singh accepted a basketball scholarship to Syracuse and played for the Orange hoop squad from 1937-39. He also joined the football team as a sophomore after assistant coach Roy Simmons Sr. spotted him in an intramural game. Sidat-Singh played halfback in Syracuse's single-wing offense and engineered a stunning 19-17 upset of Rose Bowl-bound Cornell in 1938 by throwing three touchdown passes.
Sidat-Singh graduated from Syracuse with a degree in zoology in 1939. After college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in the months following Pearl Harbor and was a member of the first graduating class of what later became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Sidat-Singh was killed in May of 1943 when his plane went down in Lake Huron during a training exercise. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2005, Syracuse University honored Sidat-Singh by retiring his No. 19 basketball jersey.
A two-sport star in football and basketball for the Orange, Sidat-Singh was subject to the indignities plaguing many African-Americans in the early-to-mid 1900s. He was banned from playing in some games in southern states, including a 1937 game at Maryland, by opposing school officials citing segregation laws.
In addition to the decal worn by the Orange, the University of Maryland will recognize Sidat-Singh between the first and second quarters of Saturday's game. Members of the Sidat-Singh family will be joined by SU Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross, Maryland AD Kevin Anderson and Maryland football pioneer Darryl Hill for an on-field tribute.
An All-New York City star at DeWitt Clinton High School in the Bronx, Sidat-Singh accepted a basketball scholarship to Syracuse and played for the Orange hoop squad from 1937-39. He also joined the football team as a sophomore after assistant coach Roy Simmons Sr. spotted him in an intramural game. Sidat-Singh played halfback in Syracuse's single-wing offense and engineered a stunning 19-17 upset of Rose Bowl-bound Cornell in 1938 by throwing three touchdown passes.
Sidat-Singh graduated from Syracuse with a degree in zoology in 1939. After college, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in the months following Pearl Harbor and was a member of the first graduating class of what later became known as the Tuskegee Airmen. Sidat-Singh was killed in May of 1943 when his plane went down in Lake Huron during a training exercise. He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
In 2005, Syracuse University honored Sidat-Singh by retiring his No. 19 basketball jersey.
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