Maryland To Honor Late Syracuse QB Benched In 1937 Game For Being Black
SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -- The Syracuse University football team is on the road at Maryland this week, and former Orange quarterback Wilmeth Sidat-Singh is to be honored by the Terrapins.
Sidat-Singh was forced to sit out the Syracuse-Maryland game in 1937 because Maryland refused to compete against black players. The Terps refused to take the field against the Orange unless they benched Sidat-Singh, citing segregation laws.
Syracuse agreed and the Terps won 13-0. No mention was made of his benching by the media.
Maryland officials say a brief ceremony will be held between the first and second quarters.
Sidat-Singh was killed during a training mission with the U.S. Army Air Corps' Tuskegee Airmen in 1943.
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