A Statue Of The Acc'S First Black Football Player

ARHU faculty and students weigh in on initiative to erect statue of former UMD football player Darryl Hill.

Kimberly Escobar | The Diamondback

The National Network for the Liberation of College Athletes sent a letter to university President Wallace Loh on Sept. 6 urging him to make a statue in honor of former University of Maryland football player Darryl Hill, the first African-American player to play in the ACC. ARHU faculty and students weighed in on the issue:

"English professor Michael Olmert, who wrote a play about Hill in 2010 titled Moving The Chains: The Darryl Hill Play, said having a statue of Hill would be the same as having one of Frederick Douglass, a former slave and abolitionist.

"'I think people could look at that statue in the same way that they look at the Frederick Douglass statue,' Olmert said. 'Darryl Hill isn't Frederick Douglass, but actually, they have both put their lives in danger to make a statement … to change the culture.'  

"'If the university agreed to have a statue of Hill on the campus, it would show that this university had a commitment to diversity,' senior communication major Kayla Tarrant said.

"'It's one thing to get rid of the name that is offensive in the long run; it's another thing to completely put something that is positive in front of the stadium so that all students of all races can see that the university is dedicated to what they do,' Tarrant said." 

Read the complete article in The Diamondback.

Photo of Darryl Hill c. 1963 from the Athletics Media Relations Collection via Special Collections at UMD