Photos: Garrett Hill July 4th Parade

The Garrett Hill community held its annual July 4th Parade and Celebration on Wednesday, July 4.

Did you take photos from this or any other parade this year?

The parade's Grand Marshal this year was Willie Sydnor.

As a member of one of the long-standing athletic families on the Main Line, Willie Sydnor made his mark as a football and track star at Radnor High School.  He was tri-captain of the 1976 undefeated (10-0) football team that captured the Central League title.  His individual honors include All-Delaware County, All-State, All-American, and winner of the Maxwell Club Award.  He scored the only touchdown for the East in the Big 33 Game.  In track and field, he was a member of Radnor’s distance medley relay team which clocked the fifth fastest time in the country.

George Corner, long-time coach and athletic director at Radnor High School, remembers Willie as the best wide receiver in his eleven years at the helm of Radnor football.  Corner is quoted as saying, “Willie was the most unselfish player you could have imagined.  The team came first to Willie, not personal records.  Helping the team to win was paramount in his mind, and he always gave us everything he had to give.” 

Sydnor was one of the most highly recruited players in Radnor High School history.  He played both wide receiver and defensive back.  With his 4.4 speed in the 40-yard dash and excellent catching abilities, he caught 51 passes during his three-year varsity career, totaling more than 1,300 yards.  The Raiders were 19-1 in his final two seasons, becoming the Philadelphia area’s number one team and the state’s second-best in his senior year. 

As a result of his success, Willie received a multitude of scholarship offers, and selected Northwestern University in the Big Ten Conference.  However, ties to home and his desire to compete in track at the college level led Willie back to the Main Line where he enrolled at Villanova University.  Following the 1980 season Villanova dropped its football program so Sydnor had to look elsewhere to finish his college career.  He started at wide receiver for Syracuse in his final collegiate year and led the team in pass receptions.  He attracted the attention of pro scouts and played on special teams for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns.  Due to injuries, Sydnor was unable to continue his pro career.

Willie continues to live in Rosemont with his wife Kathy and four children.  His eldest daughter Shelby is continuing the Sydnor athletic tradition as a member of the Division I National Champion University of Maryland field hockey team. Shelby plays forward for the Terrapins, winner of two consecutive national titles—2010 and 2011.

The Radnor High School community will honor Willie for his athletic achievements in November 2012 when he will be inducted into the Radnor High School Hall of Fame.