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Jack Scarbath, standout Maryland QB, leader of St. Patrick’s Chapel Historical Society in Cecil County, dies at 90

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Bishop Malooly processes to the sound of bag pipes and drums during the rededication of St. Patrick's Chapel in Pilottown, Md., Saturday, September 18, 2010. The Dialog/Don Blake

Jack Scarbath, the president of the St. Patrick’s Chapel Historical Society in Cecil County, Md., died Dec. 6. He was 90 and a member of Good Shepherd Parish in Perryville, Md.

The chapel was built more than 200 years ago to serve the Irish immigrant community that came to western Cecil County to build the canals along that portion of the Susquehanna River. Mass is celebrated there about four times a year. St. Patrick’s is a mission of Good Shepherd.

Jack Scarbath

Scarbath was a standout quarterback at the University of Maryland in the early 1950s. During his time with the Terrapins, the team went 24-4-1, including an upset of defending national champion Tennessee in the 1951 Sugar Bowl. In 1952, he was a first-team all-American and runner up for the Heisman Trophy as college football’s best player. That season, Scarbath was the Southern Conference player of the year and most valuable player of the East-West Shrine Game.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983 and the University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame a year later.

Scarbath was the third overall pick in the 1953 National Football League draft by Washington. He played two seasons in Washington, appearing in 22 games. After spending the 1955 season in the Canadian Football League, he returned to the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, playing in seven games with one start.

The Baltimore native played in high school for Baltimore Poly. He also played lacrosse at Maryland and was a member of the university’s board of regents.

He and his wife, Lynn, lived in Rising Sun. Funeral arrangements are pending.