Wingate was born in 1928 in
Baltimore, Maryland and attended high school at the
Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. He then went on to college at the
University of Maryland. While there, Wingate played football for the
Maryland Terrapins as a defensive end. In 1947, he was the team's receiving leader with 12
receptions for 145 yards and three
touchdowns. In 1948, Wingate repeated as the Terrapins' leader receiver with nine receptions for 32 yards and three touchdowns, and was named an honorable mention
All-American. In 1950, Wingate was named to the All-
Southern Conference team. At Maryland, Wingate also played on the
lacrosse team as a defenseman in 1950 and 1951. He was named to the
All-American second-team in 1951. ==Later life==