Why I Care: Maryland Athletics Celebrates Its 50th Big Ten Championship

When I played soccer at the University of Maryland (1975-78), it was a relatively minor sport, and there was not much support. If we drew 1,000 fans to a weekend home game, we considered that a good crowd. We were competitive, but not a consistent winner.

Sasho was hired as the Terps' new head coach in 1993. After just one year, he immediately turned the team into an exciting and competitive one. I started attending more home games, proudly watching the team's progress toward becoming a national powerhouse. As I attended more games, I became friends with Sasho and even played a few rounds of golf with him. His positive energy was infectious. In 2013 or 2014, Sasho invited a group of alumni and supporters to a dinner in Towson to discuss his vision to start a booster group for the team. He believed that having a booster/support group would benefit the team and the players. He named the group “Starting XI.” This group would support the team in any way possible to help the team become better.

I’ve been a part of the Starting XI since the beginning. My association with the team, as a member of the Starting XI, has allowed me to travel with the team to England (twice) and Portugal. I will forever remember these trips with the players, coaches, and staff. The quality of these players' soccer was always impressive. However, after getting to know the players in social settings and through off-the-field discussions, I concluded that these student-athletes, while talented soccer players, were also better human beings. The student-athletes who play for Sasho truly are remarkable young men. I am proud to be associated with Maryland Soccer, Sasho, the assistant coaches and the staff. Most of all, I’m proud to be associated with its players.

This is the reason I support Maryland Soccer and will continue to do so.

As a lifelong basketball fan, I was first drawn to the Maryland women’s basketball team because of their style of play: defend, rebound and run. After countless games, victories, and championships, what kept my family supporting women’s basketball was the people. Starting with head coach Brenda Frese and extending to the team — including coaches, staff, student-athletes, student managers, and practice players — both past and present. They are a very welcoming group, and being a family is so much more than just a slogan. My family has built so many long-lasting relationships and has so many great memories of our time spent with the people who represent our University so well. I can’t imagine not giving our full support to Maryland women’s basketball!

Go Terps!

I grew up following Maryland sports, so it was only natural that when I started playing lacrosse, the Terrapins became my team. I remember watching the Maryland vs. Hopkins 100th game from a rooftop across the street in Baltimore because I couldn’t get into the game, and then going crazy watching them win the ACC championship and M&T Bank Stadium in 2004, solidifying a lifelong passion for Maryland Lacrosse. I was fortunate enough to be recruited to play for Maryland, win an ACC championship in 2011, and advance to the national championship game in both 2011 and 2012. I’ll never forget playing Duke in the 2011 final four at M&T Bank Stadium and being in the tunnel just before running out, hearing the Baltimore crowd go from booing Duke to erupting when we ran out behind the Maryland flag.

Maryland Lacrosse continues to set the standard, following the long-time mantra “Be The Best.” The team consistently ranks among the nation’s top teams, defying media and external expectations. Witnessing this success firsthand reveals the importance of consistent effort in the little things, meticulous attention to detail, and teamwork. These elements won’t make for entertaining social media posts, but are essential to Maryland Lacrosse’s remarkable achievements and the impact the alumni have on their communities.

I give because I’ve seen firsthand the impact it has on the student-athletes and a program that develops its players to “Be The Best” on and off the field, in the classroom, in their communities, with their families, and in their relationships. “Be The Best” is not just about the four years at Maryland, but also 40 years after. Personally, I know I wouldn’t be where I am today without the life skills, relationships, and experiences Maryland Lacrosse has given me.

We spent seven wonderful years (2012-19) attending the University of Maryland Women’s Lacrosse fall ball games, regular-season games, conference championships, and national championships, cheering on our two daughters — Taylor and Kelsey — and their teammates and coaches. During those seven years, Maryland Women’s Lacrosse won 153 games, lost just seven times, played in six NCAA finals, won four national championships and achieved an undefeated season in 2017. While the performances on the field were incredible to watch, what happened off the field made those seven years so memorable for the Cummings family.

Cathy Reese and her coaching staff created an atmosphere for the players, their parents, and alums that drove excellence on the field and a family-like camaraderie off it. When your children leave home for university, as a parent, you hope that someone will look out for them, care for them, challenge them academically and athletically, and console them when they fail. At Maryland, Cathy and her coaches enthusiastically took on this responsibility. They helped develop Taylor and Kelsey into young women who are unafraid to think big, can endure setbacks, and find joy in working hard as a member of a team to achieve unimaginable success. We support the University of Maryland because of what the school did for our daughters and for us as parents — the school gave us an extended family that will last far longer than the seven years our daughters called College Park home.

The saying really is true — Once a Terp, always a Terp!

My interest in Maryland field hockey started back in the early 1980s when I met and became friends with and then neighbors with coach Sue Tyler and her family. It wasn’t because I loved the sport — I never played it. It wasn’t because I was a Terp — I attended Towson State. It was because of my partner, Sandy, that I got to know Sue and decided that being a Terp hockey fan could be something fun to do! Missy Meharg arrived on the scene, and what a ride it has been!

Others who’ve shared their thoughts have mentioned family and the family atmosphere, and that’s most certainly the case with the field hockey group. You’re swept up into travel and games and tailgates, big wins and tough losses, conference titles and national championships. You’re lucky enough to become friends with players and parents from across this country and from around the world. You’re invited to Terp weddings and then get to witness the “kids” having their own kids and visiting at games and alumni weekend.

“Best of the Best” is the team's motto, and I donate to help them meet that standard on the field, in the classroom, and in the working world after graduation. Missy demands excellence, for sure, but also provides the support, help, and coaching each player needs to achieve it. Everyone has choices about where to donate and how to help financially — my choice is Maryland Field Hockey!

Go Terps!

Maryland baseball has been a part of my life since I graduated from college. Nothing has meant more to me than the impact this program has had on my life, the friendships I’ve forged and continue to maintain every day. I came to College Park as a 17-year-old freshman and became a man and an adult there. It taught me about the importance of friendships, teamwork, and never giving up on my dreams. I was able to fulfill a boyhood dream and play professional baseball. Maryland baseball and the University of Maryland allowed me to accomplish all of this and pursue my second dream of making movies. Nothing makes me happier than to give back financially to something so special in my life.

Last week, I spoke with my former coach, Jack Jackson, when I played. We reminisced for thirty minutes, and it was as if we were talking to him in 1980 when I arrived on campus. He’s now 96 and still connected to Maryland baseball. We’ve had some very special coaches since he retired, and none more special than Coach Matt Swope — a true Terp and former player like myself. Matt’s a big reason why I continue to feel so connected to this program.

Go Teps!

In the 1960s, my family lived in College Park Woods. I attended High Point High School in Beltsville, and when it came time for college, I only applied to one university — the University of Maryland, College Park. It was like going to 13th grade. During my time in College Park, I never attended a single athletic event. But everything changed in 1969 when Lefty Driesell became the basketball team's head coach, and the law firm where I worked bought season tickets. They invited me to go with the partners. From there, I started watching Maryland play its ACC rivals. After watching the classic 1974 ACC Tournament game on TV, where Maryland and NC State were both ranked in the top five and only the winner of the ACC Tournament could go to the NCAA Tournament, I didn’t want to miss attending future ACC Tournaments. To be able to buy tickets to the tournament, you had to be a member of the Terrapin Club, and that’s when my life changed. I started attending the tournament and away games against the Terps’ ACC rivals.

My obsession with Maryland basketball intensified throughout the 1970s. Being in Cameron Indoor Stadium when Maryland beat Duke, and being in Atlanta with my son for the 2002 Championship game, are memories that will last a lifetime. During those years, I met like-minded fans who were part of the Terrapin Club. Through those relationships, which became lifelong friendships, I became president of the Terrapin Club. I learned firsthand how the scholarships our efforts helped fund fundamentally changed the lives of our student-athletes. My journey through Maryland basketball history has been one of the most impactful experiences of my life, marked by lifelong friendships, memories of dramatic basketball moments, and the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of our student-athletes.

GO TERPS!!!