Postcards From Atlanta - Day 5: An Uplifting Day In More Ways Than One
12/29/2002 7:00:00 AM | Football
Dec. 29, 2002
Today's Terp Tidbit: Three Maryland assistant coaches have previously coached in a Peach Bowl. Charlie Taaffe was a graduate assistant under Lou Holtz on the 1975 NC State team which lost to West Virginia. Then in the 1985 game, Taaffe and Al Seamonson were on the staff of the Army team which defeated Illinois, 31-29. In the 2000 game, defensive line coach Dave Sollazzo was on the sidelines for Georgia Tech in their loss to LSU. Notably, head coach Ralph Friedgen was also on that Yellow Jacket staff, but accepted the Maryland job in late November 2000 and did not coach in the Peach Bowl that year.
By Jason Yellin
Maryland Media Relations
ATLANTA -- Sunday was a day of highs for the Terps.
Maryland held its final full practice before the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl and had an educational visit to the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
The end of practice was the highlight of the day as all of Maryland's seniors were carried off the field on the shoulders of their teammates. This tradition was started last year at the Orange Bowl in Miami and continued on Sunday at Georgia Tech.
Punter Brooks Barnard was the first to be carried off by his special teams mates. He was followed by Ty Stewart and Scooter Monroe, who was carried off by offensive backs including quarterback Scott McBrien.
Chris Downs was next as Bruce Perry - the running back he replaced for most of the season -- was one of the players to help with his walk off.
Next up were some linemen, as defensive end Durrand Roundtree and his 260-plus frame was carried off by a contingent of three defensive players. Up next was offensive lineman Matt Crawford, who at 313 pounds, was barely lifted off the ground. Following Crawford was fellow O-Line mate Todd Wike, who was hoisted a bit higher, weighing only 303 pounds.
After Wike, came the Terps' top player E.J. Henderson, who was carried proudly by his linebacking corps. Last up was injured senior Chad Killian who was carried off the field after missing most of the season.
Practice was conducted in pads and shorts as the Terps fine-tuned their skills in preparation for the bowl which is just two days away.
The Terps continued to switch around their jerseys at practice. The offense had the most fun with the changes as many offensive linemen took low numbers. C.J. Brooks wore No. 1, Todd Wike took No. 4, Eric Dumas donned No. 19 and Stephon Heyer was in No. 22.
In turn, some backs took offensive linemen numbers. Chris Downs wore No. 77, Rich Parson was in No. 70 and Steve Suter wore No. 74. Bruce Perry took Suter's normal No. 34.
The receivers and tight ends also switched up their jerseys as Jafar Williams wore No. 75, Jeff Dugan was in No. 44 and Derek Miller went for a slim No. 5.
After the senior ceremony, the players headed straight to the bus as no interviews were held after practice except for coach Ralph Friedgen, who met with the media for a few minutes.
Earlier in the morning, at 11:15 a.m., defensive coordinator Gary Blackney, offensive coordinator Charlie Taaffe along with Brooks Barnard and Scooter Monroe addressed the media at a press conference held at the Georgia Dome.
Live a little, laugh a little and learn a little
Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl President Gary Stokan promised the teams at the bowl would do the following things during their week in Atlanta: live, laugh and learn. He said the living came at the children's hospital as the players spread cheer to many young patients with their visits on Friday. Then on Saturday they laughed at the Delta Comedy Kickoff with a hysterical improvisation show. Sunday finished out the trio of events as the Terps visited the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
The museum celebrating the life of the great civil rights leader was the site for the Terps' tour this morning from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. The players were split into groups and viewed the dramatic and emotional displays. Many of the players watched the movies about King very intently and learned about his impact on the nation.
Following the museum visit the Terps returned to the Marriott Marquis for lunch and meetings before practice.
The evening hours
The team returned to the hotel after practice for dinner around 6 p.m. Many of the players ate at the hotel and spent time in the game room or their own hotel rooms.
Maryland coordinators Blackney and Taaffe continued their media dealings as they met with ESPN on Sunday evening. On hand for the interviews were the crew that will be calling the game: Ron Franklin, Mike Gottfried and Adrian Karsten.
Once the coaches finished with the interviews they joined the other coaches and their wives at a special dinner reception at the J.W. Marriott in their honor.
Curfew for the players was set at 10:30 p.m. as the game was just two days away.
