Maryland's Williams To Receive NYAC's Winged Foot Award On Thursday
5/15/2002 8:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
May 15, 2002
NEW YORK, N.Y. - Gary Williams, coach of Maryland's NCAA champion men's basketball team, will receive the New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award on Thursday night at the NYAC in New York. The award is presented to the coaches of the men's and women's national champions each year.
Williams led Maryland to its first national crown with a 64-52 win over Indiana at Atlanta's Georgia Dome on April 1. In the NCAA semifinals, the Terrapins beat Kansas 97-88. The Terps finished the season with a 32-4 record.
In the title game, Maryland was led by All-America guard Juan Dixon with 18 points, and All-America center Lonny Baxter who finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds. The Terps finished the game with a 22-8 run to claim the first men's basketball national championship in school history.
Al Green, President of the NYAC, said, "Under Coach Williams, Maryland had an outstanding year. We are very pleased to recognize him for his achievement."
Williams, the 2002 Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year and the sixth winningest coach in ACC history, has compiled a record of 274-143 in 13 seasons at Maryland. His overall record stands at 481-271. He completed his 24th season as a Division I head coach which has included stints at American (1979-82), Boston College (1983-86) and Ohio State (1987-89). His teams have played in the NCAA Tournament 12 times, and have have won more than 20 games in seven of the last eight seasons including six-in-a-row. This season's 25-3 regular season record was the best in the school's history, giving the Terps their first outright ACC regular season title since 1980. The team's 32 wins were the most in Maryland history.
Williams received a bachelor's degree in business from Maryland in 1968 after attending Collingswood High School in New Jersey. He is the only active coach in the country to guide his alma mater to consecutive appearances in the NCAA Final Four, and he is the first coach since 1974 to guide his alma mater to a national championship.
The New York Athletic Club Winged Foot Award was inaugurated in 1996. The past winners are Rick Pitino, Kentucky (1996); Lute Olson, Arizona (1997); Tubby Smith, Kentucky (1998); Jim Calhoun, Connecticut (1999); Tom Izzo, Michigan State (2000); and Mike Krzyzewski, Duke (2001).
The dinner chairman is Gene DeSoiza.
