umterps Notebook: 500 & Beyond
10/9/2015 11:00:00 AM | Terrapin Athletics
To 500 And Beyond
Congratulations to field hockey head coach Missy Meharg on reaching the 500-win mark for her storied career.
Meharg, the longest-serving head coach at the University of Maryland, has always represented the University with grace, dignity and class, and her reaction to hitting this milestone was handled in just such a manner giving all credit to her players and acknowledging former students in attendance who played for her throughout her 28 seasons.
But how significant of a number is 500?
Look at these numbers and answer that question for yourself.
4 … There are only four head coaches in the history of Division I field hockey to reach 500 career wins. Three of those are still active.
28 … It took Meharg only 28 seasons (really 27 and a half seasons) to reach 500 career wins. Nancy Stevens is the all-time leader with 606 career wins. It took her 31 seasons to reach 500 wins. Next on the all-time wins list is Karen Shelton, who is three wins shy of 600. For Shelton, it took 30 seasons to reach the 500-win mark.
2 … Women's soccer is a very comparable sport to field hockey in the number of matches played each season, so we can use that to compare as well. Only two women's soccer head coaches all-time have reached the 500-win mark.
3 & 0 … If women's soccer is comparable then so is men's soccer and considering how much longer men's soccer has been an NCAA sport it might surprise some to find out that only three head coaches ever have reached the 500-win mark and that zero current head coaches have 500 career wins.
Even more impressive than the wins is the reaction following the win. If you haven't already watched the video of well-wishers – from President Loh to other current Maryland head coaches to dozens of Meharg's former players – congratulating her and thanking her for everything she's meant to the University, the athletics department, the program and them personally. It's a testimony to the impact and the scope of the impact Meharg has on the people she has touched throughout her time as a Terp.
Maryland Madness Promises To Be Magical
From its humble beginnings (the first “Midnight Madness” was coach Lefty Driesell inviting students to come watch his team run laps around Byrd Stadium) to its current spectacle, Maryland Madness is one of the “can't miss” events of every season and this year is no different. Madness is still more than a week out (it's Friday, October 16 if you didn't know), but it's not too early to start planning on coming to College Park.
This season the Maryland men's and women's basketball teams, with some urging, guidance and help from the award-winning Maryland marketing staff, have a magical evening planned to entertain Terrapin fans while introducing them to this year's teams.
With the excitement surrounding this year's teams fans should plan on getting to XFINITY Center early. Doors open at 4 p.m. and seating is first-come, first-serve. Admission to Maryland Madness is free.
The main program doesn't begin until 6 p.m., but fans won't be bored as the men's and women's teams will be holding an autograph session beginning at 4:30 p.m. This is the only time the men's and women's teams have a joint autograph session so be sure to take advantage of it and get your posters, pictures and t-shirts signed by your favorite Terps.
In addition to the dramatic introductions for both teams, the amazing dunks on display by the men's squad and the inter-squad scrimmage, Maryland Madness has become known for its big dance number performed by the men's and women's teams.
You'll need to be in XFINITY Center to see what the Terps have in store for fans this year, but here are some highlights from years past to get you ready.
Another highlight for this year's “Magic Maryland Madness” is the performance of world-renowned magician JP Wilson, who has thrilled fans around the country with his unique high-energy magic routine. Check it out …
Playing The Defending Champs
The Maryland football team travels to Columbus, Ohio, to play No. 1 Ohio State in Ohio Stadium, which is otherwise known as “The Shoe”. This will be the first time the Terps have played the defending national champions since 2000 when Maryland hosted Florida State, the 1999 national champs, in College Park.
The Terps are 1-3 in their last four games vs. defending national champions since 1980. That one win – you may remember it: November 10, 1984 at Miami.
Maryland trailed 31-0 at the half vs. the Hurricanes in the Orange Bowl, but Frank Reich led the Terps on a record-setting comeback that ended in a historic 42-40 victory for Maryland.
Most fans remember the 68-yard touchdown pass that Reich threw to Greg Hill which was tipped by Miami's Darrell Fullington before Hill ran under it and raced to the end zone.
But Maryland wouldn't have won the game if it hadn't been for a 4-yard touchdown run by Rick Badanjek to give Maryland a 42-34 lead, as Bernie Kosar connected with Eddie Brown on a 5-yard touchdown pass to make it a 42-40 game.
Miami lined up for the 2-point conversion to try to tie the game with 57 seconds left, but Kosar's screen pass to Melvin Bratton was stopped by Maryland defensive back Keeta Covington to preserve the Terrapin lead.
The Hurricanes' last gasp was an onside kick, but Joe Kraus came up with the ball and raced down the field for Maryland. Kraus showed tremendous discipline and awareness by stopping at the 1-yardline so the Terps could take a knee, end the game and complete the largest comeback in NCAA history up to that time (Michigan State rallied from a 35-point deficit vs. Northwestern in 2006).
Quick Hitters
• Congratulations to former Terp Stefon Diggs, who made his NFL debut this past Sunday with the Minnesota Vikings against the Denver Broncos. After not playing in Minnesota's first two games, Diggs led the Vikings receiving corps with 87 yards on six catches. Terp fans got to see Diggs light up the field for three seasons in College Park and now they can enjoy his work on Sundays.
• Other NFL Terps enjoying success on Sunday included:
- Torrey Smith averaged 27.5 yards per reception for the 49ers in a 13-3 loss to Green Bay. So far this season, Smith has proven to be the deep threat San Francisco has lacked in recent years by averaging 20.6 yards per catch in the team's first four games of 2015. That 20.6 average is third best in the NFL for receivers with at least nine receptions.
- Darrius Heyward-Bey is his second season in Pittsburgh and scored the lone receiving TD in the Steelers' 23-20 loss to Baltimore.
- Another former Terp that fans got to enjoy in College Park is D'Qwell Jackson. Now in his 10th season in the league, Jackson leads the NFL through four weeks with 47 total tackles for the Indianapolis Colts.
• A lot of fans don't really think about the NBA in early October, but training camps have opened around the league and unless you follow the league fairly closely you might be unaware that Greivis Vasquez is now on the Milwaukee Bucks, thanks to a draft day trade that sent the passionate point guard from Toronto to Milwaukee. The Bucks also recently acquired former Rookie of the Year Michael Carter-Williams, but hoopshabit.com makes the case that Vasquez should be the Bucks starting point guard when the season opens.
• It's a bit of an odd weekend in College Park this weekend. More Maryland athletics teams will be in University Park, Pa., than College Park. The women's soccer, field hockey and men's soccer teams all head to Happy Valley this week, while the volleyball team is the only Terrapin program to compete in College Park.
That gives Maryland fans the opportunity to see what head coach Steve Aird is building with the Terps volleyball program. The Big Ten is the best, most competitive league in college volleyball and Maryland hosts Minnesota on Friday night at 7 p.m. and Wisconsin on Saturday at 7 p.m. If you can't make it to College Park, you can see the matches live with a BTN Plus subscription and the BTN2Go app.
Terp fans in town for the weekend can also catch some fall softball action, as first-year coach Julie Wright's squad hosts George Mason (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and George Washington (Sunday at 1 p.m.) at the Maryland Softball Stadium.
Wrapping Up
That's it for the inaugural edition of the umterps Notebook. Thanks for giving it a look.
Don't forget to follow Maryland athletics on all of the social media platforms: Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Patrick Fischer is the Director of Digital Media and Website Management for the University of Maryland Department of Intercollegiate Athletics
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official position of the Maryland athletics department or its athletics programs.
