Impact Of A Scholarship: Michael Grinnon

Michael Grinnon remembers his first time stepping foot on campus at the University of Maryland as one of his fondest memories. It was the beginning of lifelong relationships that Grinnon cherished the most during his time at Maryland.

“That first day was orientation. I'll never forget meeting people, student-athletes and other folks from various parts of the country,” Grinnon said of that day back in 2001. “They became a whole new set of lifelong friends. The best experiences I had were with all the students, all my friends, all of the relationships that you built over time.”

Grinnon’s recruitment, however, started long before that first day. Grinnon grew up playing basketball in his hometown of Huntington on Long Island in New York. During his junior year of high school, he had the opportunity to play at the Charlie Weber Basketball Tournament alongside several other top recruits at Maryland. Grinnon’s game caught the eye of none other than Gary Williams, who offered the up-and-coming forward a scholarship to play for the Terps. 

“When I decided to go to Maryland, it was one of the most exciting days of my life, but also one of the scariest days of my life,” Grinnon recalled. “At the time, Maryland was ranked number three in the country and was such a phenomenal school.”

Grinnon credits his experience as a student-athlete at Maryland as the opportunity that allowed him to grow into the person that he has become today. Not only did Grinnon become the answer to a trivia question: Who is the only Maryland basketball player to win both a National Championship and an ACC Championship? -- but he also earned his degree and learned valuable lessons that would help him become successful in the business world today. 

“Maryland gave me a lot of the principles that I think have helped me be successful today, starting with hard work,” said Grinnon who, indeed, was on the 2002 National Championship and 2004 ACC Championship teams. “Being a scholarship athlete is very demanding with work, the sport, and then also with school. Having success playing opened up my eyes to how much one can achieve or how much a team can achieve.”

Grinnon’s basketball memories and career path weren’t the only cornerstones of his life forged at Maryland. As a freshman, Grinnon met his future wife, then-Cynthia Weir, who was an All-American swimmer for the Terps. But it was years later they started dating and married in 2015. They are now the proud parents of two girls and are expecting a baby boy in February 2021. 

“[Cynthia and I] were friends, but our Maryland friends all kept in touch and that’s how we really reconnected,” said Grinnon. “Now we’re married, and we have two beautiful girls and a third, a boy, on the way, and we’re hoping for some Terp genes to carry through to the next generation. Family is everything for me.”

Through the opportunity of being a student athlete on scholarship, Grinnon feels that he was given a chance that he is very thankful for. He feels that contributing to the success of future generations is very important and wants to pay it forward. He plans to keep donating to ensure that other students can have the same opportunities he did. 

Grinnon, who played in 59 games as a Terp, noted that there is always someone like himself at the receiving end of donations that will be forever grateful for the opportunity that they were given. 

“It’s important that we continue to give the next Mike Grinnon a chance, too,” he said.