Major Gifts Spotlight: Rick Jaklitsch

The Fall 2022 issue of ONE MARYLAND Magazine recently arrived in the mailboxes of Terrapin Club members. ONE MARYLAND features stories of strength and perseverance, of determination and spirit. These stories define our athletics program, and this new magazine will allow us to share these stories with you. Over the next few weeks, we will be rolling out these stories on umterps.com as a preview of what you will find in ONE MARYLAND. To receive future issues of the magazine when they debut, please join the Terrapin Club. We hope you enjoy.

Rick Jaklitsch has always loved Maryland sports, especially men's basketball. 

As a Maryland student in the late 1970s, he enjoyed watching the dominant men's basketball teams that featured Buck Williams, Greg Manning, and Albert King. He also fondly recalls Jerry Claiborne's football team going 11-0 during the 1976 regular season. 

For Jaklitsch, there are very few things better than being in the stands during a Maryland sporting event. 

"There's just really nothing like it," Jaklitsch said.

Jaklitsch stayed at Maryland after earning his bachelor's degree in economics—first to get his law degree and then to teach at the school. Once he stopped teaching, however, he lost one major perk—faculty tickets to Maryland games.

Jaklitsch wasn't going to go without seeing his Terps play, so he decided to join the Terrapin Club. 

"I joined to get tickets to watch the basketball that I love, but I quickly realized how important it was to support all the 700 athletes and the 27 sports there were at the time," Jaklitsch said. "I saw how crucial the Terrapin Club was to the success of every sport at Maryland."

From there, Jaklitsch dove headfirst into the club, even serving as president for the 2009-10 year. Today, he is a 28-year donor to the annual fund, has made a major gift to the Basketball Performance Center, has included the department in his estate plans, and is helping with NIL by hiring student-athletes as spokespeople for his law firm.

"Having been up close with the athletes and seeing the needs of the athletic department, I'll always stretch the extra mile to help out any team I can," Jaklitsch said.

Jaklitsch's close work with various Terrapin teams has allowed him to form meaningful bonds with the coaches and players.

He used to travel to a couple of games a year with the men's basketball program, getting to be part of the locker room celebrations after numerous big road wins. He'll never forget the players of the 2002 national championship team hoisting his son on their shoulders in celebration. When he was Terrapin Club president, he made it his mission to attend at least one practice or game of all 27 teams at the time. He also prides himself on the legal assistance he's been able to extend to the student-athletes for NIL and eligibility help. 

"When I think about how much Maryland has given me, with my undergraduate and law degrees, all the great times and the great games, I want to pay that back," Jaklitsch said.

Born in Lutherville, a Calvert Hall alum and a current Annapolis resident, Jaklitsch embodies Maryland Pride. And, it's equally as important to him for that concept to extend to the Terrapin student-athletes. 

"Maryland Pride is a way to let kids know how much they're appreciated as in-state kids coming to school here and having success. There are tremendous benefits to this state and this school. This is an absolutely fantastic school."