Impact Of A Scholarship: Todd Wike

Todd Wike’ 02 chose to attend the University of Maryland during a time where the football team was still building its legacy and reforming its program. During his four years at Maryland, he studied philosophy and was an offensive lineman for the Terps.  

Wike grew up in “Penn State country,” so it was out of the ordinary to go to Maryland. Upon his first campus visit, he was blown away with the look and feel of the campus, especially the size of it. He instantly felt right at home. 

On his official visit, he met with then head coach, Ron Vanderlinden, who discussed his vision for Wike on the team. As they sat in his field-facing office, Vanderlinden painted a picture of Wike’s next four years and Wike was immediately sold.

“Maryland was the perfect school because it provided me the opportunity to be a part of a growing team and also stay close to my hometown of Lebanon, Pennsylvania.” 

One of his fondest memories at Maryland was playing in the Peach Bowl game against Tennessee in 2002 where the Terps came away with a dominant 30-3 victory. 

“It was a great way to end my career at Maryland,” Wike said of the Peach Bowl. “We accomplished so many of our goals as a team. For me to play my final game in a Terps’ uniform against Tennessee and to beat them 30-3 in front of a lot of Terp fans in Atlanta, GA, it was just a great way to end my career and go out on a high note.”

Towards the end of his college career, the vision that Vanderlinden painted finally came together. Wike details how much it meant to him to come into a struggling program and leave it in a better place.

“I think Coach Vanderlinden and his staff recruited very well. They were able to find guys that weren’t always the highest-rated recruits, but they were winners and we all brought that winning attitude and that winning culture to a program that was struggling for a number of years.  It took a few years for us to put everything in place, but when we did, it all played out like he envisioned and like he explained to so many of us as we were being recruited as high school players.”

Being so heavily involved with the team, it was difficult to have a lot of outside involvement, so Wike built very strong bonds with his teammates. He still keeps in touch with a handful of them, and they enjoy seeing each other at football games or tailgates during the fall season. 

“As a football player at Maryland, we spent a lot of time together, of course,” Wike said. “As I think back to the things that I miss most about my experience at Maryland and on the football team, I really miss those times with the 94 other guys…walking back home after a long practice, celebrating wins in the locker room, or even the times after tough losses when we’d stick together and experience those tough times as a team. It was all a special and unique experience and I’ll carry that with me forever.”

At Maryland, Wike also met his future wife, Chrissy. They now have two sons Charlie, 11 and Graham, 8. 

After graduation, Wike spent two years exploring an NFL career with the Oakland Raiders and a year at NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores. He then became interested in attending law school, and tried working in sales while perfecting his application. 

During that time, he had a change of heart and decided to dip his toes back into his first passion—football—and went to Georgetown University as an offensive line coach for a season.

“I wanted to give it a shot because football had been a big part of my life since I was seven years old. When it came to an end and my playing days were over, there was a void, for sure. It was a tough transition for me to initially move onto something else, and so I wanted to give it a shot to see if I wanted to make a career out of coaching.  As it turns out, it wasn’t for me, but I’m still glad that I tried it and it gave me a whole new level of respect for all of the coaches that helped me along the way.” 

Wike also began to reach out back to his Maryland network and connected with Larry Grabenstein, who was like a mentor to him, and began working at his financial planning firm, Potomac Financial Group. Grabenstein was a long-time supporter of the university and the athletic programs, especially football and basketball. He was the Terrapin Club president for two years and he was also one of the founding members of the Maryland Gridiron Network, which was a group of supporters that helped raise money for the football program. Wike worked alongside Grabenstein for seven years, until he took over as Managing Partner. Unfortunately, Grabenstein passed in 2017, but Wike has embraced Grabenstein’s spirit of mentorship by offering internship opportunities for UMD students interested in financial planning. 

“Larry Grabenstein was a tremendous mentor to so many young people, including me,” Wike said. “When I think of Larry and the impact that he had on so many lives, I wanted to continue that and try to follow in his footsteps.”

Receiving a scholarship always meant a great deal to Wike. 

“My father always joked that if I did not get a scholarship, I would have to go into the army,” Wike shared. 

Without the scholarship, it was not certain whether he would be able to attend college and continue to further his education. With it, he was able to pave the way academically and have a successful career after college.

“So much of my life now, I can trace back to my time at Maryland: my wife, kids, job, and friends,” he said. “I am extremely thankful and grateful for everyone that contributes, also to the people that donate time.”

Wike shares that a big reason why he gives back is because the generosity from the Maryland community changed his life. 

“Maryland has given me so much and I can look at almost every positive thing in my life, from my family to my career to my lifelong friendships, and trace it back to my time at Maryland.  I’m forever grateful for those gifts and I give back to the Maryland community in hopes that I can help do the same thing for the next generation of future Terps.”