Homecoming: 100 Years And Counting

When the Maryland Terrapins host Illinois on Saturday, they won’t just be welcoming the Illini back to SECU Stadium, they will also welcome many alumni and former players for a special celebration of the 100th year of Homecoming. The celebration has been an all-week, campus-wide event where former and current Terps come together at the state’s flagship institution for a week dedicated to friends, football and other festivities.

“Homecoming really is an important thing to our campus,” head coach Michael Locksley said. “Everyone knows what it's like to come home. Think about Thanksgiving when everybody comes home from college and is under one roof. That’s what Homecoming is all about. It’s about coming back, being able to reflect, and bringing your families back to show, ‘This is where I went to school.’”

Homecoming games have been good to the Terps historically as they have hosted several memorable ones over the years and have won three straight. For Kevin Glover, a standout center at Maryland from 1981 to 1985 who returned to the program in 2017 as the Director of Player Development, the Homecoming games are some of his most memorable. 

“I’ll always remember some of the big games we had on Homecoming, the big challenges, especially in the rivalry games against North Carolina and Clemson and some of those teams,” Glover, a 1984 All-American, said. “I remember back then, when the stadium wasn’t as big as it is now, there were so many people who wanted to come see us that they had to put in temporary stands to fit everyone. It was a fantastic atmosphere and the students were so involved and invested that whole week leading up to it.”

In 1979, Maryland edged ACC-rival North Carolina as Dale Castro kicked the game-winning field goal with 1:26 remaining to spring the upset on the 17th-ranked Tar Heels. Two years later, the Terps topped another ACC foe, as running back Charlie Wysocki tallied two touchdowns to lead Maryland past Duke, 24-21. 

The 1996 Homecoming game saw a historic outcome for the program as the Terps blasted Wake Forest, 52-0, for the team’s largest margin of victory since 1954. In contrast, in 2008, the Terps had to once again eek it out at the end as Obi Egekeze kicked a 20-yard field goal with just six seconds remaining to edge NC State, 27-24.

“Coach (Ralph) Friedgen was a former student-athlete here and he always understood the pride that goes along with the program, the university and the students,” said Glover, a Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame member. “He always made sure that the student-athletes and staff would participate in a lot of the events of Homecoming week. It was just a fun, welcoming atmosphere and that’s carried on now that Coach Locksley is back because he understands the whole history of Homecoming and all of its importance.

“If you think about the players that come back, they, along with their parents, had to make huge decisions at just 18 years old to decide where they wanted to go as student-athletes,” Glover added. “For those families to trust in this university and the coaches at the time, is a big deal. They deserve to come back and share in the pride, the exciting atmospheres and the victories.”

The Terps’ first Homecoming game as a member of the Big Ten was in 2014 and they ended it in style, rallying from a 14-point deficit to beat Iowa, 38-31. Defensive back William Likely III was the hero in that game, returning a fourth-quarter interception 45 yards for the winning score in front of a crowd of close to 50,000. 

“That moment still means a lot to me,” Likely said. “It turned the whole game around. That’s a special moment that I’ll never forget. That was just a great game overall on a great Homecoming evening that I was lucky enough to be a part of.”

Taulia Tagovailoa has already etched his name in the Homecoming record books, as he threw for a career-high 419 yards to lead Maryland to a 38-35 victory over Indiana in 2021. The game marked the first time a Maryland quarterback threw for at least 400 yards since 2010 and it was the third-best single-game passing yardage mark in program history.

And though there’s a focus on treating every game with the same approach, former players can attest that the buzz surrounding a Homecoming game is slightly different. 

“There’s a little bit of a different energy to it; you get a few more butterflies pregame,” Likely said. “It’s special to have all the former players back and you can feel all the hype that comes with the game. You definitely want to make sure you put on your best performance.

“To know that you’re not only playing for your teammates but for the people that come before you, that means a lot,” he added.

For Locksley, one of the best parts of Homecoming is the opportunity to have former players back on campus—-something he has prioritized heavily with an emphasis on the program being one that belongs to the alumni just as much as it does him. 

He also embraces his team being the main event, capping off a great week of festivities around campus, especially in a year with an anniversary celebration as great as 100 years. 

“For us, we’re the show,” Locksley said. “So it’s about putting on a good show for the people that are here to support you.” 

For the former players who will be in attendance on Saturday, the weekend is an opportunity to connect with both old teammates they may not see much and today’s team. 

“I know the guys are excited to come back and see this roster, see all the great things Coach Locks is doing firsthand,” Likely said. “He has the program going in the right direction and it’s only going to go further from here and we’re all excited to see it.”

“I was lucky enough to win three ACC Championships while I was here under Coach (Bobby) Ross and I obviously have some of my best memories playing on the field,” Glover said. “But I also have so many great memories of watching the team play after I left. I was able to look back and still be proud of the product that was out there, and then I eventually came back to join it.” 

The alumni are equally as excited to return to a program that still feels like it’s their program—even so many years after they’ve graduated and left Maryland. 

“We all feel welcomed back any weekend and we all love going back, but Homecoming is extra special because so many guys come back,” Likely said. “It feels like we’re back in school again.”