Spring Victories

Maryland football has taken its spring schedule on the road to promote the Terp way throughout the region. The program held an open scrimmage at Head Football Coach Michael Locksley’s alma mater and an event dubbed “Baltimore Day,” where the team practiced alongside Morgan State.

“To me, it’s about selling the brand of Maryland football,” said Locksley. “What we’ve been able to accomplish the last three years here, going to three bowls, winning the bowl games. I wanted to take the brand and put it throughout this area and this region.”

On April 6, the team headed up the beltway for a joint practice at Morgan State University’s Hughes Stadium. This inaugural “Baltimore Day” spring partnership between the Terps and the Bears was free and open to the public. Fans watched and interacted with both teams and their coaches throughout the event. Morgan State took the field first, and Maryland followed in the afternoon.

Coach Locksley described “Baltimore Day” as a “win-win” for the Terps and coach Damon Wilson’s Morgan State program.

“It’s great to see two different brands of football here in the state of Maryland and it is good for the state,” Locksley told a local reporter.

The joint practice provided players from both teams a chance to work out and network with each other, and many reconnected with former teammates and childhood friends from the Baltimore area.

Terps running back Roman Hemby, a native of Edgewood, MD, felt right at home playing in the Baltimore area.

“There’s a lot of people here that have a love and respect for me and have my best interests at heart,” Hemby said. “So being able to come into this community and be welcomed and show that we appreciate everything they do, it means a lot.”

Coach Locksley explained why bolstering Maryland’s presence in a local football hotspot like Baltimore is so important.

“I think it’s our responsibility, as the flagship university for the state, to do a good job of promoting football throughout the state [and] to make sure we [do] some things up in Baltimore,” Locksley said. “It’s been a very fruitful area for our football program. To me, it was a way to say thank you.”

The Terps also traveled to Frank W. Ballou High School in D.C. - coach Locksley’s alma mater - for an open scrimmage on April 20. Ballou student-athletes, locals, and some of coach Locksley’s former high school teammates showed up to watch Maryland practice. The event marked the first time an NCAA Division I football team played in South D.C., which meant a lot to coach Locksley.

“To be able to bring the Terp brand to my high school, it’s kind of surreal,” Locksley said. “To bring [Maryland] here to my hometown, to my side of the city, the South side of the city, which doesn’t get a lot of things like this. It allows our players to give back to the community that we’re trying to get to come [and] support us.”

Along with building mutually beneficial relationships with programs like Morgan State and Ballou, the Terps showcased their strong play, grew their support base, and excited football fans around the area.

“For us to take the next step, it’s not just about our football, it’s about our fanbase and our supporters,” Locksley said. “In this landscape, championships are not just for me to get the job done, it’s on the community, making The Shell a tough place to play. We’re taking the steps necessary to be that type of team.”