Schanapalooza Takes Over College Park

Terrapin Stephen Schanwald was recognized this past week in College Park alongside dozens of family and friends, and university leadership and community members. 

The week, affectionately known across the University of Maryland as Schanapalooza, created a platform for the university, Maryland Athletics and the Robert H. Smith School of Business to recognize the generous $18 million donation that Schanwald made last December. 

“To me, at this stage of my life, given the resources that I have, it is really rewarding and fulfilling. It feeds my soul to know I'm making a difference in people's lives,” Schanwald previously said. “That's just what's inside me.”

The five-day celebration kicked off Sept. 30 with Steve watching football practice and joining the team for dinner at Jones-Hill House, and concluded Oct. 4 at the football game vs. Washington with an on-field recognition. However, it was the events on Oct. 3 that truly captured the breadth and depth of Steve’s impact on young people for decades to come. 

Schanwald spent the first half of Oct. 3 at the Smith School of Business, starting with a morning fireside chat with Dean Prabhudev Konana in front of Advisory Council members followed by lunch with students from the Schanwald Sports Leadership Council and capped off with a school-wide celebration and dedication of the Schanwald Sports Management Program.

The latter half of Oct. 3 was reserved for showcasing his athletics impact, as his name now sits above the entrance to the Schanwald Pavilion, where Maryland’s volleyball and wrestling teams compete for glory, and across the west-facing outdoor wall at the Stephen M. Schanwald practice fields. 

“This is the most important field we have,” head coach Michael Locksley said at Friday’s ribbon cutting ceremony at the practice fields. “We have a saying: ‘every practice is a show and every show is a practice.’ What you’ve given to us and what you’ve given to Maryland Athletics is really huge.”

Locksley presented Schanwald with a game ball in front of the entire team and staff at the ceremony, which then moved across campus to the Schanwald Pavillion, where beloved colleagues were on hand to honor Schanwald, give speeches and celebrate his transformative impact on Maryland Athletics.

Schanwald’s support for Maryland Athletics goes beyond the physical spaces he has named as his involvement not only helps provide needed resources to the department, but it also sets an example for the student-athletes whom he is supporting.

“Steve, I want to thank you on behalf of all Maryland coaches for your support, your generosity and just being a part of the Maryland family,” women’s basketball head coach Brenda Frese said. “I really just can’t say enough about what you mean to our Terp family.”

Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics Jim Smith has admired Schanwald’s leadership and innovation in sports, especially within his marketing executive role with the Chicago Bulls for 28 seasons, including six NBA championships. 

“Today we’re here to recognize an amazing man who’s been an inspiration to me for a long time,” Smith said. “Today, we’re hopefully starting a dynasty of our own. There are thousands of people who you’ve impacted who aren’t able to be here today, and you’re going to impact thousands more.”

Schanwald expressed his appreciation for the Maryland Athletic Department, his family and friends, and all his professional colleagues who have impacted his impressive path throughout athletics. 

“I’ve learned valuable life lessons from every single one of you here today,” he said during the ceremony in the Schanwald Pavilion. “So I thank you, not just for the positive memories and laughs we’ve had, but for having a positive influence on my life.”

Schanwald was met with a standing ovation following his speech within the Schanwald Pavilion that will bear his legacy and his impact on Maryland Athletics for years to come.

Two plaques now sit at the Schanwald Pavilion and Schanwald Practice Fields with the quote “a life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives” inscribed across the bottom of them both. This quote from Jackie Robinson guides Schanwald in all he does and encapsulates his purposeful generosity back to the University of Maryland. He has enriched, and will continue to do so in the decades to come, the lives of so many across campus and has made it a mission to help young people succeed while in school and well after they graduate. Opportunity, generosity and impact - what Schanapalooza is all about.