Honoring Fred Frederick: A True Terp With A Heart Of Gold

Once in a generation, a fan comes along with the dedication and love for a school that Fred Frederick possessed and demonstrated in all aspects of life. 

A lifelong Terrapin Club member, Fred passed away peacefully in his sleep at the age of 94, but not before building a family of Terps and a legacy that will live on for years to come. He is survived by his wife, Betty Anne; four adult children; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren. 

“He had a heart of gold,” Maryland legend Johnny Holliday said. “And boy, did he love Maryland. He was always optimistic and always the sweetest man. He just made everybody feel like a friend. You just couldn’t help but like him.”

From lavish tailgates to thrilling road trips over decades of support, Fred’s love for the Terps was felt by everyone he interacted with. He and his wife, Betty Anne, were Maryland football and basketball season ticket holders — as well as Terrapin Club members — for over 50 years. 

“They supported Maryland through thick and thin,” their son, Jeff, said. “They were committed, no matter what. There have been a lot of thin times through the years, but they were there. When the stands were empty, my parents were still there.”

As the president of the Terrapin Club Board in 1975-76, Fred’s connections ran deep. He and Betty Anne would host annual Kentucky Derby parties with countless Maryland legends in attendance. 

Jeff recalls his father’s friendships with icons like Hall of Fame coach Jerry Claiborne, Maryland legends Lefty Driesell and Jack Zane, and former Maryland Athletic Directors Dick Dull and Jim Kehoe. 

“As a kid, it was crazy because these people were almost like friends or neighbors to us,” Jeff said. “But then you’d read about them in the papers for various successes, and it was wild.”

Fred and Betty Anne would take their motor home to Maryland games and set up elaborate tailgates. With Fred’s life of Terrapin Club service came special amenities, ones that would turn ordinary football games into out-of-body experiences for a younger Jeff. 

“There was a parking lot where the coaches would park, right by the back door of Cole Field House,” Jeff said. “My dad would get a parking pass in that lot, and we would park right there. I felt like royalty. I felt like there was special treatment because I got to meet the people who were really the big shots at the University of Maryland.”

Two of Jeff’s siblings also attended UMD, following in the footsteps of their parents and uncle. 

“Growing up, I never applied to any other universities because I thought it was just a requirement to go to Maryland,” Jeff said. “That's how it had always been, and that’s how I ended up here.”

The Fredericks were a Maryland household through and through. The Terps’ ACC rivalries ran deep and were ingrained in even the seemingly simple faucets of life. 

“My mom said one time that she had always liked the color blue, but she could never put it in their house because Duke and North Carolina are too big of rivals,” Jeff said. “So, everything they have is red. There are Terrapin things all through the house that they’d collected over the history of being M Club members.”

Fred owned several car dealerships throughout the state and would often provide courtesy vehicles for contracted coaches and staff. One former basketball player, John Lucas, even had a customary design from Fred, showing off his Terrapin pride. 

“I’m not sure if he’d remember, but my dad sold him a Chrysler Cordoba and had a plaque put on the dashboard that it was made especially for him,” Jeff said. 

Fred, a former U.S. Marine and drill sergeant at Parris Island, always emphasized the importance of the small details and making sure things were done right. It was no surprise that when he took care of courtesy cars for Maryland coaches, he always kept them in tip-top shape. 

“He connected with Maryland like very few other people I know,” Holliday said. “I think that was just his way of giving back. The coaches needed cars to get around with and to recruit, and it was no big deal for him to give the coach a car to drive during the season. That's just one of the many attributes he had, as far as getting back to the community and giving back to the school that he loved.”

A few years ago, the over-90-year-old Fred and Betty Anne attended a final Maryland football game, accompanied by Jeff. With limited mobility, Fred and Betty Anne were given suite seating, yet another perk from his lifelong fandom. 

“It was awesome to get both of them to that game,” Jeff said. “And that says a lot to me that the people at Maryland have that reverence for my parents and were able to be so accommodating.”

Jeff’s son now attends the University of Maryland, spanning the Frederick family legacy in College Park across yet another generation. Jeff and his family attend countless Maryland events, creating the same memories that Fred and Betty Anne shared with their kids all those years ago. 

“I'll never be able to replicate the tailgates my parents had,” Jeff said. “I'll try, but I'll never be able to do it.”

Still, Jeff is a regular attendee at Maryland events. He says he still sees glimpses of his parents around campus, a reminder of the true dedication and fandom that Fred and Betty Anne had.

“I've been going to these games for 50 years,” Jeff said. “From time to time, I’ll almost recognize them. I see people that I don’t know, but they remind me of my parents. They're older people. They're wearing a red cardigan with a collar or a sweater. They're sitting in the mezzanine seating. They’ve got black slacks on. They're wearing business-casual, sort of dressed up. That was my parents. Those are people who have probably been supporting Maryland athletics for 50 years. Those people have been supporting them forever. They are the ones that show up, even when the stands aren’t full. There they are, just like my parents would be.”