Memorial Scholarship Established to Honor Maryland Football, Athletics Icons
7/23/2026 11:00:00 AM | Football, Terrapin Club
COLLEGE PARK, MD -- Larry Strickling '73, along with his wife Sydney Hans, have established the William S. "Bunk" and Louis E. Carter Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Football through a six-figure gift to Maryland Athletics and the University of Maryland.
The fund will provide scholarships for University of Maryland football student-athletes, with a preference for those who are enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and are residents of the state of Maryland.
"Bunk and Louis Carter became important colleagues and friends even before I started my studies at Maryland," said Strickling. "For five summers, I worked for Bunk on the groundskeeping crew where one of my fellow workers was Bunk's brother, Louis. If you know Maryland Football, you know how important Louis was to the revival of the program under Jerry Claiborne in the 1970's. Bunk is less known but he worked for 40 years in the Athletic Department, retiring as Maryland's head groundskeeper in 2002. Over the years, I kept in touch with Bunk and Louis until their untimely deaths in 2005 (Bunk) and 2020 (Louis)."
"The Carter brothers were very dear to me," said Ralph Friedgen '70, Maryland Football head coach from 2001-10, student-athlete from 1966-68, graduate assistant from 1969-71 and assistant coach from 1982-86. "As a GA for Coach Claiborne I worked with the defense but saw the tremendous talent that Louis showed. He was not only a great player but an outstanding person. I knew Bunk as well when returning in the 80's with Coach Ross but he became a tremendous asset to me in my tenure as head football coach at the University of Maryland. The job he did maintaining our fields and the advice he gave me to keep them in tip top condition was invaluable. I also enjoyed kibitzing with him at times. I encourage the Maryland Athletic Community to support this scholarship for two great Terps."
Louis led Maryland in rushing for three consecutive seasons from 1972-74 and guided the Terps to three straight bowl games under head coach Jerry Claiborne. He scored the fourth most touchdowns (27) in school history and still ranks sixth all-time at Maryland in both career all-purpose yards (3,704) and career rushing touchdowns (25), and 12th all-time with 2,266 career rushing yards. He was named First-Team All-ACC in both 1973 and 1974 and was chosen by Football News as a second team All-American after his senior season. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 1975 NFL draft and spent four seasons in the league, also playing for Tampa Bay and Washington. He was inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Bunk worked for the University of Maryland for more than 40 years maintaining Maryland's athletics fields and retired in 2002 as the head of the groundskeeping department. Strickling's father, Dr. Edward Strickling, was a professor of agronomy at Maryland and worked closely with Bunk over many years as an adviser to the athletic department on soil issues that were affecting the growth of natural grass before the installation of artificial turf. Bunk passed away in 2005.
This is the second memorial scholarship established by Strickling in the Athletic Department. Several years ago, he provided the initial funding for the John W. Zane Memorial Scholarship honoring Maryland's long-time sports information director, another legend of Maryland's athletic history. With this new gift, Strickling becomes the latest Athletics supporter to join the University of Maryland's 1856 Society, a community of donors whose transformational gifts to Maryland have reached $1 million or more, or a planned gift of $5 million or more.
Strickling is a 1973 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland. While at Maryland, he worked for Sports Information Director Jack Zane in the Athletic Department. Following graduation from Harvard Law School, he joined the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, eventually becoming an expert in telecommunications and Internet law and policy. He served for nearly eight years as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and the Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration from 2009-17. His wife, Sydney Hans, is a Professor Emerita at the University of Chicago where she taught developmental psychology for more than 40 years.
Support the William S. "Bunk" and Louis E. Carter Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Football
Those who are interested in supporting the fund can make a tax-deductible gift through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation HERE.
What Louis's teammates are saying
"Lou was a team leader and an exceptional athlete — fast, strong, agile, and powerful — and his abilities and determination are a major reason that we rebuilt the program and won the conference in 1974. He hit line holes quickly and made sudden lateral movements to penetrate the secondary and I dreaded trying to tackle him during one-on-one drills in summer practices. But beyond his rushing records and above all else he was a good man." - Bob Smith, Maryland Football 1971-74
"I was in the recruiting class of '71 along with Louis, Bob [Smith], Frank [Russell] and Randy [White] just to name a few players. The last recruiting class of Coach Roy Lester. Louis was an exceptional athlete and leader. He wasn't a loud rah-rah guy, but when he spoke the team listened. Louis started for Arundel High School as a freshman playing quarterback, and did everything for the team - run, pass, you name it he did it - and was inducted into the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame. At Maryland, Louis was even more special. Besides running he could throw the ball and when he did, it was usually a touchdown pass. In the '73 Peach Bowl, even though we lost 17-16, Louis won the Most Valuable Offensive Player Award. Normally this would be won by the winning team. That just told you how good Louis was. And despite all this he still managed to surprise us with his athleticism. Louis could jump. At 5'9" 206lbs, he could stand under a basket and jump straight up without a running start and dunk the basketball with two hands. Unbelievable! We miss him greatly." - Pat Ulam, Maryland Football, 1971-74
Our campaign for the Fearless
Strickling's gift supports Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, a $2.5 billion fundraising initiative in support of expanding access to UMD's top-tier education, accelerating groundbreaking research and building stronger communities. Maryland Athletics aims to raise at least $350M as part of the Forward campaign, elevating priorities that fit into four fundraising objectives: Elevate a championship culture; empower young people to realize their full potential; mold tomorrow's leaders today; and foster success through community. Those interested in learning more about how they can participate in the Forward campaign are encouraged to click HERE or contact the Terrapin Club at 301-314-7020 or tclub@umd.edu.
The fund will provide scholarships for University of Maryland football student-athletes, with a preference for those who are enrolled in the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources and are residents of the state of Maryland.
"Bunk and Louis Carter became important colleagues and friends even before I started my studies at Maryland," said Strickling. "For five summers, I worked for Bunk on the groundskeeping crew where one of my fellow workers was Bunk's brother, Louis. If you know Maryland Football, you know how important Louis was to the revival of the program under Jerry Claiborne in the 1970's. Bunk is less known but he worked for 40 years in the Athletic Department, retiring as Maryland's head groundskeeper in 2002. Over the years, I kept in touch with Bunk and Louis until their untimely deaths in 2005 (Bunk) and 2020 (Louis)."
"The Carter brothers were very dear to me," said Ralph Friedgen '70, Maryland Football head coach from 2001-10, student-athlete from 1966-68, graduate assistant from 1969-71 and assistant coach from 1982-86. "As a GA for Coach Claiborne I worked with the defense but saw the tremendous talent that Louis showed. He was not only a great player but an outstanding person. I knew Bunk as well when returning in the 80's with Coach Ross but he became a tremendous asset to me in my tenure as head football coach at the University of Maryland. The job he did maintaining our fields and the advice he gave me to keep them in tip top condition was invaluable. I also enjoyed kibitzing with him at times. I encourage the Maryland Athletic Community to support this scholarship for two great Terps."
Honoring two impactful Terps 🏈🐢
— Maryland Terrapins (@umterps) July 23, 2026
An endowed scholarship established by Larry Strickling '73 and Sydney Hans honor @TerpsFootball icons William "Bunk" and Louis E. Carter while supporting future student-athletes.
Learn more: https://t.co/3tK66W0sRt pic.twitter.com/Y9FR3Tfq2a
Louis led Maryland in rushing for three consecutive seasons from 1972-74 and guided the Terps to three straight bowl games under head coach Jerry Claiborne. He scored the fourth most touchdowns (27) in school history and still ranks sixth all-time at Maryland in both career all-purpose yards (3,704) and career rushing touchdowns (25), and 12th all-time with 2,266 career rushing yards. He was named First-Team All-ACC in both 1973 and 1974 and was chosen by Football News as a second team All-American after his senior season. He was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the third round of the 1975 NFL draft and spent four seasons in the league, also playing for Tampa Bay and Washington. He was inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame in 2016.
Bunk worked for the University of Maryland for more than 40 years maintaining Maryland's athletics fields and retired in 2002 as the head of the groundskeeping department. Strickling's father, Dr. Edward Strickling, was a professor of agronomy at Maryland and worked closely with Bunk over many years as an adviser to the athletic department on soil issues that were affecting the growth of natural grass before the installation of artificial turf. Bunk passed away in 2005.
This is the second memorial scholarship established by Strickling in the Athletic Department. Several years ago, he provided the initial funding for the John W. Zane Memorial Scholarship honoring Maryland's long-time sports information director, another legend of Maryland's athletic history. With this new gift, Strickling becomes the latest Athletics supporter to join the University of Maryland's 1856 Society, a community of donors whose transformational gifts to Maryland have reached $1 million or more, or a planned gift of $5 million or more.
Strickling is a 1973 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Maryland. While at Maryland, he worked for Sports Information Director Jack Zane in the Athletic Department. Following graduation from Harvard Law School, he joined the law firm of Kirkland & Ellis in Chicago, eventually becoming an expert in telecommunications and Internet law and policy. He served for nearly eight years as the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and the Administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration from 2009-17. His wife, Sydney Hans, is a Professor Emerita at the University of Chicago where she taught developmental psychology for more than 40 years.
Support the William S. "Bunk" and Louis E. Carter Memorial Endowed Scholarship for Football
Those who are interested in supporting the fund can make a tax-deductible gift through the University of Maryland College Park Foundation HERE.
What Louis's teammates are saying
"Lou was a team leader and an exceptional athlete — fast, strong, agile, and powerful — and his abilities and determination are a major reason that we rebuilt the program and won the conference in 1974. He hit line holes quickly and made sudden lateral movements to penetrate the secondary and I dreaded trying to tackle him during one-on-one drills in summer practices. But beyond his rushing records and above all else he was a good man." - Bob Smith, Maryland Football 1971-74
"I was in the recruiting class of '71 along with Louis, Bob [Smith], Frank [Russell] and Randy [White] just to name a few players. The last recruiting class of Coach Roy Lester. Louis was an exceptional athlete and leader. He wasn't a loud rah-rah guy, but when he spoke the team listened. Louis started for Arundel High School as a freshman playing quarterback, and did everything for the team - run, pass, you name it he did it - and was inducted into the Anne Arundel County Sports Hall of Fame. At Maryland, Louis was even more special. Besides running he could throw the ball and when he did, it was usually a touchdown pass. In the '73 Peach Bowl, even though we lost 17-16, Louis won the Most Valuable Offensive Player Award. Normally this would be won by the winning team. That just told you how good Louis was. And despite all this he still managed to surprise us with his athleticism. Louis could jump. At 5'9" 206lbs, he could stand under a basket and jump straight up without a running start and dunk the basketball with two hands. Unbelievable! We miss him greatly." - Pat Ulam, Maryland Football, 1971-74
Our campaign for the Fearless
Strickling's gift supports Forward: The University of Maryland Campaign for the Fearless, a $2.5 billion fundraising initiative in support of expanding access to UMD's top-tier education, accelerating groundbreaking research and building stronger communities. Maryland Athletics aims to raise at least $350M as part of the Forward campaign, elevating priorities that fit into four fundraising objectives: Elevate a championship culture; empower young people to realize their full potential; mold tomorrow's leaders today; and foster success through community. Those interested in learning more about how they can participate in the Forward campaign are encouraged to click HERE or contact the Terrapin Club at 301-314-7020 or tclub@umd.edu.
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