Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame Spotlight: Dennis Ivory
One of Maryland track & field’s all-time greats will enter Maryland immortality during the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame induction ceremony on Oct. 16.
Brady Ruth, Staff Writer
8/28/2026
“I used to look up at the Hall of Fame board and wonder if maybe someday I could get on that board,” Dennis Ivory said.
At the time, it seemed like a far-off dream, but on Oct. 16., it’ll become a reality as one of the best Maryland track & field athletes in school history enters the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame.
Ivory’s story began in his birthplace of Fort Benning, Georgia, but his track career began in Birmingham, Alabama, where he grew up. As early as the fourth grade, Ivory was winning state championships in the 400-meter dash, but his aspirations rested not on the track, but on the gridiron.
“I thought I was going to be a football player,” Ivory recalls. “I was pretty good as a freshman at Crossland High School, so I was concentrating on football. Being in Birmingham, playing football for the Crimson Tide was all you knew.”
His high school track coaches longed to sway him to their sport. Promises that it would help his football endurance eventually won Ivory over. He got connected with Ed Bowie, a prominent figure in the Maryland track scene. Bowie helped make the decision to move Ivory from the 400-meter dash to some of the jumping events and relay races.
"That's where I started to excel,” Ivory said. “Every time we went to a meet, I was winning the long jump and we had one of the fastest four-by-four relay teams in the United States. During my senior year, I was offered one of the largest scholarships in the country to attend Catholic University.”
Former Maryland track coach Frank Costello had other plans.
I had read up on him and I knew the University of Maryland had the best jumpers in the country. I signed with Maryland, knowing they could make me one of the best jumpers in the country, too.Dennis Ivory
In his early years in College Park, Ivory was surrounded by greatness. His talent — along with Costello’s connections — helped his paths intersect with Olympian Tommy Haines, captain of the 1976 U.S. Olympic team.
“He told me ‘You’ve got a story to tell’,” Ivory said. “He said, ‘Someday, you’ve got to tell it, and only you can tell this story’.”
He took his tale into his own hands and immediately composed a masterpiece.
Ivory helped lead the Terps to three consecutive ACC Championships and a sixth-place finish in the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1979. He was an All-ACC long jumper and ACC Champion in 1976, 1977 and 1978. Ivory was an ACC Champion in the triple jump in 1977 and 1978 with a runner-up 1979, the same year he took second at the NCAA Indoor Championships. Ivory earned All-American honors in 1977, 1978 and 1979.
He was quite the competitor and he accomplished a lot. Having a teammate of mine enter the Hall of Fame is incredibly rewarding. I knew he had the qualifications to get in, and I know it means so much to him.Teammate Renaldo Nehemiah
Dennis’ 55/3m triple jump in 1978 stood as an ACC record for over four decades and is still untouched in the Maryland record books. His 7.94m long jump from the same year stands as the Terps’ second-highest mark in program history. In October, his legacy will move from the books to the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame.
He’ll remember finding out about the induction forever. An invitation to come to a practice turned into a life-changing event. Ivory thought he was coming back to College Park for a community event, but instead found out that he was going to be a member of the Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
“I don't even think special can describe it,” Ivory said. “It’s a wonderful feeling to know that I’m going to be on the same board as some of the greatest athletes the world has ever seen. I have nothing but the utmost respect for the University of Maryland and its athletes, and to be recognized on that board with some of the greatest athletes that have ever participated in any sport, to me, it's an honor that I hope I'm worthy of, and I can just do my best to accept it.”
Perhaps the best part of the day was that Nehemiah, who now works with Maryland Athletics, was able to present Ivory with the honor and break the incredible news to his old teammate.
“The best part was seeing how much it meant to him,” Nehemiah said. “The humility of it all, and me presenting it to him, made it so special. It made me so happy. I know it’s special for Dennis, and it’s really special to me.”
After college, Ivory has remained around the sport. International and professional competition — included training for the eventually-boycotted 1980 Olympic Games — kept Ivory’s drive for competition alive. After his competitive career ended, he dedicated his time to coaching, growing the sport and finding purpose in training the next generation of incredible athletes.
Ivory credits the University of Maryland with giving him so much — his wife, his kids and his future — but he says God and his unwavering faith are behind all he’s accomplished.
“My career starts out with my faith in God,” Ivory said. “I had a lot of people backing and supporting me, and that's only by the grace of God. Every step of the way, God has given me decisions to make. I made some wrong ones, but from what I can see, I made the right decision by going to the University of Maryland.”
