Every college program has that one coach that turns the program from mediocrity to national relavence. Most recenlty, Kentucky Basketball had John Calipari, Alabama Football had Nick Saban, Clemson Football has Dabo Swinney, UConn has Danny Hurley and Maryland Basketball had Gary Williams.  The Maryland football program had such a coach that once again put the Maryland football progam back on the map.

Former Maryland player and coach Ralph Friedgen for the 3rd year in a row is on the ballot for the 2025 College Football Hall of Fame. Not only did Coach Friedgen turn around the football prgram, he did it with his alma mater as he was an offensive guard on the Terps from 1966 – 1969. After his playing days were over he returned to Maryland as an assistant coach under Bobby Ross from 1982 – 1986 and then took over the Maryland football in 2001, which was the begining of the Maryland transformation for Maryland football.

In Coach Fridgen’s first year (2001) as the Maryland Head Coach he lead the Terps to its first  ACC title in 16 years as well as earning the league’s automatic berth in the Bowl Championship Series’ FedEx Orange Bowl and was the first coach in the history of the ACC to win the conference championship in his first year as a head coach. After the magical 2001 season Coach Friedgen and the Terps never looked back as he earned several honors:

For the third consecutive year, Ralph Friedgen is on the 2025 ballot for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame!

◦ National Coach of the Year
◦ National Assistant Coach of the Year
◦ 2x ACC Coach of the Year
◦ Seven bowl games in 10 seasons
◦ One of the great… pic.twitter.com/Sv4cgWx5cf

— Cʜᴜᴄᴋ ᴅᴏᴜɢʟᴀs ✪ (@ChuckDouglas_) June 3, 2024

The University of Maryland press release for Coach Friedgen was quoted as stating “Friedgen recruited and coached some of the largest names etched in Maryland lure, including E.J. Henderson, D’Qwell Jackson, Shawne Merriman, Vernon Davis and Torrey Smith. Eighty players earned All-ACC honors under Friedgen’s direction, 37 were named All-Americans and seven were named ACC Players of the Year.Twenty-seven of Friedgen’s players at Maryland were drafted in the NFL with many, such as Henderson, Jackson, Merriman, Davis, Smith, Darrius Heyward-Bey, Nick Novak, Adam Podlesh and Josh Wilson having sustained professional careers.”

It doenst matter if you are an old school Terps fan or a younger generation Terps fan, all Terp fans have heard of the greatest football coach ever to coach at the Univeristy of Maryland and the legacy that Coach Ralph Friedgen left at Maryland. That legacy is playing out right now before our eyes, as current Maryland coach Mike Locksley who is a Freidgen coaching disciple (2001-02 as the running backs coach and recruiting coordinator) has the football program heading once again to national relevance.