Story Behind University of Maryland Football Print

As a lifelong fan of University of Maryland sports, in 2001 I was caught up in the amazing accomplishments of the football team. The stunning turnaround was orchestrated by Ralph Friedgen, in his first year as a head coach.

The phrase I like to use is that coach Friedgen brought a "Lombardian Aura" to College Park. I don't have another way to describe it. Maryland hadn't been to a major Bowl game in 25 years. Over the years, as games would fall apart, I'd sit in the Byrd Stadium stands thinking that it would take the miracle of a Bill Parcells or Vince Lombardi to resurrect the dismal program.

Well, in Ralph Friedgen, it appears the University of Maryland may have gotten just that! Under his guidance, the Terps' success was so instantaneous, it seemed unbelievable to all of us whom embrace the program. I've been involved with football for most of my life, and know full well that you can't walk into a bleak program and win 10 games with smoke & mirrors. To me, 2001 defined Friedgen as a truly great coach.

Without question, we all have memories we wish we could go back to. Perhaps the best part of my job is that I have the ability to recapture timeless moments in sports. With our new coach, the ACC Championship and trip to the Orange Bowl, 2001 Maryland football was truly a season for the ages and one to remember.

My goal was to chronicle not only the highlight plays, but also try to project the spirit and excitement of a football Saturday in College Park, Maryland.

The first element to consider was that it is college football, played on a storied American campus. I wanted to include the University's most identifiable building, and my lengthy survey concluded that it was Memorial Chapel. Even if you've never been on campus, it's clearly noticeable. Thousands of cars drive right past it, in all its glory, every day on US Route One.

From a compositional standpoint, I try to envision 10- 20 years down the road. Meaning, regardless of where you'll be in the world, what elements should be included to remind fans and alumni of the 2001 Terp football season and a game at Byrd Stadium?

College football is laced with tradition and pageantry, and I thought it was important to show a bit of "everything" which makes college football so spectacular. To me, this meant including a reference towards the marching band, female cheerleaders and Testudo, the UM mascot. In addition, a representation of Byrd Stadium was required, so I chose the familiar press box, called Tyser Tower. I also thought it would be cool to show the guys charging out of the Gossett Football Team House (the brick building you always see behind the goal posts.) Maybe unfamiliar to you, there's a bronze turtle - also named Testudo - atop a brick stanchion just behind the end zone which the players tap for good luck on their way to combat.

Other elements of the painting show coach Friedgen serenading the student section with the UM fight song at Byrd following victory. We all know it now: "...M-A-R-Y-L-A-N-D, Maryland Will Win!" It's a new tradition which will hopefully be sung at every home game again this year!

Behind coach Friedgen there's pandemonium on the field and goal posts being torn down following the Clemson night game. From the upper left I've shown RB Bruce Perry, the ACC Offensive Player of the Year; below him Linebacker, E.J. Henderson, the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and a 1st Team All American. Number 14 is sensational QB Shaun Hill.

In the middle, you get a "2 for 1": Against Georgia Tech in a Thursday night game, Nick Novak first drilled a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the game. Then, a few plays later he kicked the game winning FG in OverTime to keep the Terps undefeated. You can choose which field goal I painted.

To the middle-right is Guilian Gary snagging that thrilling last-minute TD catch at the corner pylon vs. NC State. This win captured the undisputed ACC Championship for Maryland.

The bottom-right is an inference to the Terps' astonishing achievement of making it to an ultra-coveted Bowl Championship Series game. Although they came up short to Florida in the Orange Bowl, the University of Maryland was the envy of hundreds of major schools in making it to this level.

Finally, there's Ralph Friedgen as the centerpiece of the painting. His efforts and skill were rewarded after the season when he was selected as the consensus National Coach of the Year.

I hope you find my rendition of Maryland Football 2001 worthy of displaying in your home or workplace. This particular image is important because it's my belief that in the future, Maryland fans will look back on 2001 as the year it all began:

- The arrival of Ralph Friedgen, 10 victories and the ACC Championship - the first school to win it outright since national powerhouse Florida State entered the league in 1989. The Terps won all 7 home games and played in their first major Bowl in 25 years.

This painting took about 2 months to complete and the original is worth over $10,000.00. In commemoration of the ACC Championship and Orange Bowl year, it was reproduced into a limited edition of 2,002 prints. It is now available to you as an offset lithograph for only $89.00.

The image size is 19" x 26" and it's printed on 80 lb., museum-quality acid free paper. Each print is pencil signed and numbered.

*There is a limited reserve of 300 prints which have been autographed by coach Ralph Friedgen.

Prints are available framed and unframed and are ready for immediate shipment. (Prints are professionally framed in a triple-mat scheme and stylish cherry wood moulding.) Satisfaction Guaranteed.