Friedgen and football staff pump out “players for life.”

by Michael Hoffman

Darrius Heyward-Bey had already gotten the magic phone call from Oakland Raiders head coach Tom Cable telling him he was the team’s first-round selection and the No. 8 overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft. But the star Maryland wide receiver didn’t believe it until his name scrolled across the TV screen in his house and his family exploded in cheers.

Maybe Heyward-Bey, a lightning-fast athlete who racked up 45 catches, 694 yards and five touchdowns last year, shouldn’t have been surprised. He joins 36 other Terrapins who were listed on NFL rosters as of press time. In fact, head coach Ralph Friedgen’s team has produced the 13th-highest number of current NFL players of any college, according to an NFL database. Some of college football’s elite, including Virginia Tech and Alabama, trail Maryland.

Maryland players are going beyond just making NFL teams, too; they’re leaders. D’Qwell Jackson registered 150 tackles last season to lead the Cleveland Browns, and Shaun Hill beat out a former No. 1 draft pick this preseason to win the starting quarterback position for the San Francisco 49ers. Minnesota Vikings middle linebacker E.J. Henderson ’02 directs one of the NFL’s most-feared defenses, which includes his brother and fellow alumnus Erin Henderson, as well as safety Madieu Williams ’03.

“I think Maryland is very underrated. Every year we have somebody go in the first round. Every year we have four or five guys get drafted. Not only do we get drafted, we do well in the NFL,” Heyward-Bey says.

The coaching staff says it’s all about the players, but former players point to Friedgen ’70, M.A. ’72 and his staff ’s guidance on—and off—the field as the secret to their success. Whether it’s the pro-style schemes employed by the staff, the rigorous strength and conditioning program or the coach’s dedication to developing his players into men, former players say they have an advantage.

“When I got to the NFL, I knew it was going to be tough but Coach Friedgen really got us ready and once I got past the shock of, ‘I’m in the NFL,’ I realized it was a lot like what we did at Maryland every day,” says former Maryland tight end Joey Haynos ’07, who now plays for the Miami Dolphins.

Friedgen himself spent time coaching in the NFL. He was an assistant with San Diego when the Chargers lost to the 49ers in Super Bowl XXIX. That experience has helped Friedgen prepare players to make the jump to the pros, but it also gives him credibility when NFL scouts ask about his players.

“He’s spent so many years in the NFL that when Ralph puts his stamp on a player, you know it is legitimate,” says Bobby DePaul ’86, senior director of pro personnel for the Chicago Bears and a former Terps linebacker.

Haynos said his exposure to Friedgen’s complex offense made it easier to learn the different offensive schemes and elaborate NFL playbooks. It also helps Maryland Players get drafted because NFL scouts know they can make the transition faster, DePaul says.

Friedgen says some players have come back and even told him his practices were tougher: “Many of them have remarked to me that it is easier in the NFL than it is playing for us.” His strength and conditioning coach, Dwight Galt M.A. ’89, trains all Maryland Players on NFL combine events such as the 40-yard dash, vertical jump and bench press from the first year they arrive on campus.

Much has been made about how well Maryland Players, including Heyward-Bey and tight end Vernon Davis, now with the 49ers, performed in the combine.

“The strength program by Dwight Galt definitely has gotten me ready for the physical aspect of the NFL,” says defensive lineman Jeremy Navarre ’09, who plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Galt, who has spent 21 years at Maryland, says this latest run of Terrapins going pro is special—and he doesn’t expect it to slow down.

“We have some really good football players coming to Maryland, and we are also doing a better job of getting them ready to make that jump,” Galt says.

Well before then, Friedgen sets out to develop “players for life.” When recruiting, he talks up the school rather than the football team or its potential to send athletes to the NFL. During senior quarterback Chris Turner’s recruiting visit, Friedgen says he stressed internship opportunities in nearby Washington, D.C., just as much as his passing drills.

“I think Maryland is very underrated. Every year we have somebody go in the first round. Every year we have four or five guys get drafted. Not only do we get drafted, we do well in the NFL.”
—HEYWARD-BEY

“A lot of our competitors, that’s all they sell is the NFL,” Friedgen says. “If I was a parent of a player, I would run so far away from that school. I would rather talk to our players or recruits about the fact that this decision is about the next 40 years of their life.”

Once players arrive in at Maryland, Friedgen demands those who skip class run stairs in Byrd Stadium. He and his wife, Gloria M.A. ’73, reward players with the highest class attendance rates and GPAs with dinner at their home. Gloria, a former biology teacher who works as alumni and outreach coordinator in the School of Public Health, also tutors players.

“What we do is really try to develop a family atmosphere with the team right from the start,” Gloria Friedgen says.

“Ralph looks for high-quality individuals, and it’s great to see how they mature over time. Some move to the NFL, which is great, too, but we want to see all players succeed in life.” TERP

Capital One Field at Byrd Stadium, Maryland's home for football, wrapped up a two-year renovation this summer. For more on the changes to Tyser Tower, new suites and expanded amenities, click here.

“VAULT” HOLDS TERPS FOOTBALL HISTORY

A new book by a Maryland alumnus, sportswriter and devoted Terps football fan chronicles the team’s history, from the first game in 1892 to its successes under coach Ralph Friedgen today.

John McNamara ’83 uses words, historic photos and replicas of rare memorabilia to create a vivid scrapbook of sorts titled “The University of Maryland Football Vault: The History of the Terrapins.”

“The book was a very personal undertaking,” says McNamara, who covers the Terps at The Capital newspaper in Annapolis. “I have followed Maryland football—first as a fan, then as a journalist—for the last 35 years. Many of the players mentioned were people I watched, interviewed and got to know. I even met my wife, also a Maryland journalism student at the time, after a Maryland-North Carolina football game in 1981.”

He combines stories about legends including Harry C. “Curley” Byrd 1908, Jack Scarbath ’54, Jerry Claiborne, Boomer Esiason ’84 and E.J. Henderson ’02 with materials drawn from Maryland’s athletics department and archives. Johnny Holliday, longtime radio play-byplay announcer, wrote the foreword and Friedgen provided the afterword. -LB

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