Getty ImagesHe has lived life backward, becoming the coach at his alma mater (Maryland) before joining the pro ranks. Funk scored eight victories on the PGA Tour and has six on the Champions (Senior) Tour. One of golf's most accurate drivers, he became, at 49, the oldest ever to win The Players Championship in 2005. Two years later, he became the first to get a PGA win in Mexico.
Baltimore Sun photoThe big, blond quarterback guided the Terps to the 1983 Atlantic Coast Conference championship and a Citrus Bowl berth. En route, the left-handed Esiason passed for 355 yards (then a school record) in a comeback victory over No. 3 Auburn and its star, Bo Jackson. Esiason threw for 42 touchdowns and 6,259 yards while setting 17 Maryland records, then starred for 14 years in the pros and was voted NFL Most Valuable Player in 1988.
AP photoThe 20-year-old Paralympian from Middle River, who had both legs amputated as a child, has won more than 75 gold medals and set dozens of world records since she began competing at age 12. She took three golds at the 2004 Paralympics in Athens, and four in Beijing (2008). A year earlier, she won the Amateur Athletic Union's Sullivan Award as America's top amateur athlete, edging Michael Phelps.
Getty ImagesThe menacing linebacker is the NFL's reigning Defensive Player of the Year and the Ravens' all-time career leader in sacks (821/2). A 2003 first-round draft pick (10th overall), Suggs has played in five Pro Bowls in nine years with Baltimore. An integral part of the team's storied defense, and its best pass rusher, he finished 2011 with 14 sacks, earning first-team All-Pro honors for the first time.
Baltimore Sun photo by Richard StacksHis old maroon letterman's jacket has an "S," for Southern, where Kaline batted .488 as a senior, stole 52 bases in 53 attempts and caught the eye of the Detroit Tigers. Signed in 1953, he went straight to the major leagues where, two years later at 20, he became the youngest player to win a batting crown (.340). In 22 seasons, the Hall of Fame outfielder and 15-time All-Star had 3,007 hits and 399 home runs, and won 10 Gold Gloves.
Getty ImagesThe two-time Olympian won three medals at the 2008 Games, a silver and two bronze, while losing the 400-meter freestyle final by .07 of a second. Hoff, who grew up in Towson, trained with Michael Phelps at North Baltimore Aquatic Club and won eight gold medals in world championship events. Her 2008 world record in the 400 individual medley was later broken.
Baltimore Sun photo by Irving Phillips, Jr.He was a 6-foot-8 forward with soft hands, tensile strength and a textbook jumper. Bias, from Landover, led Maryland to the 1984 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament crown, made ACC Player of the Year twice and scored 2,149 career points -- a school record that stood for 16 years. A 1986 first-team All-American, he was the second player picked in the NBA draft. Two days later, he died from a cocaine overdose.
Baltimore SunTwo gold medals in the 1984 Olympics put her on the map. Andrews, of Annapolis, won the 100-meter backstroke by .08 of a second in a career-best time at the Games in Los Angeles — then handed her medal to her brother, who had been paralyzed in an accident. The Archbishop Keough grad added a victory in the 400-medley relay. She was a three-time NCAA champion, and an All-American, at Florida.
Getty ImagesFor eight straight years, the switch-hitting first baseman has managed at least 30 home runs and 100 RBIs. A two-time All-Star, the Mount St. Joseph graduate was runner-up for the 2009 American League Most Valuable Player award when he led the New York Yankees to the World Series title. Teixeira, who has won four Gold Gloves, was National College Player of the Year while attending Georgia Tech.
Baltimore Sun file photoHe set 28 records at Navy, led the Midshipmen to two victories over Army and quarterbacked his 9-1 team to the 1964 Cotton Bowl, losing to No. 1 Texas. The Heisman Trophy winner as a junior, Staubach completed 63 percent of his passes while in college and threw just 19 interceptions in 463 attempts. After a hitch in Vietnam, he led the Dallas Cowboys to two Super Bowl wins. He's enshrined in two (pro and college) halls of fame.
AP file photoAt Morgan State, he seldom left the field. Kelly played running back and defensive back. He punted, and returned punts and kickoffs. And he helped the Bears win a Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association title before joining the Browns in 1964. In Cleveland, he starred at running back and made the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He still holds three records at Morgan, including longest scoring run (95 yards).
File photoHe stood flat-footed at the plate, choked up on half of his 29-ounce bat and punched seeing-eye hits that made the Orioles right fielder a legend in his day. In five years with Baltimore (1894 to 1898), "Wee Willie" batted .388 (a high of .424) and led the team to three National League crowns. His 44-game hitting streak in 1897 was unmatched in the NL for 81 years. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1939.
Baltimore Sun photoPerhaps the city's best soccer player, he was selected for the U.S. Olympic team that lost in the 1952 Games in Helsinki. Raised in East Baltimore, Surock (above center) starred at Patterson and at the University of Baltimore, where he made All-American in 1951 and led the Bees to 29 consecutive victories. He is a member of the Maryland Soccer Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun photo by Walter McCardellThe Loyola College forward was the first player in college history to top 2,000 points. Lacy, whose career was interrupted by a hitch in the Navy during World War II, still holds the all-time Greyhounds record with 2,199 points -- set in 1949, before the advent of shot clocks and 3-point baskets. He also led Loyola to an upset of Seton Hall (18-0), then the nation's No. 1 team.
Baltimore Sun photo by Elizabeth MalbyAt 22, he's the NCAA and U.S. national champion at 1,500 meters, with an eye on Olympic gold this summer. Centrowitz (Broadneck High) took the bronze at the 2011 world championships, becoming the youngest American to medal in that race. A seven-time All-American, he was The Sun's 2007 Male Athlete of the Year, running the third-fastest two-mile time in schoolboy history.
Baltimore Sun photo by Andre' F. ChungHe has fished with presidents, world leaders and baseball's Ted Williams. A member of several fishing halls of fame, the Frederick-born Kreh has taught angling secrets for more than a half-century and written more than two dozen how-to fishing books. He was honored by the U.S. Postal Service with a stamp in 1991 and, last year, had a popular Baltimore County hiking trail named for him.
Baltimore Sun photo by Elizabeth MalbyHis finger-wagging testimony at the 2005 Congressional steroids hearings aside, Palmeiro had seven strong years here, hitting .284 and averaging 32 home runs and 100 RBIs. The first baseman won two Gold Gloves and made one All-Star appearance as an Oriole, en route to a stellar statistical career in which he became the fourth member of both the 500-homer and 3,000-hit clubs.
AP file photoA workhorse on the mound, and one of the game's first knuckleballers, he won 171 games during a 13-year career with the Philadelphia Athletics. In 1922 -- his second full year-- the Baltimore native won an American League-leading 27 games for a team that finished seventh (next to last). Three years later, he won 21. Rommel would help the A?s to three straight pennants (1929-1931) before becoming an AL umpire for 22 years.
Baltimore Sun file photoHe had a nasty fastball, a quick temper and the resolve to escape the coal mines in his native Lonaconing (Allegany County). Grove carved out a Hall of Fame career with the Philadelphia Athletics and Boston Red Sox, winning 300 games and two world championships (1929 and 1930). For seven straight years, he led the American League in strikeouts. Nine times, his ERA was best.
Baltimore Sun file photoNo one had been a four-time first-team All-American in lacrosse until the Johns Hopkins attackman did it in 1925 — and only three others have done it since. The Poly graduate and Lacrosse Hall of Famer also starred in football, leading the nation in place-kicking in 1923, when he kicked 15 extra points and six field goals — including two that forged a 6-6 tie with Maryland, the heavy favorite, at Baltimore Stadium.
Sun photo by William G. Hotz Sr.His ungainly jump shot won many a game down the stretch for Dunbar -- and landed Cassell in the pros for 15 years. What he lacked in talent, the 6-foot-3 guard made up for with a tenacity that earned him three NBA titles, two of them when he first joined the league with the Houston Rockets (1994 and 1995). A first-round pick from Florida State, Cassell scored nearly 16,000 career points, a 15.7 average.
Baltimore Sun photoPerhaps the best player produced by city soccer power Patterson High, Askew was a Parade All-American when he reached Essex Community College. There, in 1976, the curly-haired striker made All-American again before signing, at 19, with the Washington Diplomats as their youngest player ever. A 12-year pro, he's a member of the National Junior College Soccer Hall of Fame.
Baltimore SunIn the Bullets' early days, this Hall of Fame point guard took Baltimore to successive pro championships (1947 and 1948), becoming the first player-coach to win a league title. A deft playmaker and ballhandler, Jeannette was a four-time All-National Basketball League first-team pick. He later became coach and general manager of the modern Bullets (now Washington Wizards).
Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd FoxHe raised his right leg when he batted, as Mel Ott had -- and Baines wound up with just 10 fewer hits (2,866) than the New York Giants? Hall of Famer. A native of Easton, Baines played 22 years in the majors -- seven with the Orioles, batting .301 -- and totaled 384 home runs and 1,628 RBIs. The outfielder-designated hitter was a six-time All-Star and is a member of the Orioles' Hall of Fame.
Baltimore SunThe cornerstone of Maryland's 1953 national championship team, he led the Terps to 10 straight victories, six of them shutouts. A defensive tackle and unanimous All-American, Jones was hailed as the country's top college lineman. A pioneer in weight training, he lifted barbells and, when goaded, a half-keg of beer over his head. Jones was the first Terp enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
AP photo"Moose" anchored the Orioles' staff for a decade, winning 147 games (third most in club history) and four Gold Gloves before jumping to the New York Yankees -- a move that still irks fans here. A smart, stylish right-hander, Mussina twice won 19 games (1995 and 1996) and starred in the 1997 playoffs, going 2-0, striking out 41 batters in 29 innings and pitching to an ERA of 1.24.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.In a decade with the Orioles, Singleton, a smart, stylish outfielder, helped the team to two World Series and the 1983 championship. A three-time All-Star, the savvy and selective Singleton ranks among the Birds' most consistent hitters, three times batting .300 or better and four times hitting 20 or more home runs. He finished second and third in AL MVP balloting while in Baltimore.
File photoHe's one of a handful of athletes who belong to two national halls of fame. At Johns Hopkins, Lang starred for three national lacrosse champs (1932-1934) and made All American four times -- at three different positions. He competed for the United States in the 1932 Olympics. A Poly grad, Lang also played pro soccer for 12 years, during which he led the American Soccer League in scoring.
Sun File Photo by Ellis MalashukThe point guard known as "The Human Assist" drove Dunbar to two undefeated seasons -- and a No. 1 national ranking in 1983. At Wake Forest, the 5-foot-3 Bogues led the team in scoring and set Atlantic Coast Conference career records for assists and steals. A first-round NBA pick, he played 14 seasons there, was twice Most Valuable Player of the Charlotte Hornets and remains the shortest player ever to compete in the league.
Baltimore Sun photo by William MortimerPerhaps Baltimore's best player ever, this guard led Dunbar (34 straight wins) to its greatest victory in 1973, scoring 39 points in a defeat of DeMatha (43 straight wins). At Clemson, Wise became the first freshman to make the All-Atlantic Coast Conference first team (18.5 points per game) and then signed with the American Basketball Association's Baltimore Claws, who soon folded. Wise was later imprisoned for drug-related crimes.
Baltimore Sun file photoHe is the most successful steeplechase rider of all time, winning 440 races over a career that spanned 21 years. Fearless in the saddle, Aitcheson earned a record 40 victories in 1964 and took an unprecedented seven North American jump titles, including four straight between 1967 and 1970. The Olney native and Hall of Famer rode through injuries and once raced with a broken leg, painting his cast brown to look like a boot.
AP photoTrainers call the Hall of Famer "a tactical genius." Maryland racegoers knew it first. Prado, from Peru, plied his trade at Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course in the 1990s, when he was the state's leading jockey six times and America's top rider on three occasions. His 536 victories in 1997 are third-best in history. Still riding at 44, Prado has won more than 6,400 races, including the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes (twice).
MCT photoAt Maryland, he ranks second all-time in scoring (2,171 points) and assists (772). The 6-foot-6 Vasquez won the Bob Cousy Award as the country's top point guard and was named Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. A first-round NBA draft pick in 2010, he now plays for the New Orleans Hornets. The Venezuelan-born All-American starred at Montrose Christian School in Rockville.
Baltimore Sun photo by Monica LopossayShe has starred at all levels, from St. Frances High (All-Metro Player of the Year) to Louisville (all-time leading scorer and rebounder) to the WNBA (All-Star starter and Rookie of the Year). A three-time All-American in college, McCoughtry led Louisville to the NCAA final. The No. 1 pick in the 2009 pro draft, the forward took the Atlanta Dream to the championship series last season, scoring a WNBA Finals single-game-record 38 points in a losing cause.
Baltimore Sun file photoA pillar of Maryland's defense, he took the Terps to two bowl games and was named Most Valuable Player of the 1974 Liberty Bowl -- a 7-3 loss to Tennessee. Fast, smart and durable, the 6-foot-4 end won the Outland Trophy as the nation's best interior lineman and the Lombardi Award as the nation's top lineman or linebacker. Twice a first-team All-American, he later starred with the Dallas Cowboys and was co-MVP of the 1978 Super Bowl.
AP photoHe was the first black student to attend Mount St. Mary's College, and when he left, in 1969, Carter was the school's No. 2 all-time scorer. A third-round draft pick of the Baltimore Bullets, dubbed "Mad Dog" for his hounding defense, he played eight seasons in the NBA and made the winning jumper in the seventh game of the Bullets' celebrated 1971 Eastern Division finals victory over the New York Knicks.
Baltimore Sun photoIt's not by chance that he's the only player with three Orioles World Series rings, one for each of the team's titles. The winningest pitcher in club history, Palmer logged 268 victories and posted eight 20-win seasons in a 19-year career starting in 1965. The Hall of Fame right-hander won three Cy Young Awards and four Gold Gloves, rebounding time and again from arm woes. His 53 shutouts are a club record.
Baltimore Sun photoA fierce pass rusher at 6 feet 7 and 265 pounds, he bullied Colts opponents for five years and helped Baltimore reach two Super Bowls. Often double-teamed at defensive end, Smith made first-team All-Pro in 1971 and led poet Ogden Nash to write: "When hearing tales of Bubba Smith/You wonder is he man or myth/He?s like a hoodoo, like a hex/He?s like Tyrannosaurus Rex."
Baltimore Sun photo by Weyman SwaggerCome spring, he powered Johns Hopkins to three national lacrosse championships (1967-1969); come fall, he carried the football team, setting 15 school records in rushing, receiving and kicking. Cowan, a Hall of Fame attackman from Friends, earned first-team All-America in lacrosse three times and was named the nation's best player. He was Hopkins' first athlete to be drafted by the NFL (Baltimore Colts).
Sun file photoShe won two Olympic gold medals before she was old enough to drive. Botsford was 15, a student at Garrison Forest, when she scored at the 1996 Games in Atlanta, winning the 100-meter backstroke in a personal best time, and helping the U.S. women's relay team win the 400-meter medley. The Timonium native made first-team All-American all four years at Arizona and won an NCAA championship.
Baltimore Sun photoPerhaps the best player produced by city soccer power Patterson High, Askew was a Parade All-American when he reached Essex Community College. There, in 1976, the curly-haired striker made All-American again before signing, at 19, with the Washington Diplomats as their youngest player ever. A 12-year pro, he's a member of the National Junior College Soccer Hall of Fame.
Sun File Photo by Paul HutchinsThe winningest left-hander in Orioles history, he won 20 or more games for four straight years (1968-1971). His 1-0 shutout of the Los Angeles Dodgers clinched the 1966 World Series. A consistent, even-keeled performer, McNally won 17 consecutive decisions over two seasons, and 181 career games for Baltimore. The three-time All-Star is the only pitcher to hit a grand slam in the World Series.
Gail Burton / Associated PressHer Maryland teammates called her "The Franchise" for good reason. Langhorne was the go-to post player on the Terrapins' 2006 NCAA championship team. The school's all-time leading scorer and rebounder, she was a three-time All-American and the only player to have led the country three times in field-goal percentage. A first-round WNBA pick, she plays for the Washington Mystics.
Baltimore SunGive him a court, and a net, and he would star. A two-sport standout in college, Lucas was twice Atlantic Coast Conference singles champion in tennis and was an All-American. Basketball? The quick-handed, 6-foot-3 guard led the Terps to two Elite Eight appearances and a 92-23 mark. Twice a first-team All-American, Lucas was the first pick overall in the 1976 NBA draft and played 14 years there.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kim HairstonShe was only 16, a sophomore at Towson Catholic, when she won three medals in the 1992 Olympics. Nall, the youngest member of the U.S. women's swim team, took a gold, silver and bronze at Barcelona after setting two world records in the 200-meter breaststroke at the Olympic trials. An eight-time U.S. national champion, she's a member of the International Swimming Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun file photoHis coach, Earl Banks, put it bluntly: "The team plays as he plays." Morgan State won two Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association titles and two bowls behind Lanier, a guard and middle linebacker who twice made Small College All-American. In 1965, he led a defense that allowed 34 points in nine games for the unbeaten Bears. Lanier starred with the Kansas City Chiefs and belongs to both the pro and college halls of fame.
Baltimore Sun photoThe guard had knobby knees, a skinny frame and elbows that looked like sharpened pencils. Forget all that. Monroe's reverse spins, no-look passes and between-the-legs dribbles juiced the Baltimore Bullets, and their fans, for four seasons and carried the team to the NBA Finals in 1971. Along the way, "Earl The Pearl" earned Rookie of the Year, was named All-NBA (first team) and averaged 23.7 points.
AP photoA rare two-sport standout in the pros, he played football for three years and baseball for 15 more. Jordan (Milford Mill) was a starting safety for the Atlanta Falcons and had five interceptions. A first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals in 1988, he was an All-Star outfielder who collected more than 1,400 hits. Three times, he batted over .300; four seasons, he hit 20 homers or more.
Baltimore Sun photoThe 1970 Super Bowl-champion Colts allowed six rushing touchdowns in 17 games, thanks to their run-stuffing linebacker corps that featured "The Mad Stork." At 6 feet 7 and 215 pounds, Hendricks spent five years in Baltimore and terrorized rivals, registering 11 interceptions and 18 sacks. Enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, he played 15 years in the NFL and never missed a game.
Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton FerronHall of Fame former Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. is No. 6 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
File photo by Irving PhillipsThe hub of the Colts' attack for six years, he gained more than 1,000 yards rushing for three consecutive seasons (1975-1977) and twice led the NFL in receptions. Baltimore won three straight division titles on Mitchell's watch. The all-purpose running back from Penn State gained more than 8,000 yards from scrimmage and scored 41 touchdowns for the Colts, and he broke Lenny Moore's career rushing mark.
Baltimore Sun photo by J. Pat CarterHis gold-medal performance in the 1976 Olympics launched the celebrated career of the classy fighter from Palmer Park. Leonard won 36 of 40 pro bouts and captured world titles in five divisions, from welterweight to light heavyweight. Four times in title fights, he defeated Hall of Famers (Wilfred Benitez, Roberto Duran, Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns). Leonard entered the International Boxing Hall in 1997.
AP photoBy 20, he had won three national racing titles, competing mostly at Pimlico and Laurel race courses. In 1989, Desormeaux set a North American record with 598 victories, one of them after losing his boots in the race. He has won the Kentucky Derby three times, the Preakness twice and the Belmont Stakes once. A three-time Eclipse Award recipient, the Hall of Famer has ridden more than 5,400 winners.
Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton FerronAn all-but-certain future Hall of Famer, he anchored the Ravens' offensive line for 12 seasons, carved holes for runners such as Jamal Lewis, and protected the slew of quarterbacks who played here during his era. The club's initial draft pick in 1996, the 6-foot-9 Ogden carried Baltimore to a Super Bowl victory, made first-team All-Pro four times and was named to 11 successive Pro Bowls at left tackle.
Baltimore Sun photoThe first jockey to win 500 races in a year, Hawley did it while riding in Maryland. In December 1973 at Laurel Race Course, the 24-year-old Canadian broke Bill Shoemaker's record of 485 victories, which had stood for 20 years. A week later, on the same track, he won No. 500 and finished the year with 515. The Hall of Famer (6,449 wins) twice won the prestigious D.C. International at Laurel.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamIn his three seasons here, he twice led the Orioles in hitting. The team made the playoffs both times (1996-1997). A Hall of Fame second baseman, Alomar won two Gold Gloves with Baltimore and made three All-Star appearances, earning MVP in the 1998 game. He batted a lofty .312 for the Orioles but was assailed by fans, and suspended five games, for spitting in the face of umpire John Hirschbeck.
Baltimore Sun file photoHis first mount finished last, in 1974. But by year's end, the 19-year-old McCarron had won 546 races, a North American record that stood for 15 years, while riding at Pimlico and Laurel race courses and Bowie Race Track. When he retired nearly three decades later, the popular Hall of Fame jockey had 7,141 victories, including six Triple Crown races, placing him sixth all-time -- with earnings of almost $264 million (third).
MCT photoA dominant competitor with an unparalleled work ethic, she's a three-time mountain bike national champion who hopes to compete in this year's Olympics in London. Gould, 32, grew up in Baltimore, attended Roland Park Country and turned to off-road racing only in 2004. Four years later, in Beijing, she placed eighth in the grueling cross-country mountain bike event.
Baltimore Sun photo by George CookFormer Baltimore Colts quarterback Johnny Unitas is No. 2 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Baltimore Sun photo by Richard ChildressOne of America's top endurance athletes, this Baltimore native is the only person to complete 20 consecutive Ironman Triathlons in Hawaii -- an event that consists of a 2.4-mile swim, a 112-mile bicycle ride and a 26.2-mile run across lava fields. Brooks (St. Paul's) twice finished third among women, in 1981 and 1982. She is a member of the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.Star Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis is No. 5 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Sun file photoA bulwark on Maryland's mythic teams of the early 1950s, this All-America defensive tackle led the Terps to their only undefeated (10-0) season in 1951 -- and a Sugar Bowl victory over No. 1 Tennessee. Nicknamed "Little Mo" (older brother Ed, also on the team, was "Big Mo"), Modzelewski won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top college lineman and went on to play 14 years in the NFL.
Baltimore SunColts fans remember "Mad Dog" for two things: (1) the pass Curtis intercepted with a minute left that set up Baltimore's winning field goal in Super Bowl V, and (2) the tackle that the two-time All-Pro linebacker made on a fan who ran onto the field to swipe the ball during a 1971 game. Curtis, from Rockville, anchored Baltimore's defense for 11 years and played in four Pro Bowls.
Baltimore Sun photo by Doug KapustinOf the 14 mountains that poke almost five miles into the sky, Warner has reached the top of five -- two of them solo. The Annapolis resident led a 2001 expedition to the summit of Mount Everest and helped rescue others on the descent. Warner's exploits have been documented in National Geographic Adventure and on NBC and the Outdoor Life Network.
Baltimore Sun photoFor a while, College Park was home to the world's best high hurdler. At Maryland, Nehemiah twice smashed the world record in the 110-meter hurdles in 1979, won three NCAA titles and four national championships. A five-time All-American, "Skeets" was the first to break 13 seconds in the event (12.93). The USA Track & Field Hall of Famer was denied a shot at the gold medal in the 1980 Olympics because of the U.S. boycott.
AP file photoFans called the running back from Frederick "The Spin Doctor" for his moves. He gained nearly 10,000 yards and scored 76 touchdowns in the pros. Five straight times, with the Minnesota Vikings, Foreman made the Pro Bowl, including 1973 when he was NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. Twice, he led the league in TDs; once, in receptions. He played in three Super Bowls and was NFC Player of the Year in 1974.
Getty ImagesOlympic swimmer Michael Phelps is No. 7 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Baltimore Sun file photoHe stood out from his teammates at Maryland. Urso was married, had a mustache and a 100 mph shot that set the career record for goals (127) by a Terps midfielder. A four-time first-team All-American (one of four in NCAA history), he led the school to two national titles: in 1973, when he scored the winning goal in overtime in the championship game, and 1975, when the Hall of Famer scored five times in the finals and earned Player of the Year.
Baltimore SunA Dunbar star in the 1960s, where he took the school to a Maryland Scholastic Association title, Kelly attended Bay College, where he led the nation in junior college scoring (40 points per game) and assists (13). A 6-foot-1 guard, he moved on to Wheeling Jesuit College, where, in two years, he scored more than 1,300 points and became a National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics All-American.
Baltimore Sun photo by Paul HutchinsHe led DeMatha in Hyattsville to 43 victories in a row before it lost to Baltimore's Dunbar in 1973. Dantley went on to Notre Dame, where three years later he made National College Player of the Year and led the U.S. Olympic team to gold in Montreal. A Hall of Famer, the guard-forward was named NBA Rookie of the Year, twice led the league in scoring, played in six All-Star games and retired with a 24.3-point average.
Baltimore Sun photoThe windmill dunk. The kangaroo leap. The shattered backboards. That was Johnson, a prototype for today's power forwards who played nine seasons for the Baltimore Bullets (1963-64 to 1971-72) and led them to three division titles. "Honeycomb," who stood 6 feet 6, averaged 17.1 points and 12.7 rebounds in 10 NBA seasons and made the All-Star team five times. He's a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamThe 6-foot-3 All-America forward-center is one of three Maryland players to have her number retired. The Terps won three Atlantic Coast Conference titles with Bullett, and reached the NCAA semifinals in 1989. She finished as the school?s all-time leader in points (1,928) and rebounds (986). A two-time Olympian (bronze and gold), she played six seasons in the WNBA and is a 2011 inductee of the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun photo by Pat CarterHe grew 6 inches in college, better to carry Navy on his shoulders. The Midshipmen went 76-17 with Robinson, the 7-foot-1 center who took them to three NCAA tournaments, including the Elite Eight in 1986. The All-American averaged 28.2 points as a senior, when he led the nation in blocked shots and was college Player of the Year. His pro career with the San Antonio Spurs featured two NBA titles and a Most Valuable Player award.
Baltimore Sun photo by Carl D. HarrisFormer Baltimore Bullets center Wes Unseld is No. 10 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.His jersey hangs at Comcast Center, a nod to Booth's Maryland career. The All-America guard averaged 14 points and seven rebounds while taking the Terps to four NCAA tournaments and two Sweet 16s. A first-round pro pick, he played two seasons for the Chicago Bulls, NBA champions his rookie year. Booth prepped at Dunbar and led the Poets to a 29-0 mark and No. 1 national ranking.
Baltimore Sun file photoBefore he took the floor in the House of Representatives, the 6-foot-11 forward starred on the hardwood at Maryland. McMillen helped the Terps run the table in the 1972 National Invitation Tournament, winning Most Valuable Player honors. Three times an All-American, he averaged 20.5 points (still a school record) and 9.8 rebounds for the Terps. He played on the 1972 Olympic runners-up, was a Rhodes scholar and spent 11 years in the pros.
Baltimore Sun photoHis 34-ounce bat hangs in Cooperstown, a keepsake from the unprecedented day in 1961 when the Orioles? slugger mashed two grand slams in consecutive innings. That year, ?Diamond Jim? Gentile hit .302, with 46 homers (five grand slams) and 141 RBIs. A six-time All-Star in Baltimore, he used his whiplike swing to turn the Orioles into legitimate pennant contenders in the early 1960s.
Baltimore SunA fanatical work ethic made him one of the NFL's fabled split ends. Though myopic and slow, Berry caught a then-league-record 631 passes for the Colts at a time when defenders could punish would-be receivers. Johnny Unitas' star target, he ran crafty routes and had a championship-record 12 catches in Baltimore's 1958 sudden-death victory over the New York Giants. In 13 seasons, Berry fumbled once.
AP photoA deadly shooter, he was a three-time first-team All-American at Johns Hopkins and starred on the school's national title teams of 2005 and 2007. A midfielder from Gaithersburg, Rabil played best at crunch time, scoring a school-record 51 points in the NCAA playoffs. World-record holder of the game's fastest shot (111 mph), he has twice been Major League Lacrosse Most Valuable Player with the Boston Cannons.
Baltimore Sun photoBig, strong and fast, he was the prototype for the modern linebacker. Except that Lipscomb played defensive tackle for one of the great Baltimore Colts teams. At 6 feet 6 and 305 pounds, he menaced rivals for five seasons here and made first-team All-Pro in 1958 and 1959, leading the Colts to world championships both years. Lipscomb died of a heroin overdose in 1963.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.No other Oriole hit 50 home runs in one summer, as Anderson did in 1996 for the playoff-bound Birds. In 14 years here, the stylish outfielder played in three All-Star Games and earned a reputation as the best leadoff hitter in club history. A native of Silver Spring, he is one of two players (with Barry Bonds) ever to have both a 50-homer season and a 50-steal season during his career.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.The fifth-leading NFL scorer of all time, this place-kicker carried the offense-challenged Ravens during their 2000 Super Bowl run. Stover scored every point for five straight games, made 35 of 39 field-goal attempts that season and booted two more in the title game. The Ravens' career scoring leader (1,464 points), he kicked 12 game-winning field goals here and ranks No. 10 all-time in accuracy in the NFL.
Baltimore Sun photo by Leroy MerrikenBabe Ruth is No. 1 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Baltimore Sun photoThe Orioles rode to the 1979 World Series behind Flanagan, a gutsy left-hander with a sweeping curve and a devastating sinker. He went 23-9, pitched five shutouts and won the American League Cy Young Award. In 15 years here, he won 141 games, a world championship and the respect of a city that watched him pitch through pain. Flanagan died in 2011 of a self-inflicted gunshot.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.Football didn't cut it for the former Morgan State fullback. So Thorpe took up golf, honed his game at Forest Park and Mount Pleasant and, in 1972, turned pro. He won three times on the PGA Tour and, at 63, has taken 13 events on the Champions (Senior) Tour, defeating, among others, Tom Watson and Tom Kite. Thorpe served a year in prison (2010) for tax evasion and continues to compete.
Evening Sun photoThe kid from Govans had a line-drive set shot and a passion for playing defense that made him a star at Maryland and in the pros. Twice an All-American for the Terps, Shue set career scoring records in 1954 that stood for 20 years. A first-round NBA draft pick, third overall, he played guard for a decade in the league, made the All-Star team five times and once scored 45 points against the dynastic Celtics at Boston Garden.
Baltimore Sun photo by John MakelyDundalk's contribution to tenpins, Wiseman has won 12 titles on the Professional Bowlers Association Tour, including the prestigious 2004 USBC Masters in Milwaukee. His first victory came in his first TV appearance, in Baltimore. Known for his loud shirts with flames and skull-and-crossbones, the 44-year-old right-hander has rolled 41 PBA 300 games.
Baltimore Sun photo by Hans MarxAs a Maryland sophomore, he christened Byrd Stadium, scoring the first touchdown there in 1950. Scarbath would blossom into an All-America quarterback and Heisman Trophy runner-up who led the Terps to a 28-13 Sugar Bowl upset of No. 1 Tennessee in January 1952. The Poly grad set nine school records at Maryland, scored 35 TDs, won 24 of 29 games and was a No. 1 draft pick of the Washington Redskins, third overall.
AP photoHe was 16 when he entered Morgan State, a 6-foot-3, 220-pound tackle and the youngest player ever to dress for the Bears. By graduation in 1953, Brown was a two-time All-American and a three-time All-Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association choice. A 27th-round draft pick by the New York Giants, the Pro Football Hall of Famer played 13 NFL seasons, made first-team All-Pro six times and was Lineman of the Year in 1956.
AP photoA two-time heavyweight champion, "The Rock" stunned the boxing world when, as a 20-to-1 underdog, he floored Lennox Lewis, the champ, with one punch in 2001. Ring Magazine tabbed it "The Upset of the Year." Seven months later, the Baltimore-born Rahman lost the crown, then regained it briefly in 2005. At 39, with 50 victories in 60 fights, he continues to box.
Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton FerronA two-time Olympic medalist, he won the gold in the 400-meter relay at the 2000 Games in Sydney and the silver at 200 meters four years later in Athens. The sprinter from Carver High also struck gold at 100 meters at the 1999 Pan American Games and took a gold and a silver at two world championships. An All-American at Florida, Williams won the NCAA 100-meter championship. (Williams is pictured with Shawn Crawford, who's holding him up from behind.)
Baltimore Sun photo by William HotzThe eight-time Gold Glove winner patrolled center field for more than 12 years here, for some of the Orioles' best teams. Only Brooks Robinson has won more defensive accolades for the Birds. Blair also starred offensively in two World Series: his 430-foot home run won Game 3 against the Los Angeles Dodgers in the Orioles' sweep in 1966, and he hit a team-high .474 against the Cincinnati Reds in 1970.
Baltimore Sun photo by Elizabeth MalbyThe Ravens' No. 1 pick in 2000, fifth overall, Lewis hit the ground running. The explosive running back gained 1,660 all-purpose yards during Baltimore's march to the Super Bowl, where he rushed for 103 more and scored a touchdown. In seven years here, Lewis ran for nearly 4 1/2 miles -- including 2,066 yards in 2003, second-best in NFL history, earning him first-team All-Pro and Offensive Player of the Year.
Baltimore Sun photo by Richard PrzbylowskiThe skinny swingman out of Dunbar led the Poets to 60 consecutive wins and two undefeated seasons. As a freshman at Georgetown, Williams scored 19 points in the Hoyas' victory over Houston in the 1984 NCAA championship game. Nicknamed "Silk" for his smooth moves, he scored 23.6 points per game as a senior, was a first-round NBA draft pick (fourth overall) and averaged 12.5 points in 10 pro seasons.
Baltimore SunHe lost his first 27 amateur bouts, but Jeffra kept on slugging. The Hall of Fame fighter from Pigtown, in South Baltimore, captured the world bantamweight title in 1937, then advanced to the featherweight ranks and won that crown three years later. Both were 15-round decisions. Of his 120 pro fights, Jeffra won 94, with 28 knockouts. He later coached boxing at Western Maryland College (now McDaniel).
Getty ImagesConsider the accolades already bestowed on the 23-year-old player who grew up in Seat Pleasant. He was 2007 National College Player of the Year at Texas (the first freshman to win the award), was 2008 NBA Rookie of the Year and is a two-time league scoring champion (26.2 career average). Durant, a 6-foot-9 forward, was Most Valuable Player of this year's NBA All-Star Game.
Baltimore Sun photo by Algerina PernaHe won eight national championships in one-design classes and served as tactician aboard Ted Turner's Courageous, which defeated Australia for the 1977 America's Cup. A two-time college Sailor of the Year, the Annapolis resident was enshrined in the National Sailing Hall of Fame in 2011. Jobson has written 15 books on sailing and won an Emmy for Olympic coverage.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamTwenty years later, the 6-foot-8 swingman still holds Maryland's season scoring record, having totaled 776 points (a 26.8 average) as a senior in 1991-92. That year, Williams scored 30 or more points in seven straight Atlantic Coast Conference games. He is credited with saving the program's credibility by remaining at Maryland after it was slapped with sanctions after his sophomore year. He was the seventh overall pick in the NBA draft.
Baltimore SunThe 6-foot-11 Hall of Fame center (pictured with Bailey Howell, left, and Gus Johnson, right) starred for Baltimore's fledgling Bullets after their move in 1963 from Chicago, where he had been the NBA's overall No. 1 draft pick. For three years, "The Big Bell" powered the Bullets, averaging 26 points and 16 rebounds and leading the team to the Eastern Division finals in its second year here.
Baltimore SunA two-time first-team All American, he led Towson (14-1) to the 1974 College Division national championship. Darcangelo, a midfielder, twice earned national Player of the Year honors. After college, he led the Maryland Lacrosse Club to the 1979 national title with a five-goal spree in the championship, winning club Player of the Year. The Hall of Famer also captained the U.S. team in the World Games.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamHers was a storybook career at Maryland. There, Adams -- a three-time National Player of the Year and a three-time first-team All-American -- led the Terps to four NCAA crowns and two undefeated seasons. Twice named Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year (2000 and 2001), Adams, who played attack, remains the NCAA career leader in points (445). She coaches at Loyola University Maryland.
Baltimore Sun photoThe Hall of Fame shortstop played five years for the Orioles, where he won the only championship of his 18-year career. That year (1966) he won a Gold Glove -- his second with the Birds -- and finished second in the American League in hits (182). With Brooks Robinson, Aparicio formed the "Leather Curtain" on the left side of the infield. During the '66 pennant run, he had three five-hit games.
Baltimore Sun photoNearly 40 years later, many of the Morgan State records set by "The Human Eraser" have yet to be rubbed out. The 7-foot-1 center starred at Edmondson, then took Morgan to the 1974 NCAA Division II title, earning D-II Player of the Year. One game, he blocked 13 shots; another, he had 32 rebounds. A first-round NBA and American Basketball Association draft pick, he played 10 years in the pros and led Seattle to the NBA Finals in 1978.
Baltimore Sun photo by Jed KirschbaumHow good a clutch hitter was the Orioles' first baseman? The Detroit Tigers once walked him with the bases loaded. The American League Rookie of the Year in 1977, Murray played 12 1/2 seasons with the Orioles, during which he topped .300 five times and hit 343 home runs. He's one of four players -- and the only switch-hitter -- with at least 3,000 hits and 500 homers. He was a shoo-in Hall of Famer in 2003, as fans chanted "Ed-die!" one more time.
Baltimore Sun file photoThe turn-of-the-century fighter, considered the greatest lightweight ever, grew up on Argyle Avenue in Baltimore to be the first black American world champion. A crafty, scientific boxer, Gans held the title from 1902 to 1908, once defending his crown with a 42-round win. He scored 145 victories, with 100 knockouts and only 10 losses. A member of two boxing halls of fame, he died of tuberculosis in 1910.
Baltimore SunThe best and most flamboyant wrestler to come from Baltimore, Chiapparelli (pictured right with brother Louis) won a 1987 NCAA championship and three Big Ten titles with Iowa. There, his daring and aggressive style earned him the nickname "The Baltimore Butcher." He also won a U.S. freestyle national championship in 1989 and a National Prep title and three MSA crowns while attending Mount St. Joseph.
Baltimore Sun file photoStatistically, no one tops Sullivan, the state's all-time college scoring leader from Mount St. Mary's in the 1950s. A 6-foot-4 forward, he scored 2,672 points -- 403 more than Maryland's Juan Dixon (second place). Named a first-team Small College All-American, Sullivan still holds the NCAA Division II tournament record for scoring (137 points) in leading the Mount to the 1957 Final Four.
Mike Buscher / Special to The Baltimore SunThe 5-foot-2 attacker paced Maryland to two national championships (2008 and 2010) and won a Honda Award as the country's best college player. Her final year, O'Donnell led the nation in points (98) and assists (34). A three-time first-team All-American, she scored seven game-winning goals as a senior and is only the third player in NCAA history with 300 career points.
Baltimore Sun file photoFormer Baltimore Colts offensive lineman Jim Parker is No. 9 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes.
Baltimore Sun photo by Doug KapustinMaryland's all-time points leader, the 6-foot-3 guard carried the team to its first NCAA championship in 2002 and was voted Final Four Most Valuable Player. Dixon, from Calvert Hall, led the Terps to 110 victories over four years, while scoring 2,269 points. As a senior, he was named first-team All-American and Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. A first-round pro pick, he averaged 8.4 points in a seven-year NBA career.
Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton FerronThe Ravens' ball-hawking game-changer, Reed has scored 13 career touchdowns on everything from interceptions to blocked punts to fumbles and punt returns. A first-round draft choice in 2002, Reed was named NFL Defensive Player of the Year in his third season. The free-wheeling, eight-time Pro Bowl safety leads active players in picks (57), eight in the postseason. His longest interception return -- 107 yards -- is a league record.
Baltimore Sun photoHe was 19, a skinny kid from Loyola High when he quarterbacked Notre Dame's football team to a 10-0 season and the national title in 1949. Williams, a two-time All-American, broke the school's passing records and still ranks No. 2 in passing efficiency (single season) for the Fighting Irish. A first-round draft choice, he played three years for the Chicago Bears.
Baltimore SunHe was the modern Orioles' first power hitter, a swarthy fan favorite whose 30 home runs in 1958 tied the American League mark for catchers. A four-time All-Star, Triandos caught -- and homered in -- the Orioles' first no-hitter, Hoyt Wilhelm's 1-0 victory over the New York Yankees. He introduced the oversized mitt used to chase Wilhelm's knuckleballs. Triandos is one of three Orioles to have a street named for him here.
Baltimore Sun photoThis three-time, first-team All-American carried Johns Hopkins to its first NCAA title in 1974, scoring three goals in the championship game against Maryland. A Hall of Famer, Thomas was twice named the country's outstanding college attackman and still ranks fourth in Hopkins' scoring all time. At Towson High, he twice led the state in scoring.
Photo by Jonathan DanielThe Ravens' No. 1 draft pick in 1997, the All-America linebacker lived up to the hype. Boulware earned NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, made All-Pro two seasons later, played in four Pro Bowls and ranks No. 2 all time here with 70 sacks. He starred for Baltimore's 2000 Super Bowl champions and is a member of the Ravens' Ring of Honor.
Baltimore SunThe former Terrapin is Maryland's entry in the World Golf Hall of Fame. A savvy putter, Beman won two U.S. Amateur championships, the British Amateur and five PGA Tour titles. He competed on four U.S. Walker Cup teams, pairing with Jack Nicklaus to win the event in 1961. Beman, from Bethesda, later became commissioner of the PGA Tour and a golf-course architect.
Baltimore SunWas he the greatest stickman ever? Led by the 5-foot-9 Lewis, Navy won three straight national championships (1964 through 1966) and never lost a game against a college team. For three years, the Hall of Famer led the Midshipmen in scoring, each time winning the Turnbull Award as the nation's best attackman. In soccer, he led Navy to the 1964 NCAA title, scoring the game's only goal in the final against Michigan State.
File photoHe died at 27, of cardiac arrest, on the court. The Boston Celtics' No. 1 draft pick in 1987, Lewis had starred at both Dunbar, unbeaten in his junior and senior years, and Northeastern, where the 6-foot-7 swingman set career scoring marks and led the school to four America East Conference titles and NCAA tournament showings. In six NBA seasons, he averaged 17.6 points and became both an All-Star and the Celtics' captain.
Baltimore Sun photo by Karl Merton FerronThe guard made the biggest shot in Maryland women's history, a 3-pointer that sent the 2006 NCAA title game into overtime, where the Terps won their first championship. Then a freshman, Toliver (with coach Brenda Frese, left) went on to make first-team All-American and break the Atlantic Coast Conference single-season record for assists, which had stood for 28 years. The third pick overall in the WNBA draft, she plays for the Los Angeles Sparks.
Baltimore Sun photo by Gene Sweeney Jr.He chain-smoked, gorged on pizza and guzzled beer on the sly. But Stamenkovic (above, right) was the greatest player in Blast history -- a four-time MISL All-Star who carried Baltimore to its 1983-84 championship. Called "The Magician" for his ball-handling acumen, the stocky forward played six years here, none better than that title season when he was Most Valuable Player of the league and led it in scoring (34 goals, 63 assists).
AP photoThe first black pitcher to win a World Series game, the 28-year-old rookie spun a six-hitter as the Brooklyn Dodgers beat the New York Yankees, 4-2, in the 1952 Series opener. Black attended Morgan State, earning Negro College All America honors in football. He also starred for the Baltimore Elite Giants before joining Brooklyn, where he went 15-4 with 15 saves and won National League Rookie of the Year.
Baltimore SunThe queen of duckpins, the Baltimore native was crowned national champion 13 times between 1947 and 1968. Carrying a 128-pin average at her peak, when pins were made of wood, Barger set 15 world records, won three U.S. Classics and took The Evening Sun (Baltimore city) championship 12 times. She's a charter member of the Duckpin Hall of Fame.
AP file photoFormer Orioles third baseman Brooks Robinson is No. 3 on The Sun's list of the Top 175 Maryland athletes. Pictured above, Robinson leaps across the infield to congratulate Dave McNally and Andy Etchebarren after the final out against the Dodgers in the 1966 World Series.
Sun file photoHe can spin a good yarn, as his 10 appearances on David Letterman's talk show suggest. But the defensive tackle backed words with deeds in 10 years with the Colts. Strong, smart and quick for his weight (270 to 300 pounds), Donovan earned All-NFL honors four times (1954 through 1957), made five Pro Bowls and helped Baltimore to championships in 1958 and 1959. He was the first Colt enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame (1968).
Bain News Service photoHe was 21 when he won the bantamweight championship of the world in 1914. A third-round knockout earned the title for Williams, ?The Baltimore Tiger,? a ferocious battler despite his small (5-foot-1) frame. A devastating body puncher, he defended the crown for three years and lost just 17 of 202 career bouts. Named to the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1996.
AP file photoThe rebounding records he set at Maryland nearly 40 years ago remain -- a credit to the 6-foot-9 Elmore, the Terps' standout center. On a team stocked with All-Americans (Tom McMillen and John Lucas were the others), Elmore ruled inside, blocking shots and grabbing rebounds (1,053 career, 12.2 per game). As a senior, he had 22 double doubles. A first-round pro pick, he played 10 years and also earned a Harvard law degree.
Baltimore SunAn All-America end at Notre Dame, he set pass-catching records there that stood for more than three decades. Joe Theismann's favorite receiver, Gatewood was the nation's second-leading receiver as a junior and captained the Irish in 1971. In high school, he led City College to four Maryland Scholastic Association championships. He played two years with the New York Giants.
Sun file photoHis coach at Maryland, Lefty Driesell, called Williams "my horse." Though just 6 feet 8, the Terps' rugged center routinely outmuscled taller players, such as Ralph Sampson, Virginia's 7-4, three-time National Player of the Year. Twice, Williams led the Atlantic Coast Conference in rebounding, earning All-America honors as well as a berth on the 1980 Olympic team. He left college early and played 17 seasons in the NBA.
Baltimore Sun photoFour times, he was the nation's leading rider, including three straight years (1956-1958). A Gilman grad, Smithwick (left) won nearly 400 races over 20 years — including three American Grand Nationals — before suffering a broken neck in competition, ending his career. A member of the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame, he is the second-winningest steeplechase rider of all time.
Baltimore Sun photo by Christopher T. AssafHere's the skinny on Hiller: Maryland's No. 2 all-time leading scorer, she was twice NCAA Division I Player of the Year. She was a four-time All-American in lacrosse, and once in soccer. She led the Terrapins to back-to-back national championships and, in 1996, was named Atlantic Coast Conference Female Athlete of the Year Last spring, Hiller coached Northwestern past Maryland, 8-7, in the NCAA final.
Baltimore Sun photo by Doug KapustinThe Terrapins' all-time leading scorer, he is the only player in the history of men's lacrosse at Maryland to twice earn Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. A four-time All-American, Walters finished with 153 goals and 227 points, leading the Terps in scoring for an unprecedented four years. Named the country's top attackman in 2006, he was the first player picked in the Major League Lacrosse draft.
Baltimore Sun photo by Richard StacksThe consummate pass rusher, he was strong enough to cast off blockers and quick enough to evade them. Named the greatest defensive end of the NFL's first half-century, Marchetti played 13 years with the Colts and captained them to back-to-back championships (1958 and 1959). Seven times, he made first-team All-Pro. Rugged play aside, the Hall of Famer was never flagged for a 15-yard penalty.
Baltimore Sun photo by Kenneth K. LamThere's a "WB" tattoo on his left shoulder, a nod to the West Baltimore neighborhood where he polished the jump shot that has made him a five-time NBA All-Star. Anthony, a 6-foot-8 forward from Towson Catholic, played one year at Syracuse and led it to the 2002-03 NCAA championship before turning pro. The third pick in the draft, he has averaged 24.7 points a game and now plays for the New York Knicks.
Baltimore SunThis University of Maryland student won an Olympic gold medal in shooting (small-bore rifle, prone, 50 meters) at the 1948 Games in London. Cook, who'd begun shooting as a Boy Scout, set a world record by scoring 599 of a possible 600 points. At 20, he was the youngest American to take the gold in rifle, a record that stood for 60 years.
File photoBrash and belligerent, the third baseman was poster boy for the Orioles' plucky three-time National League champs of the 1890s. Later a Hall of Fame manager, McGraw shaved his bat for bunting, spit tobacco juice in umpires' faces and tripped runners rounding third. In 11 seasons here, he batted .336, with a high of .391. Sidelined by typhoid much of 1896, he returned in August, hit .325 and led the Orioles on a 16-2 run that clinched the pennant.
AP photoShe medaled in three successive Olympics, a feat unsurpassed in the history of U.S. women's gymnastics. In Atlanta, in 1996, Dawes became the first female black American gymnast to win both a gold (team championship) and an individual medal (bronze in floor exercise). The Silver Spring native also totaled three silvers in world championships and 15 golds in the U.S. Senior Nationals.
Baltimore Sun photo by Paul HutchinsHe ran with a mercurial elegance unmatched in his day. The Hall of Famer gained 12,451 yards in 12 seasons with the Colts, taking them to NFL championships in 1958 and 1959. Moore was Rookie of the Year, Player of the Year and Comeback Player of the Year. "Spats" had at least one touchdown in 18 straight games (a league record) and is the only player to score at least 40 TDs both rushing and receiving.
Getty Images for NASCARThe modern-day Evel Knievel has accumulated 16 gold medals in X Games competition in motocross, supercross, rally racing and freestyle motocross. Pastrana, born in Annapolis, was the first in motocross history to nail a double back flip. Last year, he became the first stunt performer to be inducted into the Maryland State Athletic Hall of Fame.
Baltimore Sun photoBefore he put barbecue in Oriole Park, he led the Birds to World Series titles in 1966 and 1970 - when his 35 home runs and 114 RBIs made him American League Most Valuable Player. In 14 seasons here, Powell hit 303 homers, third best in Orioles history. He's one of five players to have cleared the roof at Chicago's Comiskey Park. His ninth-inning blast in Game 1 of the 1969 AL Championship Series against Minnesota tied the score and helped the Birds sweep the series.
Walter McCardell / Baltimore SunHe arrived on the Orioles' doorstep in December 1968 in a ho-hum trade, an aging pitcher seen as past his prime. In his first three years, the crafty left-hander won 67 games and led the Birds to back-to-back-to-back World Series appearances. The team's first Cy Young Award winner, Cuellar spent eight years in Baltimore, winning 20 or more games four times and pitching 133 complete games and 30 shutouts.
Baltimore Sun photoBaltimore's top draft pick in 1973 (second overall), he lifted the Colts from the post-Johnny Unitas abyss, leading them to three consecutive AFC East championships from 1975 to 1977. Three times in his nine years here, Jones passed for more than 3,000 yards, including 1976 when he was the NFL's Most Valuable Player. Two years earlier, he set a league record by completing 17 consecutive passes.
Baltimore Sun photo by William KlenderOf Navy's first Heisman Trophy winner, Sports Illustrated wrote, "He runs like a berserk butterfly." Though 5 feet 9, Bellino starred in two victories over Army and led the Midshipmen to a 9-2 finish in 1960, when No. 4 Navy lost to Missouri in the Orange Bowl. A first-team All-American, the halfback set 15 team records and was the nation's No. 2 scorer as a senior (110 points).
Baltimore Sun photoBrute strength earned Keller his nickname with the New York Yankees, whom the outfielder helped win three World Series. A rookie on the 1939 team considered the best in baseball, he batted third, ahead of Joe DiMaggio. A Middletown native and Maryland alumnus, Keller played 13 years, batting .286. A five-time All-Star, he hit 30 or more homers three times, despite nagging injuries.
Harry How / Getty ImagesOne of the elite skateboarders in the world for the past two decades, Lasek has won 14 Summer X Games medals, including six gold, six silver and two bronze. At 39, the Dundalk native owns the record for the highest score ever (98.5) in X Games skateboarding vert competition. He's also the only one to complete a stunt known as a MacKenzie.
File photoHe peaked as a junior at Maryland, making first-team All-American and winning Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. King graced the cover of Sports Illustrated twice that season. The No. 3 all-time leading scorer for the Terps (2,058 points), the 6-foot-6 guard-forward averaged 17 1/2 points a game and had his jersey retired before his first-round selection by the New Jersey Nets in the 1981 draft.
Sun photo by Doug KapustinThe sixth-year pro from Baltimore is currently the Memphis Grizzlies' top scorer (19 points per game). A former first-round draft pick, Gay made the 2007 NBA All-Rookie team after a stellar two years at Connecticut, where he won National Freshman of the Year and second-team All-American honors. At Archbishop Spalding, he was a McDonald's All-American and The Sun's Co-Player of the Year.
Baltimore Sun photoBig, strong and explosive afoot, he was the prototype of the modern tight end. Of Mackey's 38 touchdown catches, 13 were for 50 yards or more. His nine years with the Colts netted three conference crowns and a Super Bowl in 1971, a game in which the Hall of Fame receiver caught a 75-yard touchdown pass. Three times All-NFL, he caught 331 passes and made the league's 50th anniversary team while still a player.
Baltimore Sun photo by Lloyd FoxAt the U.S. championships in 2005, the Towson native wowed the skating world by completing a triple axel -- the first U.S. woman to accomplish that since Tonya Harding, 14 years earlier -- on her way to a bronze medal. Meissner took silver the next year, which sent her to the 2006 Olympics, where she finished sixth. Weeks later, she won the world title and, in 2007, she was crowned U.S. champion.
Baltimore Sun photo by David HobbyShe twice won the Honda Award -- field hockey's answer to the Heisman Trophy -- while leading Maryland to back-to-back NCAA championships (2005-2006). Infante was a four-time first-team All American, only the second Terrapin in any sport so named. As a sophomore, she set an NCAA tournament record, scoring 10 points in one game. She's now captain of the Chilean national team.
Baltimore Sun photo by David HobbyThe three-time first-team All-America defenseman helped Johns Hopkins to the NCAA championship in 1987 and, two years later, nearly did the same. With his team trailing 13-12 in the title game, Pietramala stripped Syracuse star Gary Gait of the ball with 25 seconds left, but Hopkins failed to score. A Hall of Famer, "Petro" was named college's top player in 1989 and is now the Blue Jays' coach.
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He has lived life backward, becoming the coach at his alma mater (Maryland) before joining the pro ranks. Funk scored eight victories on the PGA Tour and has six on the Champions (Senior) Tour. One of golf's most accurate drivers, he became, at 49, the oldest ever to win The Players Championship in 2005. Two years later, he became the first to get a PGA win in Mexico.
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, the former Orioles Hall of Famer, has been linked to an investigation by federal authorities in a wide-ranging insider trading case that already has ensnared teammate Doug DeCinces, according to a Reuters report.
Investigators have been trying to determine whether Murray traded on inside information that Abbott Laboratories was about to announce a deal to acquire Advanced Medical Optics for $2.8 billion in 2009, according to the Reuters report. He has not been charged with a crime.
DeCinces agreed to pay $2.5 million in fines to the Securities and Exchange Commission in August 2011 as the result of a civil suit. Murray and DeCinces played together on the Orioles from 1977 to 1981, and both are Los Angeles-area natives.
But Murray’s attorney downplayed the report, calling it “old news.” Michael J. Proctor, of Caldwell Leslie & Proctor in Los Angeles, said, “The government prosecutors investigated this in 2009 and have done nothing.
is a great man, an honorable man, who has conducted his affairs ethically,”
A spokesman for the SEC noted Wednesday that the agency’s announcement about the DeCinces fine stated that the investigation was continuing. The spokesman had no further comment.
Attempts to reach Murray, who last worked in baseball as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2007, were unsuccessful. He is scheduled to return to Baltimore in August, when his statue is dedicated at Camden Yards.
An Orioles spokesperson said the team would not comment on the issue.
DeCinces, best known for replacing
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at third base and hitting the home run credited with igniting “Oriole Magic” was the largest of four investors targeted by the SEC in last year’s civil suit.
Acting upon a tip from a source involved with the transaction, he bought at least 83,700 shares of Advanced Medical Optics in the weeks before the merger, according to the SEC. On the day the deal was announced, Advanced Medical Optics’ stock rose from $12.65 per share to $21.50, an increase of 143 percent, and DeCinces made a profit of $1,282,691 on his shares, the SEC said.
According to the civil suit, DeCinces also looped at least three friends — physical therapist Joseph J. Donohue, lawyer Fred Scott Jackson and businessman Roger A. Wittenbach — in on the plan. They made more than $430,000 in profits. All four agreed to a settlement without admitting or denying that they had acted improperly.
Reuters did not report how many shares in Advanced Medical Optics Murray allegedly purchased, or when any transactions occurred.
Word of his possible involvement surfaced almost two years ago. The Los Angeles Daily Journal reported that a grand jury was investigating the matter, and that prosecutors believed Murray had been tipped off to the impending deal by DeCinces. The trade publication for lawyers did not report on Murray’s level of involvement and said that sources were unsure of whether criminal charges would be filed.
Murray spent the first 12 seasons of his career with the Orioles. He was named Rookie of the Year as a 21-year-old in 1977, when he hit 27 home runs and .283 while quickly proving to be one of the top switch hitters in the game. He was runner-up in American League MVP voting in 1983, when the Orioles beat the Philadelphia Phillies to win the World Series.
As an Oriole, he played in seven All-Star games and finished in the top five for MVP voting five times.
He was traded in December 1988 to the Dodgers for Juan Bell, Brian Holton and Ken Howell but returned to play 64 games for the 1996 Orioles team that lost to the Yankees in the American League Championship Series.
The Orioles announced earlier this year they would honor the club’s six Hall of Fame players with statues in a picnic grove near center field. He entered Cooperstown in 2003 after hitting 504 home runs and batting .287 over 21 years. He is one of only four major leaguers with 500 home runs and 3,000 hits (Hank Aaron, Willie Mays and former Oriole Rafael Palmeiro are the others).
Murray, 56, was recently honored by The Baltimore Sun on its list of the top 175 athletes with ties to the area; he was No. 11.
The eighth of 12 children, Murray grew up in a three-bedroom house in Los Angeles and often practiced in Watts. He was described by classmates as “square” in high school, and would later be known for his quiet demeanor as a pro.
A quiet star whose best days were wedged between the
and Cal Ripken eras, Murray’s relationship with Baltimore fans was often strained. But the crowd of 30,000 gathered to hear his Hall of Fame speech showed large specks of orange and black, and Murray acknowledged them.
He donated the funds for the Carrie Murray Nature Center — named for his mother — in Leakin Park and once underwrote an exhibit at the
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