"I was standing beside him on the court during the presentation and he kind of nudged me and said, `Look at those fans and that spirit. Isn't it just wonderful?'" said Baltimore County Executive James T. Smith.
"He has legitimized scholastics and has promoted the idea that it's cool to study and to be smart. But he also has a tremendous appreciation for the complete student. And his excitement and enthusiasm for Saturday's victory is indicative of his overall commitment toward the complete student," Smith said.
Yesterday afternoon, Hrabowski addressed the basketball team during an informal send-off to Raleigh. Then he headed to Philadelphia, where he was to speak at Haverford College about preparing students for postgraduate education.
"Success in athletics is not fundamentally incompatible with an emphasis on serious academics, or vice versa," said R. Sanders Williams, senior vice chancellor for academic affairs at Duke University School of Medicine. "Freeman, I believe, emphasizes to his students that they should not allow their interest or participation in sports to become their self- defining element."
Sure enough, when people congratulate him on the team, Hrabowski is often quick to point out the players' classroom accomplishments.
"One of the top players on the team, Brian Hodges, graduated with a 3.5 in three years of eligibility and is currently working on his master's in economics," Hrabowski said. "It's great for children to see him as an example that they can be great in basketball and in mathematics."
During Saturday's game, Hrabowski coughed from a cold and was hoarse from another UMBC sports thriller, a men's triple-overtime lacrosse victory Friday night over national power Maryland.
At times, the normally garrulous president sought to stay in the background and relish the moment quietly, yet that proved improbable. During a raucous pre-game ceremony, he was ushered to the podium to lead the crowd in chanting the school's rallying cry. And he did, cracked voice and all.
"U-M!" he yelled.
"B-C!" they responded.
"One, two, three!"
"Go big dogs!"
The ovation continued as he left the podium.
"Imagine me," he said softly. "A cheerleader."
joseph.burris@baltsun.com
Freeman A. Hrabowski III
Born: Birmingham, Ala.
Age: 57
Family: wife, Jacqueline Coleman; son, Eric
Education: bachelor's degree in mathematics at Hampton Institute (now Hampton University), 1970; master's in mathematics and doctorate in higher education administration/statistics, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 1975
Career: president, University of Maryland, Baltimore County since May 1992; co-wrote Beating the Odds and Overcoming the Odds, books focused on parenting and on black achievers in science
