Terrapin Club

Because of incorrect information supplied by the university, the number of basketball season-ticket holders who are not members of the Terrapin Club was wrong in Wednesday's editions. The correct number is 350.The Sun regrets the error.

COLLEGE PARK - The University of Maryland held back letters of intent to high-school recruits of three sports - men's swimming, women's swimming, and women's water polo - an indication that those teams have showed up with others on a list of sports recommended for elimination, multiple school officials said. While no final decisions have been made on cutting sports, officials said between three and 10 teams are endangered after showing up on the list compiled by a president's commission studying remedies to severe athletics budget issues that have been years in the making.

After the news conference at which Joe Krivak announced his resignation, Gib Romaine stood outside Byrd Stadium looking distraught. Now director of the Terrapin Club, Romaine was once a Terps assistant football coach."

It's not hard to determine what consistently sells tickets to University of Maryland sporting events: winning teams. But speakers at a sparsely-attended Maryland forum said Monday that the university also needs to better address fans' concerns by creating more football tailgating options around Byrd Stadium, making games more family-friendly, curbing profanity at Comcast Center basketball games and continuing to push Maryland's "brand" in the...

The University of Maryland has instituted a new season-ticket policy for next basketball season. Anyone interested in buying season tickets first must pay at least $100 to join the Terrapin Club, Maryland's athletic booster organization."

At the office of the Terrapin Club, the athletic booster organization of the University of Maryland, College Park, the fax machine started humming Monday morning. It hasn't stopped since. "People were lined up outside the door when we got here on Monday," said Andrew Plenn, the club's executive director. "I haven't seen anything like it in my 10 years." These weren't just people buying tickets to the Final Four; they were also people joining the Terrapin Club or upgrading memberships to ensure access to tickets.

Because of incorrect information supplied by the university, the number of basketball season-ticket holders who are not members of the Terrapin Club was wrong in Wednesday's editions. The correct number is 350.The Sun regrets the error.In Wednesday's editions, a caption incorrectly stated the number of general admission tickets available to University of Maryland students for basketball games. The correct number is 4,000.* The Sun regrets the error.With two consecutive seasons in the NCAA tournament Sweet 16, Maryland has returned to college basketball prominence.

Andy Geiger, the University of Maryland's athletic director, said yesterday that one answer to his department's multimillion-dollar deficit may be to focus on greatly expanding membership in the Terrapin Club.Geiger said the sports booster organization needs to more than triple its rolls, from its current 3,200 members to more than 10,000."We've got to go out and ask," Geiger said, referring to the ways that new members could be recruited. "It is not a quick thing. You've got to build confidence and respect.

About 600 Terrapin basketball season ticket holders were told this week that they would probably have to donate more - in some cases hundreds of dollars more - to the University of Maryland's athletic program by Tuesday or risk not having a seat at the arena that will open in the fall. "I love basketball. I'm from Indiana. But it strikes me as something is not quite right with this," Alan Armstrong of Columbia said. Armstrong has purchased season tickets for nine years and donated at least $125 annually to the Terrapin Club booster group for many of those years.

Seven years of loyalty mean little at Maryland In 1995, being a fan of college basketball, I decided to try to buy season tickets for Maryland basketball. I went to College Park, where I was informed that I would have to join the Terrapin Club to apply for season tickets. I did so, even though I am a graduate of Loyola College in Baltimore. I paid the membership cost, which I recall was about $50. In future years, it would increase and is now $125 annually. This membership puts me on the mailing list for offers to buy season tickets to football, lacrosse and women's basketball games, as well as Hall of Fame dinners and the like at College Park.

Chris Knoche and Keith Neff were with Gary Williams on Wednesday night at a Terrapin Club function in Columbia. The mood was upbeat, despite the news that sophomore star Jordan Williams had signed with an agent and was making himself eligible for the NBA draft. At no time did Williams give any indication of his sudden retirement plans to Knoche, who played for Williams at American and has been the radio analyst on Maryland games for the past 11 years. The same was true for Neff, one of Williams' closest friends since he came back to College Park in 1989.

Longtime Maryland supporters and one of the program's biggest former stars seem to be willing to give the Terps' new football coach, Randy Edsall, a chance. Yet many of them remained angry on Monday at the manner in which first-year athletic director Kevin Anderson got rid of former coach Ralph Friedgen, and some are disappointed that the Terps made what was considered a safe hire in the 52-year-old Edsall. They would have preferred to take a chance on resurrecting former Texas Tech coach Mike Leach's successful yet controversial career.

Kevin Anderson's Maryland athletic director contract is for five years at $401,015 annually, but it contains a provision that could potentially keep him at the university much longer, according to a copy of the document obtained Tuesday. The contract says the five-year term shall be automatically extended each Sept. 30 by one year unless either party -- Anderson or Maryland -- "informs the other in writing that ... it does not want to extend this contract for an additional year.

Dr. Erwin S. Raffel, a dental periodontist who had headed the University of Maryland Terrapin Club and was active in other charities, died of a heart attack Sept. 13 at Sinai Hospital. He was 75 and lived in Brooklandville. Born in Baltimore and raised on Labyrinth Road, he was a 1952 City College graduate. He earned a bachelor of science degree from the University of Maryland, College Park and graduated from the Baltimore College of Dental Surgery, now part of the University of Maryland.

Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow is expected to be named the next athletic director at N.C. State, two Maryland athletic officials said Thursday night. Yow was expected to be at N.C. State Friday. "I can tell you things are going to happen fast," said one Maryland official who declined to be named because no public announcement has yet been made. "She's expected to be offered the job. As far as I know, contracts have not been signed." Earlier, Yow said in an e-mail to the Baltimore Sun that she "decided to visit on campus with the search committee at N.C. State.

Maryland athletic director Debbie Yow, who has held the position since 1994, is expected to be named the next athletic director at N.C. State, two Maryland athletic officials said Thursday night. Yow was scheduled to be on N.C. State's campus Friday. "She's expected to be offered the job," said one Maryland official, who declined to be named because no public announcement has been made. Earlier, Yow said in an e-mail to The Baltimore Sun that she "decided to visit on campus with the search committee at N.C. State.

Terrapin Club honors loyalty, aids athletes While Alan Armstrong may contend that something is not quite right with the Comcast Center seating policy ("Full-court press on Terps tickets," April 27), he needs to know the policy was recommended by a committee consisting of Terrapin Club members from all giving levels, M Club members, Maryland alumni, faculty, staff and fans. The goals of the committee were: To maintain positive, trusting relationships with donors, faculty, staff and students by honoring loyalty to the program while recognizing those who make sizable donations.

The slim, white-haired man is one of the most familiar figures in our state, yet he moves unobtrusively around the athletic scene at the University of Maryland. Maybe he creates more of a stir when he's smoking his familiar pipe.He is Marvin Mandel, who was governor of Maryland from 1969 to 1977 and is now president of the university's Terrapin Club.The Terrapin Club raises most of the scholarship money for Terp athletes. Last year, its 3,500 members raised $1.5 million.All presidents of the club have helped raise revenue.

Maryland football coach Ralph Friedgen survived a threat to his job and now faces the formidable task of turning a 2-10 team into a Top 25 program and deciding whether to leave his staff intact for next season. There was more relief than joy as Friedgen, 62, described receiving a phone call at 9 a.m. Tuesday from athletic director Debbie Yow, with whom he met Sunday and Monday to discuss his future as the team's coach and how to move forward. "She said to me, 'Are you ready to move on?

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The Maryland Terrapins on Saturday relinquished the lead during the final minute of a 29-26 loss to Florida State - the latest in a string of six straight losses that have raised questions about coach Ralph Friedgen's future with the team. As of late Saturday, Friedgen had not heard from athletic director Deborah Yow about his status - but he was aware of rising speculation that he could be fired, said his attorney, Jack Reale. However, Yow did contact a member of the football program and said she wanted to meet with the team Monday, according to a source close to the situation.