Maryland Terrapins football under Jim Tatum
From 1947 to 1955, Jim Tatum served as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team, which represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football. Maryland hired Tatum to replace Clark Shaughnessy after the 1946 season. Tatum had created both success and controversy during his one season as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. During his nine-year tenure, Tatum became one of the most successful head football coaches in Maryland history, and the Terrapins compiled two national championships, three conference championships, and five bowl game appearances. His teams compiled a 73–15–4 record without a single losing season, and as of the end of 2016, he has the highest winning percentage of any Maryland football coach who coached at least seven games. In 1954, the University of Maryland appointed a new president, Dr. Wilson Elkins, who chose to de-emphasize football. Following the 1955 season, Tatum took a pay cut to coach at his alma mater, North Carolina, and he died four years later.
John Tillman (lacrosse)
In his first season at Maryland, Tillman's Terrapins finished with a 13–5 record, the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship, and as national runners-up after a loss to Virginia in the NCAA championship game. Tillman inherited an experienced squad with 17 seniors from one of the highest ranked 2007 recruiting classes. Rather than overhaul the team, Tillman made minor adjustments to terminology and refocused the defensive scheme from man-to-man match-ups to team containment. During the postseason, Tillman remained in contact with his two predecessors at Maryland. He discussed his players and their personalities with former coach Dave Cottle, whom he invited to address the team after the regular season in which they lost to four underdog opponents. Tillman also consulted with Hall of Fame inductee Dick Edell, who led Maryland to three finishes as national runners-up. Edell, whose teams lost the championship game in 1995, 1997, and 1998 said, "I will counsel people on the semifinals. I don't have a useful thing to say about the final."