100 Seasons by the Decade

The University of Maryland men’s basketball team’s 73–67 win over Delaware on Tuesday night wasn’t just its fifth straight season-opening “W.” It was also a victorious beginning to UMD’s 100th varsity season.

The Terps took the court for their first full season in 1910–11, back when the University of Maryland was still known as Maryland Agricultural College and the senior class totaled 20 students, then sporadically fielded teams before returning to stay in 1923–24.

Since then, they’ve had 59 NBA draft picks (including 19 first-rounders), two Naismith Hall of Fame coaches and 27 NCAA Tournament appearances, with 14 trips to the Sweet 16, four to the Elite Eight and, of course, the 2002 national championship.

Take a stroll down memory lane with the images below from each decade of Maryland hoops, and follow along all season with the hashtag #Terps100.

The Terps want to hear from you. Visit here to vote for the winner of UMD basketball’s Best Moments Bracket, share your favorite fan story and read others from around the world, or download special 100th season wallpapers for your computer, tablet or phone.

First Varsity Team 1910 1911 1920x1080 0

1931 Southern Conference Mens Basketball Champions Bosey Berger 1080

University of Maryland mens basketball team in a game against Boston College at Madison Square Garden March 1958 1920x1080

Billy Jones University of Maryland 1968 1080

Lefty Driesell Len Elmore and John Lucas during a basketball game 1975 1080

Gary Williams on the sidelines with basketball players and coaches 1994 1080

11 12 17 Turgeon on the sideline with current NBA player Atlanta Hawks Kevin Huerter 1920x1080

1910s

1920s

1930s

1940s

1950s

1960s

1970s

1980s

1990s

2000s

2010s

Maryland’s first varsity team in 1910–11 sported plain black jerseys, high socks and shorts with belts.

The shorts got shorter the following decade, as shown here by versatile reserve players “Trinkle” Troxell and Joe Burger and forward Mike Stevens in 1925.

The Terps, featuring Louis “Bosey” Burger, their first All-American, won the 1931 Southern Conference Tournament, their first conference championship. The coach back then was Burton Shipley, a 1914 graduate who also coached the Maryland baseball team from 1924–60.

Jack Flynn handles the ball during the 1945 season. Flynn, a 1991 University of Maryland Athletics Hall of Fame inductee, led the Southern Conference in scoring that season.

UMD takes on Boston College in its first NCAA Tournament appearance on March 11, 1958, at Madison Square Garden. The Terps won, 86–63.

Billy Jones leaps for the ball in a 1968 game vs. West Virginia. Jones was the first African-American to earn a basketball scholarship in the Atlantic Coast Conference, breaking the league’s color barrier.

Head coach Lefty Driesell, who was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame earlier this year, huddles with future NBA players John Lucas and Len Elmore during a 1975 game.

Maryland basketball legend Len Bias, who set 15 school records and led the Terps to four NCAA Tournaments, shoots during a 1984 game vs. Duke. Bias was selected second overall in the 1986 NBA draft before his death two days later.

Head coach Gary Williams ’68 directs the Terps from the sidelines in a 1994 game. From that year to 2004, the Naismith Hall of Famer, who played at Maryland from 1964–67 and coached from 1989–2011, led UMD to the NCAA Tournament each season, including the ’02 national championship.

The Terps defeated Indiana, 64–52, at the Georgia Dome on April 1, 2002, for their first NCAA national championship.

Current UMD head coach Mark Turgeon stands on the sidelines with guard Kevin Huerter during a game on Nov. 12, 2017. Huerter was drafted 19th overall by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA draft.

University Archives is working to digitize more than 1,200 film reels and 2,800 videotapes of men's basketball footage from 1953–2014. A LaunchUMD campaign began this week to raise $500,000 for the effort. Find out how you can help preserve Terps basketball history here.