Gary Williams returned to his alma mater in 1989 to lead the basketball program from a period of troubled times to an era of national prominence.

With 14 NCAA Tournament berths in his last 17 seasons, seven Sweet Sixteen appearances, a pair of consecutive Final Four showings, and the 2002 National Championship, Williams and his staff forged more than a decade of dominance in college basketball’s most storied and competitive conference.

After leading the Terrapins to the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season title in 2010, Williams was voted the league’s Coach of the Year by the Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association. It was his second such award, as he was also honored in 2002.

With 668 career victories, Williams is the 5th-winningest active head coach in NCAA Division I men’s basketball. Williams was one of only five coaches to boast a string of 11 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament from 1994-2004.

Williams was heralded as the national and Atlantic Coast Conference Coach of the Year during the Terps’ 2002 championship run. He is one of just 11 active coaches in America to boast a national title and one of only three in the conference. He is the third-winningest coach in ACC history after transforming the Maryland program into one of the nation’s most formidable. Previously, Williams coached the American Eagles (1978-1982), the Boston College Eagles (1982-1986) and Ohio State Buckeyes (1986-1989).

On January 26, 2012, Maryland honored Williams by renaming the playing surface at the XFINITY Center “Gary Willams Court.”

Adam Silver is an American lawyer and the commissioner of the National Basketball Association. He has held this post since February 1, 2014.

Before joining the NBA, he served as a litigation associate at Cravath, Swaine & Moore, a law firm in New York, and worked as a law clerk to Judge Kimba Wood, a federal judge for the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York. Silver was named 2015 Executive of the Year by Sports Business Journal. That year he was also named one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People and one of Fortune’s 50 Greatest Leaders.

In 2014, he was named the Sports Illustrated Executive of the Year and was ranked number one on Sports Business Journal’s list of the 50 Most Influential People in Sports Business.

As of July 1, 2015, Silver serves on Duke University’s Board of Trustees. He also serves on the board of the Lustgarten Pancreatic Cancer Foundation and New York Road Runners.

Jason William Simontacchi is the pitching coach for the St. Louis Cardinals affiliated Minor League Baseball team the Peoria Chiefs. He was a starting pitcher for four years in Major League Baseball from 2002-2004 and 2007. He pitched in the minors from 1996-1999 and from 2001-2004, in the minor league organizations of the Kansas City Royals (1996-1997), Pittsburgh Pirates (1999), Minnesota Twins (2001), and St. Louis Cardinals (2002-2004), where he made his major league debut. He finished his pitching career in the independent leagues in 2008 and 2010.

John Skorupan is a former American football linebacker in the National Football League for the Buffalo Bills and New York Giants. He played college football at Penn State University and was drafted in the sixth round of the 1973 NFL Draft. He is notable for being the last player to play right outside linebacker for the Giants before Lawrence Taylor took over for the next 13 seasons.

Albert J. “A.J.” Smith began his career in semi-professional football with the Attleboro Kings of the Eastern football League. He was inducted into the American Football Association’s Minor/Semi-Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990.

Smith served as the executive vice president and general manager of the NFL’s San Diego Chargers. He was a part-time scout, full-time scout, assistant director of scouting, director of scouting and assistant general manager before being promoted to general manager of the Chargers. Smith directed the Chargers to five AFC West division titles and eight consecutive seasons without a losing record.

Smith is a former NFL football player who played for the Baltimore Colts and the New York Giants. He played college football at Auburn University where he was awarded the Outland Trophy in 1958. His banner, along with four other Auburn greats (Bo Jackson, Pat Sullivan, Tracy Rocker and Carlos Rogers) is hanging outside Jordan-Hare Stadium in his honor. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 1959 NFL Draft.

Soltau’s all around athletic versatility was developed as a youth growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, where he excelled in many sports: football, baseball, track, even hockey and skiing. Being inspired by University of Minnesota All-American halfback George Frank, Gordy gravitated towards football. During the middle of World War II when Gordy graduated from high school he enlisted in the United States Navy and was part of the Navy’s first class of frogmen (The Navy Seals today) specializing in underwater demolition.

Coming out of the Navy in 1945, Gordy enrolled in University of Minnesota. Under his role model football coach, Bernie Bierman, Gordy developed into a talented receiver, place kicker and learned the skills to also be a threat on defense. Gordy Soltau became one of the school’s legendary football figures. He was named to the “All Big Ten” team. He played in the Hula Bowl, the East-West Shrine game and on the college all stars team that beat the champion Philadelphia Eagles in 1950. He made the Minnesota Hall of Fame and the Duluth Hall of Fame.

It was 1950, and the San Francisco 49ers were starting their first year in the NFL when Gordy Soltau was hired by Coach Buck Shaw as a wide receiver and place kicker. The prior season the 49ers had played in the All-American Conference. Shaw’s job was to field a team that could compete with the longer and well established teams in the NFL, like the Los Angeles Rams. Gordy filled the bill in two areas as he was both a place kicker and wide receiver as well as could play offense and defense. Gordy was the 27th draft pick out of the University of Minnesota, chosen by the Green Bay Packers who traded him right away to the Cleveland Browns, who in turn dealt him to the 49ers. In 1952 and 1953 he led the NFL in scoring. During his nine seasons as a 49er he led the team in scoring with 644 points, 25 touchdowns, and 70 field goals. He was All-Pro in 1952, 1953, and 1954.

Off the field Gordy was a pioneer in advancing benefits for NFL football players. He was the first player representative for the 49ers. Word got around that players were meeting and wanted to establish a dialogue with the owners. This was the beginning of a players’ association.

Gordy retired from the 49ers in 1959 and soon was inducted into The Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. He then spent ten years as a color commentator with Bob Fouts at CBS television. His next job was five years at KSFO with Lon Simmons.

Jack Spikes is a former American collegiate and professional football running back and placekicker. He played in the American Football League for the Dallas Texans, Kansas City Chiefs, Houston Oilers and the Buffalo Bills. He played college football at Texas Christian University.

Standlee was a NFL running back who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the NFL. He was drafted out of StanfordUniversity by the Chicago Bears in 1941. He paid immediate dividends by finishing fourth in the league in rushing with a total of 414 yards and second in average per carry with 5.1. He helped the Chicago Bears to the league championship title over the New York Giants that year before serving in the armed forces in World War II.

Phi Delta Theta Sports Hall of Fame Inductee

Jim Steeg graduated from Miami University in 1972 with a degree in Political Science & Accounting. In 1975, he obtained a Master’s degree in Business from Wake Forest University. That year, he applied to every U.S. pro sports team and was hired by the Miami Dolphins.

In 1979, Brother Steeg joined the National Football League Office in New York City. He spent the next 25 years becoming known as the individual solely responsible for growing the Super Bowl into the most popular one-day sporting event in the world.

As Senior Vice President, Special Events Jim oversaw the first jumbo-tron at a football game, first celebrity national anthem, first major halftime act, and created virtually every other facet of the modern Super Bowl celebration. Brother Steeg also oversaw and catapulted the success of the NFL Pro Bowl, NFL Draft, NFL Post Season, NFL Kickoff Weeks and all League television events.

In 2000, Brother Steeg organized all elements of ‘Pro Football’s Greatest Reunion’ at the NFL Hall of Fame. He managed the last two NFL expansion drafts in 1999 and 2002, resulting in two new teams. In 2004, Jim became the Executive Vice President and COO of the San Diego Chargers. During his tenure, every game sold out.

Today, Brother Steeg consults and manages organizations on stadium operations and structure, marketing/fan programs and fan enhancement. He managed the 2014 NHL Stadium Series games in Chicago & Los Angeles and assisted in the organization of the USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Basketball Game in 2012.

Brother Steeg is an inducted member of the DeMolay Hall of Fame, an international premier youth leadership organization. He was also inducted into the inaugural class of the Special Events Hall of Fame.

At Phi Delta Theta’s General Convention in 2016, Steeg was inducted into the Fraternity’s Sports Hall of Fame.