Gary Williams developed a pattern to generate donations to renovate Maryland’s Cole Field House.
The former men’s basketball player turned Hall of Fame coach turned senior managing director for alumni relations and athletic development would sit down with fellow alumni and explain why the historic — and rarely used — basketball arena was the perfect option for an indoor football facility and center for sports medicine and entrepreneurship.
Williams wanted Cole Field House to reclaim its worth as a central spot on campus, he’d tell them. Plus, Maryland’s move to the Big Ten in 2014 necessitated a strong commitment to upgrading the football program.