Photo Courtesy of Ricky Podgorski
Crabcakes and football. That’s what Maryland does.
A slogan rooted in the history of the game, pulsing throughout the state. Some notable football programs want to commemorate that history through a new tradition.
The University of Maryland and Morgan State football programs held practice sessions at Hughes Stadium on campus at Morgan State, dubbing the event ‘Baltimore Day.’
“This is us paying it forward, and what a better way to do it than with the great game of football,” Maryland coach Michael Locksley said.
The event created by Locksley and Morgan State coach Damon Wilson allowed both teams to run separate practices together on the same field.
Many players from both teams are from the Baltimore area. Roman Hemby, whose hometown is Edgewood, Md., said playing in Baltimore in front of the community felt natural.
“It feels really good just to be in this area,” Hemby said. “This is a community where I feel at home, you know a lot of people here that have love and respect for me and these are a lot of people that are fans, that support us and come into our stadium week in and week out.”
Locksley and Wilson said the practices at Baltimore Day were not only great moments of the spring session, but also built a sense of unity for the state of Maryland through the game of football.
“To get both universities here, in Baltimore, I mean I think it’s a great representation of what our state is about and also what the city of Baltimore is about,” Wilson said.
Locksley, who played football at Towson University — just a few miles down the road from the city of Baltimore — appreciates the city’s support for the University of Maryland.
“One of the things that just jumps out to me is the passionate fan base we have up in Baltimore,” Locksley said. “For us, we have to do all that we can to continue to work and put a product on the field and where we can unify the state.”
Both programs will continue spring practices, as they prepare for the regular season.
A new tradition was built in the city of Baltimore, with a framework established around the passion for the game of football.
According to Wilson, Locksley and he want to continue this tradition in the future. The hope is to make Baltimore Day an annual event, celebrating the love of the game throughout the state of Maryland.
