Every school has their own unique landmarks and traditions that they follow religiously. Each new freshman learns these traditions upon entering their first year of college and beings to follow them just as devotedly as everyone else. On the University of Maryland campus, the traditions that students have followed for years are in abundance and are taken very seriously.
There are many different athletic traditions that students at the University of Maryland know well after only a short time at the school. During basketball games there is the infamous fans’ newspaper shaking. During home games, the students attending the game pretend to read the paper as the visiting team is announced.
However, the biggest athletic tradition on campus is Maryland’s Midnight Madness. Midnight Madness was created by Charles “Lefty” Driesell, Maryland’s men’s basketball coach from 1969 to 1986
It was created in 1970, when at midnight on the first official day of team practice, Driesell had the players take laps around the track of what used to enclose the field at Byrd Stadium. This tradition has escalated to a highly anticipated event consisting of fireworks and even laser shows. It had become such a well=known tradition that it is covered by local and national press.
Andrew Lefkowitz, a junior accounting and finance major, has always enjoyed these athletic traditions, ever since he was a freshman.
“I haven’t missed a Midnight Madness since I first started going to school here. The atmosphere on that night is great and it’s definitely something every student should do at least once,” said Lefkowitz.
Although these traditions revolving around the sports on campus are very well known, so are different landmarks all around campus. One of the biggest landmarks is Testudo, who is the centerpiece of campus.
Students all over campus have rubbed Testudo’s nose at one point or another since arriving on campus in order to receive good luck. Since the early 1990s, students have left all different kinds of gifts for Testudo in order to bring them luck during finals week, such as food, soda, beer, candy, flowers and many other things.
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Photo Credit: Hannah Chang