University of Maryland The M Club Story Over 77 Years of Athletes Helping Athletes Annual Sports Awards Banquet/Athletic Hall of Fame An Annual Sports Awards Banquet was established on April 24, 1948 under the leadership of the M Club's president, H. Burton Shipley. It was held on campus in the Dining Hall's Rotary Room. On May 1, 1998, at the Inn and Conference Center, we celebrated our 75th Anniversary at the 47th Annual Banquet. The Banquet is the premier attraction for honoring Maryland's most outstanding athletes, coaches and teams. After 47 years of experience, this event has become a superior program. It focuses on what is really positive about Maryland's sports program, and demonstrates how athletes make positive contributions to the academic community. The M Club is proud of our young men and women athletes, particularly since historically over 35 percent earn GPA's of 3.0 or better during the academic year. At the 1999 Banquet, the M Club also celebrated our 17th Annual University of Maryland Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony . In addition, we recognized the Robert C. James Distinguished Citizen and honored several leaders for their great support of the University with Honorary 'M's. Some of the prominent recipients of the Distinguished Citizen Award have been: U.S. President Gerald Ford, Justice Byron White, Walter Cronkite, Brooks Robinson and Al Kaline. In addition, we have honored former presidents Dr. Wilson Elkins, Dr. John S. Toll and Dr. William E. Kirwan, as well as former letterwinners Governor Harry Hughes, Samual LeFrak, Jim Kehoe, ACC Commissioner Bob James, Tom McMillen, Deane Beman, Jack Faber, George McGowan, Leonard Rodman, Tom Fields, Jack Heise and Jack Scarbath.