Every sports team has endured some form of drama that could potentially lead to a downfall of its franchise. Take, for example, the outrage against former Clippers’ owner Donald Sterling, who was forced out of his position. For those who do not remember, Donald Sterling was caught in a incident where he used racial slurs against Earvin “Magic” Johnson in a recorded phone conversation with his then-wife. The message went on to talk about how much Sterling disliked having his wife bringing black people to the games with her.

While the Retrievers have never faced a situation of this magnitude, they have dealt with their own personal drama following the sudden resignation of their former women’s basketball head coach Phil Stern. Prior to his resignation the team was doing fairly well, sitting above .500 and going 6-5 before he was placed on administrative leave. Through the first six weeks the team dominated as the reached a school record of going 6-0. In the first two games of the season, the Retrievers took care of their opposition with little to no problem. The second game seemed to be the team’s coming out party. During their game against Eastern (Pa.), nearly every player on the team scored as they won in style, 81-42. The next four games seemed to prove that these Retrievers were not to be trifled with as they won by an average of 15 points.

After the historic 6-0 start things started to falter as UMBC would drop six of their last seven games. In the midst of this losing streak Stern was placed on administrative leave for reasons as of yet unknown. Active head coach Carlee Dewey took over the helm with hope that she could put the team back on track. Things started off well as the team was able to squeak by Morgan State to give Dewey her first victory as a head coach. This would be her last victory for over a month. As the Retrievers began losing games the hype surrounding the team plummeted and fans started missing games. It could be said that the team was finished for the year and nothing could get them out of their slump.

The Retrievers would return to the win column towards the end of January defeating conference-rival New Hampshire. They went on another losing streak, dropping their next seven and making their playoff ranking drop. There were only three games left to play in which the Retrievers would need to win two of the last three to secure a chance at the playoffs. All three of these games were in conference, which means rankings are that much more significant. The Retrievers returned home to face Albany and took care of business with a 69-60 victory. The following match-up against Stony Brook was less than pleasing as the team had no answers for this offensive powerhouse at home and loss by eleven points.

In the final game of the season UMBC would win, catapulting them into not only seventh place, but a chance to make the playoffs. The Retrievers got off to a rough start, only scoring 21 points in the first half. Luckily, New Hampshire struggled as well, leaving the door open for the Retrievers to take control of the game and move on to the playoffs. By the end of the third quarter, UMBC held New Hampshire to 7 points which was enough to get a victory as they beat New Hampshire 55-47. Now with the playoffs ahead and a fresh start among all the rumors and distractions, UMBC women’s basketball can focus on a strong playoff run that starts against Hartford. Maybe you can teach a dog new tricks, some that can possibly lead to some March Madness.

On Saturday, the campus group Speakout to Oppose Predators and Their Protectors, or S.T.O.P.P., reached out to The Retriever describing a planned protest for Tuesday, March 12. The protest, which had been scheduled for the UMBC baseball team’s home opener, was a “protest of the injustices perpetuated by these rapists and their protectors in university administration as well as in solidarity with survivors,” according to the Facebook event created to organize the demonstration.

The protest is in response to an ongoing class action lawsuit filed in Sept. 2018 against UMBC and the University System of Maryland, among others, which alleges that the university has mishandled Title IX complaints and attempted to cover up cases pertaining to those complaints.

Two of the plaintiffs involved in this case have accused three UMBC baseball players of rape; however, the players have been found not responsible through university Title IX cases and have not been charged criminally. The protest will occur after two of these three baseball players were added back to the team’s roster.

In the fall, sources close to the team reported that none of the three players had returned for this season, nor had they been seen around campus. Initial inquiries by The Retriever sports staff did not find any of the three players listed in the original posting of the 2018-2019 roster.

But, after learning of the planned protest, a new inquiry found that two of the three players had returned to the team and now appear on the online version of the roster. One has yet to compete in any games, but the other has appeared in four games as of Sunday evening. UMBC Athletics did not respond when we inquired about when the players were added.

Coverage of the protest will be available on our website.

Q: What’s the real story behind True Grit? Why was a Chesapeake Bay Retriever chosen as the school’s mascot?
—Zozscha Bomhardt ’93

In the fall of 1966, a piece in the inaugural issue of UMBC News (later dubbed The Retriever Weekly) announced a contest to choose a mascot for the new university. Entreating readers to choose a mascot “that will become the loveable pet of students for years to come,” the contest garnered dozens of entries, ranging from whimsical fancies (unicorn, angel) to prosaic suggestions (muskrat, crab).

On October 30, 1966, the university announced that student Tom Berlin had won the contest with his nomination of the Chesapeake Bay Retriever. And soon after, UMBC received its first live mascot in the form of a spirited Chesapeake Bay Retriever pup with curly brown fur. Dog breeder Claude L. Callegary – whose son Peter Callegary attended UMBC and played lacrosse for the Retrievers – donated the dog to the school in the spring of 1967. Another contest failed to yield a name for the puppy, which eventually became known as “Campus Sam.” Lacking any formal arrangements to care for the dog, Guy Chisolm, UMBC’s first director of physical plant, volunteered to take the mascot to live with his family in their Catonsville home, which was adjacent to the campus.

Richard Chisolm ’82, interdisciplinary studies, who has made a notable career as a documentary filmmaker, recalls that “Sammy” (as he and his siblings Mac and Susie called the puppy that their father brought home) grew into a large dog with a fierce bark who loved to swim in the family’s swimming pool. He and his siblings were responsible for training and walking Sammy. From time to time, coaches or faculty members from UMBC would borrow Sammy for games or campus events, where he would be adorned for the occasion with a black and gold UMBC scarf.

While Campus Sam’s life was largely peaceful, Richard Chisolm recalls that it was nearly cut short when the mascot escaped a fenced yard to chase after a deer. Richard ran after and witnessed the determined dog crash headfirst into a moving car. Sammy survived with a permanent bump on his head.

UMBC has had a number of other live Chesapeake Bay Retriever mascots – as well as mascot images to represent the university. (Two of these images, including the most recent, have been created by Jim Lord ’99 – design director of UMBC’s Creative Services.)

But perhaps the most prominent symbol of the university is a 500-pound bronze cast sculpture of the mascot, dubbed “True Grit,” which graces the plaza between the Administration Building and the Retriever Athletic Center (RAC).

UMBC commissioned artist and alumna Paulette Raye ’87, who had graduated summa cum laude from the university with a degree in philosophy, to create the sculpture. Raye created the work in a studio at Towson University, using “Nitty Gritty” – a champion Chesapeake Bay Retriever owned by Howard County residents and veterinarians James and Brenda Stewart – as her model.

In an email to UMBC Magazine, Raye recalls that “the mascot was the first dog I had ever sculpted – of any size. It was the only large size sculpture that I had ever done.”

Raye relates that a number of setbacks delayed the completion of the project. In fact, she writes, the project almost literally melted down.

“The wax casting was made and then sat in the foundry – very warm in there – for a full year before [UMBC President Michael] Hooker released the funds to complete the casting in bronze,” she recalls.

“In the meantime, the wax casting had distorted – not terribly, but it did not cast nearly as detailed and beautiful as it had been sculpted because of some warping from the heat that it had sat in for a year.”

Raye also helped UMBC Magazine solve one enduring mystery about UMBC’s mascot that an extensive search for details about the project in the university archives did not reveal: The model’s name was “Nitty Gritty,” so what was the origin of the name “True Grit?”

“‘True Grit’ was the name of Nitty Gritty’s father,” writes Raye.” Exactly why the mascot received that name, I am not sure, other than it sounded bold and strong – like the team.”

Hooker and UMBC director of athletics Rick Hartzell oversaw an unveiling of the statue – with a tug from model Nitty Gritty himself – at a ceremony on December 7, 1987. In a letter to Hoke Smith, then president of Towson University, Hooker lauded the statue’s creation at Towson’s art studios as an historic truce in the “traditional Retriever-Tiger” rivalry, and graciously invited Towson’s president to stop by and “see us, and True Grit, when you can.”

True Grit remains a steadfast and enduring campus presence – greeting new students and visitors on their arrival to campus, and bidding a fond farewell to UMBC’s proud new alumni with cap on his head and diploma in his teeth as they graduate. And that shine on his muzzle? UMBC students have developed a tradition of rubbing True Grit’s nose for luck in their exams.

— Theresa Donnelley ’13 and Richard Byrne ’86

Read more Histories & Mysteries

Good luck, Retrievers!

UMBC men’s basketball is officially heading to the America East championship final to defend our title. The Retrievers take on the Vermont Catamounts this Saturday, March 16, 11 a.m., in Burlington.

UMBC men’s basketball advances to the America East final after a gripping semifinal victory

Learn more about ways of watching the game here.

Fan Favorites

This year’s trip to America East evokes memories of last year’s historic season when against all odds, the team beat number one-seeded University of Virginia to become the first-ever no. 16 seed to defeat a no. 1 seed in an NCAA men’s basketball championship tournament. Here’s some history of that exciting week.

Timeline of the Retrievers’ Historic 2018 Run

One Shining Moment — The Shot Heard ‘Round the World

UMBC Athletics