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Class of 2019
- Ali Andrzejewski, Soccer
- Steve Krulevitz, Tennis
- Rob Shek, Lacrosse
- Mark Teixeira, Baseball
- Walt Williams, Basketball
The John F. Steadman Lifetime Achievement Awards were presented to:
- Tom Davis, Sportscaster
- Jim Margraff, Football (Presented to the family of the late football coach.)
Ali Andrzejewski
Ali Andrzejewski, 34, is a soccer standout who was a two-time Maryland Player of the Year and a Parade All-American in high school at McDonogh. The forward was a two-year starter at the University of Maryland before transferring to Loyola College, where in two years she broke all the school’s four-year scoring records with 33 goals and 75 points. A member of the U.S. National Under-15 through Under-21 teams, the Lutherville native had a four-year pro career, helping the Washington Freedom to a league championship as its leading scorer as a rookie. Andrzejewski (pronounced Andrew-Jess-Key) started her Champions Soccer Training program locally in 2006, and began an expanded program, called More Than Futbol, in Nicaragua (since 2008) and in Belize (since 2011).
Memorable quote:
“Our first time in Belize, they were like thanks for coming, but we don’t really need you. You can coach the girls team and have half the field from 3 to 3:30 every day. I asked how long do the boys practice? ‘They practice til 5.’ I said, ‘OK, I’ll take the girls team to 5, too.’ They were clearly irritated because they wanted the whole field. Then they see what we’re teaching the girls, and the girls are having a great time and learning stuff they’d never seen before. So the next day the coach comes up to me and says, ‘Hey, you think you could do the girls AND the boys today?’ That’s when I knew we were in.”
Steve Krulevitz
Steve Krulevitz, 68, made his mark in tennis nearly from the time the Park Heights native first picked up a racquet at age 7. He won seven straight boys’ 12-and-under finals around the country and then became the youngest Maryland State Men’s champion — at age 15. Turning pro in 1973 after four MSA singles titles at Park School and being an All-American at UCLA, Krulevitz was a top 100 player for nine consecutive years, reaching as high as No. 42. He played in 32 Grand Slam events and made the third round of the French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. In 1984, he returned to the Baltimore area, where his tennis program has helped thousands of all ages find fun and fitness. Krulevitz’s Greyhounds have won six straight MIAA titles at Gilman School.
Memorable quote:
Calling tennis “a sport for a lifetime,” Krulevitz laughs recalling an 84-year-old man’s request to “‘teach me how to hit a topspin backhand. I’ve been slicing my backhand since I was 20.’ It took like four months but I taught him. The guy was so happy it was like he won Wimbledon!”
Rob Shek
Rob Shek, 50, was an All-American lacrosse midfielder for Towson University, helping the Tigers win three conference titles in four years from 1989 to 1992, scoring 30 and 35 goals his final two years. He was selected national midfielder of the year in 1991 while leading Towson to a national runner-up finish in the NCAA tournament. Born in Baltimore, raised in Bel Air, and now a Towson resident, Shek went on to win two world championships (1994, 1998) as a member of Team USA and have a seven-year pro lacrosse career. He is vice president of sales and marketing for Choice One Urgent Care.
Memorable quote: “I loved taking the ball and going to the goal, and I would sort of put my head down and wouldn’t stop until the ball was in the back of the net.”
Mark Teixeira
Mark Teixeira, 39, is one of only five major league switch-hitters to hit more than 400 home runs. Born in Severna Park, he starred for Mount St. Joseph, then won the Dick Howser Award as college baseball’s best player in 2001 at Georgia Tech before being drafted No. 5 by the Texas Rangers (just after neighbor and former Gael Gavin Floyd). He had 409 homers, 1,298 RBIs, and a .268 batting average over a 14-year big league career. A free agent before the 2009 season, he signed an eight-year deal with the New York Yankees, helping them to a world championship the first year. He now works as a baseball commentator at ESPN.
Memorable quote:
“Personal accomplishments are great, but when you play a team sport, there’s nothing better than winning a World Series, especially wearing the pinstripes. Getting a chance to be a part of that amazing tradition was, and still is, very special to me.”
Walt Williams
Walt Williams, 49, still holds University of Maryland basketball records for one-season scoring average (26.8), points (776), and consecutive 30-point games (seven) from his dominating senior season in 1992. “The Wizard” stayed at UM despite NCAA sanctions after the Bob Wade years, calling his teammates “family.” Drafted No. 7 by the Sacramento Kings, he had an 11-year NBA career, averaging in double digits seven of his first eight seasons. Now part of the Terps’ broadcast team, Williams is an adviser at UBS Financial and coaches youth basketball. Born in D.C. and raised in Temple Hills, he lives in Montgomery County.
Memorable quote:
Saying Scottie Pippen was his toughest defender, Williams ranks Len Bias over Michael Jordan when they finished college. “Absolutely. I think ultimately Jordan grew into a great competitor and player. [But when they graduated] Len was ahead of him in that skill category. I thought the post game, the turnaround jumper, that touch, being able to shoot the ball from the outside, I thought Bias had those things already.”
John F. Steadman Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Tom Davis
Tom Davis, 71, has been “living the dream” as a sportscaster in his hometown for 48 years. After getting an initial break from Vince Bagli at WBAL-TV, Davis moved to WCBM Radio from 1975 to 1985, Home Team Sports at night from 1984 to 2000 and WQSR Radio, where he was part of the highly rated “Rouse & Co.” morning show from 1988 to 2005. He is now in his 13th season at MASN, where he hosts “O’s Extra” before and after Orioles games, “Wall to Wall Baseball” on Saturdays, and “Touchdown Baltimore” during the NFL season. He’s learned from greats like Chuck Thompson and Ernie Harwell, and done network football, boxing, and even Olympic basketball when the Soviets upset the U.S. in 1988.
Memorable quote:
“I just want to thank so many people. You don’t do this by yourself. I mean you’ve got to do a solid job, but you’ve got to have the chance and you don’t get the chance unless people help you. I’m eternally grateful for all the help everyone has given me.”
John F. Steadman Lifetime Achievement Honoree
Jim Margraff
After rewriting the record book as Johns Hopkins quarterback, Jim Margraff returned to his alma mater in 1990 as head football coach. When he died on Jan. 2, 2019, he stood alone as the most successful football coach in Maryland state history at 221-89-3. That included 10 consecutive Centennial Conference titles and eight straight trips to the NCAA playoffs, reaching the semifinals for the first time in 2018, when the Blue Jays earned the prestigious Lambert Cup for the first time as best team in the East. More than wins, Margraff prided himself on being a teacher, mentor, and supportive colleague in his 29 years at Hopkins, and a father and husband off the field.
Memorable quote:
“Jim was actually recruited to Hopkins to play baseball. His high school coach in New York met Hopkins coach Denny Cox at a convention, and they got to talking, and he said, ‘Well, I do have this one kid, Margraff, who pitched a no-hitter, but he really wants to play football, too.’ Denny said, ‘That’s OK because I’m the football coach also.’ ” — Alice Margraff, Jim’s widow