In 2001, Ray Custis was a redshirt freshman at Maryland, buckling under a seemingly incessant series of meetings, practices, team meals and study sessions.
His grade-point average dropped below 2.0, and to travel with the team to the Orange Bowl, he had to write a letter to an academic dean explaining his situation.
Always blunt, Custis spoke his mind as he wrote: “I was too busy as a football player making money for the University of Maryland.”
The memory draws laughs from Custis now and signifies how far the senior has come during his five years in College Park. Coach Ralph Friedgen said he wondered last spring how much Custis cared about football. He no longer wonders.
Friedgen says Custis has matured into a business-savvy entrepreneur who will graduate in December and a leader in the 22nd-ranked Terrapins’ revamped secondary who was making his first start at free safety Saturday night against Northern Illinois.
“I have a different perspective on things,” Custis said. “I know I’ve grown mentally tougher. I feel like I’ve matured mentally. I’ve definitely grown drastically because as a freshman your mind is immature, you’re all over the place with things. As you get older it’s time to focus in on what you really want to do.”
Custis has played cornerback and both safety positions and has had action mostly in nickel and dime packages, experience that’s expected to ease the transition.
“He’s kind of the quarterback on our defense,” Friedgen said. “He makes all the calls and puts us in the right coverage. He’s really grown into a leadership capacity and is well respected.”
At 5 feet 9 inches and 188 pounds, Custis is one of the most athletic Maryland players. He has recorded the highest strength index on the team for the second straight season, a mark that ranks as the best ever by a Maryland defensive back. He has run a 4.4-second 40-yard dash, benched-pressed 400 pounds and squatted 595 pounds.
“I want to prove a lot of things to myself because I know there are a lot of people who weren’t convinced or were like, `Can he do it?”‘ Custis said. “A lot of people look at my size. I want to prove to people that with a little bit of hard work and faith in God, anything is possible.”
The position Custis took in his letter to the dean is not an uncommon viewpoint among student-athletes, though few voice it to school officials. Custis attributes his apparent resentment to youth and now takes a broader view of student-athletes’ situations.
“Here I don’t feel that way because coach Friedgen and the coaches do stress academics,” said Custis, who will earn a graphic design degree.
“In the NFL it’s a cutthroat business. So you always have to have a backup plan and get your degree, and he focuses on that. I’m sure there are plenty of players all around the country saying, `Man, they just work us hard and they’re not thinking about us.”‘
On one occasion, Custis had to make a presentation in a communications class in which he tried to persuade fellow students that student-athletes should be paid.
“You bring the university millions and millions of dollars,” Custis said.
“There are two sides to that argument. I really can’t say [which one is right] because this is a valuable experience that I’m never going to share again once I graduate, so you can’t put a price on that.”
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Aug. 28, 2003
NIU 20, Maryland 13 (OT)
DeKALB–Northern Illinois quarterback Josh Haldi threw a third-down, 20-yard touchdown pass to Dan Sheldon in overtime and the Huskies hung on to knock off No. 15 Maryland.
The Terrapins had a chance to tie or win the game, but quarterback Scott McBrien’s 25-yard third-down pass into the end zone bounced off receiver Latrez Harrison’s leg and into the arms of Huskies cornerback Randee Drew.
“I wasn’t sure what had happened,” Huskies coach Joe Novak said. “But then I saw everybody jumping up and down. I knew it must have been good, so I ran out there too.”
Maryland safety Madieu Williams sent the game into overtime tied 13-13 when he blocked Steve Azar’s 43-yard field goal try with five seconds left in regulation. The Huskies had reached the 26 when P.J. Fleck caught the 12th of his 13 passes for the night from Haldi. One of his catches was a 5-yard TD pass in the second quarter that made it 10-7 Huskies.
Azar tied the game 13-13 when he drilled a 25-yard goal with 1:12 to play. Michael Turner gained 37 of his 90 of his yards on the Huskies 84-yard, 18-play drive that led to Azar’s game-tying kick.
Haldi completed 21 of 35 passes for 266 yards and two TDs.
