Claiborne Men – University of Maryland Athletics

Lorton and Schwartz partnered with the M Club Foundation to collect the initial pledges needed to establish the scholarship with the University of Maryland College Park Foundation. They quickly surpassed their initial goal of $50,000. So far, 17 former players and supporters have committed to the scholarship, representing more than $125,000. 

“The M Club is proud to have played a small role in establishing this scholarship for Coach Claiborne,” said Laura Chiriaco, Executive Director of the M Club. “Typically, a single donor is needed to establish an endowment at $50,000. By partnering with the M Club, a group of former athletes can collectively establish an endowment. This is a great way to pay tribute to a coach or teammate or celebrate milestone anniversaries while benefiting future generations of student-athletes. Alumni like the Claiborne men truly embody our mission of ‘Athletes Helping Athletes.’”

The scholarship will be preferred to student-athletes who have used up their eligibility but have yet to finish their degree, walk-ons and football managers. 

“Claiborne did that for many guys, more than I can think of,” Lorton said. “These guys would use their eligibility up but didn’t have a degree. Coach Claiborne would say, ‘Hey, why don’t you be a grad assistant or something so you can get your degree.”  

The letterwinners came up with the idea of honoring their former coach after honoring another individual who left an impression on them during their time at Maryland. As student-athletes, they lived in the Ellicott Hall dorms and had a resident assistant named James Merkel, who doubled as a football academic counselor. 

In March 2021, Merkel was diagnosed with stage four stomach cancer and was given six months to live. Several people who knew him well got together, and Lorton proposed honoring him with a scholarship in his name. They successfully raised $100,000 to create the Jim Merkel Endowed Scholarship for Football.