Bob Wade (basketball coach)

Infobox NFL PlayerCoach


Name=Bob Wade
|DateOfBirth=birth date and age|1944|12|9
Birthplace= Baltimore, MD
DateOfDeath=
College=Morgan State
Position=Defensive back
Head Coach, Basketball
DraftedYear=1967
DraftedRound=15
DraftedPick=385
(By the Baltimore Colts)
Record=36-50
coach=yes
coachingyears=1986-1989
coachingteams=Maryland Terrapins
player=yes
years=1968
1969
1970
teams=Pittsburgh Steelers
Washington Redskins
Denver Broncos
DatabaseFootballCoach=
DatabaseFootball=WADEBOB01
PFR=WadeBo20
NFL=WAD581406
Stats=y

Robert Pernell Wade (born December 9, 1944 in Baltimore, Maryland) is a former men's college basketball head coach for the University of Maryland (1986-1989), as well as an American football defensive back for the National Football League.

Football

Wade played college football at Morgan State University. After his collegiate career, he played in the National Football League for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1968), the Washington Redskins (1969), and the Denver Broncos (1970).

Basketball

Prior to his coaching stint at Maryland, Wade had coached at Baltimore's Dunbar High School for ten years, where he compiled a 341-25 record and was often ranked in the nation's top 10.

Wade was originally hired to replace Lefty Driesell, Maryland's basketball coach of 17 years. Driesell resigned over concerns about the death of All-American forward Len Bias and subsequent revelations about his players' academic performances. In high school, Wade had been a strong disciplinarian, and he was appealing to University of Maryland administrators who were attempting to clean up the basketball program. He was also hired in order to increase diversity as he became the first African American coach of a major sport in the Atlantic Coast Conference, despite the fact that he had no prior experience in coaching a team at the collegiate level.

Wade resigned on May 12, 1989 after three years as head coach, compiling a 36-50 record. Not only was he unable to rebuild the basketball program during his tenure, but his resignation came amid allegations that he broke NCAA rules in dealing with players and recruits, and as a result the university received severe sanctions. His resignation would also affect the university in other ways. Noting the lack of institutional control and perceiving his departure as mistreatment of an African American coach, blue chip high school players from Baltimore City would largely avoid Maryland until Keith Booth chose to attend Maryland in 1993.