Famous University of Maryland alumni

Bonnie Bernstein, who has worked as a sports reporter for both ESPN and CBS, graduated from the University of Maryland magna cum laude with a degree in broadcast journalism.

Pictured: Maryland to the Big Ten: Charting the Future, Remembering the Past panel discussion member Tom McMillen, left, class of ‘74, and Bonnie Bernstein, class of ’92.

All-American Len Bias, thought by many to be the greatest basketball player to ever wear a Terps uniform, died from the after-effects of a cocaine overdose on June 19, 1986 -- two days after being drafted by the Boston Celtics. He was a Landover native who graduated from Northwestern High School in Hyattsville.

NBA point guard Steve Blake (pictured in 2002), who has played for Washington, Los Angeles (both the Lakers and the Clippers), Milwaukee, Denver and Portland, amassed more than 1,000 points as a Terrapin. As of 2015, he was playing for the Detroit Pistons.

Russian-born Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, received his B.S. from the University of Maryland in 1993. Brin attended elementary school at Paint Branch Montessori School in Adelphi, and was taught by his father, a math professor at the University of Maryland. He attended Eleanor Roosevelt High School in Greenbelt.

Larry David, creator of TV’s “Seinfeld” and “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” graduated from UM in 1970 with degrees in history and business.

Gold-medal-winning gymnast Dominique Dawes is a member of the class of 2002. Now retired, she was a 10-year member of the U.S. national gymnastics team and part of the 1996 “Magnificent Seven.”

Former Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Boomer Esiason, now a CBS football analyst, honed his football skills at UM, graduating in 1984.

The author of “The Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series grew up in Fort Washington. He attended College Park in the ‘90s, where he created a popular comic strip that ran in The Diamondback.

ESPN baseball analyst Tim Kurkjian, left, a former Orioles beat writer for the Baltimore Sun, is a 1978 UM graduate. He was born in Bethesda.

“The Boondocks” creator Aaron McGruder debuted his strip in the UM student newspaper The Diamondback in 1997. He has also worked on screenplays and graphic novels. McGruder grew up in Columbia and attended Oakland Mills High School.

Maryland Senate President Thomas V. “Mike” Miller graduated from UM in 1964 and received his law degree from the University of Maryland School of Law in 1967. He has represented the 27th District since 1975.

Emmy-winning television writer David Simon, whose series work includes “Homicide: Life on the Street,” “The Wire,” “Generation Kill” and “Treme,” wrote for the student newspaper The Diamondback while attending the University of Maryland. He was also a Baltimore Sun reporter from 1982-1985. His latest project is “Show Me a Hero.”

The former Baltimore Ravens wide receiver Torrey Smith joined the San Fransisco 49ers in 2015. He attened UM from 2007-20010 where he played for the Terps. He was the the 58th overall pick in the second round of the 2011 NFL Draft.

ESPN anchor Scott Van Pelt studied radio/television and film at UM. He was born in Brookeville and graduated from Sherwood High School in Sandy Spring.

NFL Hall-of-Famer Randy White (UM ‘75), who played for the Dallas Cowboys from 1975-88, starred for the Terrapins’ football team.