For Immediate Release January 28, 2010
RALPH FRIEDGEN, KIMMIE MEISSNER & JESSICA LONG JOINING
CELEBRATION OF BABE RUTH’S 115th BIRTHDAY
Babe’s Birthday Bash will Occur on February 5th
Baltimore, MD – The Babe Ruth Museum today announced that University of Maryland Head Football Coach Ralph
Friedgen, former World Figure Skating Champion Kimmie Meissner and United States Paralympic swimmer Jessica
Long will be among the special guests for “Babe’s Birthday Bash” on Friday, February 5, from 5:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at
Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards. The event will celebrate the 115th anniversary of Ruth’s birth in Baltimore.

Friedgen just completed his ninth season as head football coach at Maryland. He is the second-ever alum to serve in that
position. During his tenure, the Terrapins have been to six bowl games, including a pair of New Year’s Day appearances,
and a school record three straight bowl victories. Prior to Friedgen’s arrival, Maryland had just one bowl game appearance
in the previous 15 seasons. He is the 33rd head coach in school history and ranks fourth in Maryland history in career
winning percentage (.640). Friedgen also has the eighth-best winning percentage in Atlantic Coast Conference history.

Formerly of Bel Air, Maryland, Meissner’s figure skating accomplishments include titles as the 2006 World Champion,
2007 U.S. National Champion and the 2007 Four Continents Champion. She is the first American and the first lady to
simultaneously hold the World, Four Continents and National titles. She was a member of the 2006 Olympic team and
was the youngest American athlete to compete at those Games. She finished sixth at the Olympics in February 2006 and
won the World Championships the following month.

Born in Irkutsk, Russia, Long is a United States Paralympic swimmer. As the youngest athlete on the U.S. Paralympic
Team at 12-years-old, she won three gold medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games. In 2006, she won nine gold medals and
set five world records at the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships in South Africa.
That same year, she became the first Paralympic athlete to win the AAU James E. Sullivan Award, presented to the USA’s
best amateur athlete. Two years later, Long won six medals (four gold, one silver and a bronze) in route to establishing
three world records at the 2008 Paralympic Games.

In addition to celebrating Ruth’s birthday, the Museum will present Baltimore Orioles’ outfielder Nick Markakis and
his wife, Christina, with the 2010 Babe Ruth Museum Community Service Award, for their work with The Right Side
Foundation. The Markakises launched the organization in May 2009 and their mission is to help improve the quality of
life for distressed children throughout the State of Maryland.

Tickets to the event are $45 each for members of the Babe Ruth Museum; $55 a piece for the general public; and $60 each
at-the-door on the night of the event. The evening includes admission to Sports Legends Museum; unlimited food and
beverages; appearances by local professional athletes and amateur champions; free parking at Camden Yards; and more.

Tickets are available by contacting the Museum at 410.727.1539 or visiting www.BabeRuthMuseum.com. Event
sponsors include Smyth Jewelers, PressBox, Pickles Pub and Vinbev.

The Babe Ruth Museum operates both the Babe Ruth Birthplace Museum and Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards.
Since opening in 1974, the Birthplace has served as a shrine to the life and times of Ruth. Located adjacent to Oriole Park,
Sports Legends Museum opened in May 2005 and consists of 22,000 square feet of artifacts and interactive exhibits
profiling Maryland’s sports history.
— www.BabeRuthMuseum.com —
Contact: Tim Richardson – Maroon PR Andrea Kunicky – Maroon PR
410.442.1221 ext. 104 410.442.1221 ext. 101
Tim@MaroonPR.com Andrea@MaroonPR.com

Maryland lost its sixth straight game at Florida State yesterday. A loss next week would result in the first 10-loss season in program history.

Sports by Brooks

Also, the University of Maryland is meeting with reps of Ralph Friedgen to discuss a possible buyout of his contract.

Testudo Times speculates that Head Coach-in-Waiting James Franklin may also be on his way out.

Jeff Barker reports a few things that have come to light over the weekend:

• Friedgen’s lawyer says Athletic Director Debbie Yow has yet to contact the coach about his status
• Friedgen is aware of “rising speculation” about his potential firing
• Yow is meeting with the football team Monday but no change is expected to be announced in that meeting
• Friedgen has support of the leadership of the Terrapin Club and the Maryland Gridiron Network
• Friedgen’s lawyer says he expects to be back next season

Earlier this season, there were calls for Yow’s dismissal by the father of quarterback Chris Turner. Barker points out that fans are turning against Friedgen now, although the MGN and Terrapin Club leadership have yet to give up on him.