Tom McMillen – Retired Basketball Pro, Rhodes Scholar, Public Servant, Businessman and Philanthropist

Our Town with host Andy Ockershausen - Homegrown History

Tom McMillen on his former University of Maryland Coach Lefty Driesell ~ ". . .Lefty, I still keep in touch with him. He's indomitable. He's really a special person. He should be in the Naismith Hall of Fame. It's such an injustice. I mean when he retired as an active coach, there were only three other coaches who had more wins than he did. I think it was Dean Smith. . ." Tom McMillen, Retired Basketball Pro, Rhodes Scholar, Public Servant, Businessman, and Philanthropist in studio interview Andy Ockershausen: This is Andy Ockershausen. This is Our Town. We have such a special man to talk to today. He's done so much in his lifetime, it's tough for me to keep up with him. But not only is he six feet 11, but he's got a track record that's unbelievable what he's done in the community. From playing professional basketball in the NBA to serving as US Congressman from the fourth congressional district of Maryland. He was a Rhodes Scholar. He's written a book about ethics and sports. He's been on a board of directors for the President's Foundation on sports, physical education, and nutrition. And these are only a few of his accomplishments, in addition to the unique distinction of being the tallest member of Congress. I got to know Tom McMillen with my involvement many, many years ago with Lefty Driesell and the University of Maryland. Tom McMillen, welcome to Our Town. Tom McMillen Loses U.S. Congressional Seat to Gerrymandering Tom McMillen: Well, it's great to be here Andy. Andy Ockershausen: Our Town is so big now, McMillen. Everywhere you went except Pennsylvania was Our Town. Certainly when you were in Congress in the fourth district was part, it's still part of Our Town. But they changed the voting district and they voted you out. Tom McMillen: It's the whole thing about gerrymandering they talk about today. Well, my district was basically split up into six different congressional districts. It's not new. It happens all over. The real question for me was ... It would have been nice to stay in Congress maybe 10, 12 years. There's really a choice you make whether you want to be there 30 years. I don't think I ever wanted to be kind of ... Andy Ockershausen: It wasn't a lifetime for you. Tom McMillen: ... a lifetime thing. It was more an opportunity to serve and make a difference. I had that experience and it was fantastic. Andy Ockershausen: Great. They were great years. Everything changed during your period in Congress. The whole delegation changed. And Virginia changed and Maryland changed. That's all part of our life has changed. I want to talk to the Tom McMillen I first heard about as a high school athlete. We had a relationship with the University of Maryland for WMAL and Lefty Driesell was one of our contacts. Lefty was trying to recruit a kid in Pennsylvania to come to the University of Maryland. The Road to University of Maryland Basketball and Coach Lefty Driesell Tom McMillen: Well, if you recall the history of that. My brother had played at Maryland- Andy Ockershausen: That's correct. Tom McMillen: -with Gary Williams, Coach Williams. Andy Ockershausen: They were players? Tom McMillen: They were teammates. My brother had played there. My brother was heading into medical school. He wanted me to go to Maryland. My other brother was at Carolina. He wanted me to go to Carolina. My other sister was at University of Pennsylvania. She wanted me to go there. The coach at University of Virginia used to coach in my hometown. He wanted me to go there. Andy Ockershausen: You had a lot of people pulling on you. Tom McMillen: Yeah. It was very difficult. It was compounded because I was on the cover of Sports Illustrated. I was the second high school player on the cover of Sports Illustrated in February of my senior year.