TOWSON, Md. – Basketball has always been a passion with Eddie Diggs despite never having scored a point or even played in a game but his dedication to the sport and the athletes he served through the years has earned him local and national recognition.
Along with Randy Bielski (football), Meredith Budner Plack (swimming), Hillary Fratzke Hamm (lacrosse) and Larry Witherspoon (basketball) Eddie will be inducted into the Tigers' Hall of Fame Friday, October 6th at the 59th Annual Induction Banquet to be held on campus at the Towson University Union (Cross Campus Drive). The 2004 Volleyball Team will be honored as well as the Team of Distinction. Tickets are available by visiting https://towsonuniversity.regfox.com/towson-athletics-tiger-honors-hall-of-fame-induction-2023
With his induction, Eddie becomes the first former Towson student to enter the Tigers' Hall of Fame for his contribution to athletics in a support role. He served as the Tigers' basketball team manager from 1974-79 and was recognized as Towson's Student Manager of the Year three times.
During Eddie's career with men's basketball the Tigers posted a four-year record of 86-29, won two Mason-Dixon Conference championships and earned two trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Every player and coach from those teams considered their team manager an integral part of that success.
So, what were Eddie's contributions? He dutifully performed numerous tasks in support of the team whether it involved score keeping, serving as a statistician, overseeing the equipment, handling the laundry, keeping the players hydrated, monitoring team meals. Whatever the task he went about it with an infectious smile, and therein lay his most important contribution.
He was an inspiration.
Eddie was born with only two fingers on each hand. From an early age he looked beyond his disability, labeled as "congenital anomaly" and was determined to achieve his goals regardless. "To say 'I can't' should not be your first option," Eddie maintains. "We all have abilities, disabled or not. Use them to accomplish your goals."
In 1979 Eddie became the first of 13 children in his family to earn a bachelor's degree, graduating with a major in sociology. He then spent over two decades working for the Social Security Administration, retiring as a policy analyst.
After watching from the sidelines for a couple of years, Eddie finally made the decision in 1984 to become involved with the Maryland (formerly Baltimore) Ravens wheelchair basketball organization. He has been its heartbeat ever since.
Through the years Eddie has volunteered his time as its nonprofit president/CEO, coach, driver and fund-raiser as well as a conference official, tournament director, referee and school outreach coordinator. As its coach the Maryland Ravens competed in 656 games against other National Wheelchair Basketball Association (NWBA) teams, winning 486 of those contests. The program was ranked No. 1 in the country twice and captured the Division III national championship in 2006.
In March, 2017, Eddie was inducted into the NWBA's Hall of Fame at ceremonies in Louisville, Ky. He is only the second Maryland Raven in the team's 50-year history to be so honored, following Ralph Smith, the organization's founder, who was inducted in 1995.
"It's a great honor for him and one that he is certainly well-deserving of," said Towson Hall of Fame member and former Tiger basketball great, Bobby Washington (1974-78) at the time of Eddie's induction. "He was one of us. He always kept our spirits up. He took care of our needs. He was very proactive. He had a huge presence on our team."
Eddie has also been recognized with the Bill Duncan "Good Guy" Award, a Maryland Recreation and Parks Association Citation and the Governor Martin O'Malley Citation for his work with the disabled in sports in the Baltimore area.
The Maryland Ravens have scaled back from competition, shifting their focus more on promoting awareness through exhibition games, clinics and motivational lectures in schools all over the state, particularly in the Greater Baltimore area.
"We're demonstrating with the wheelchair athletes that despite having disabilities we're still able to accomplish all of our personal and career goals," says Eddie. "Our catch phrase is: it's not about disabilities, it's about abilities."
Eddie is currently employed by The Arc Baltimore as a community support specialist assigned to people with developmental disabilities. He was previously a job coach for Mary T. Inc. of Maryland, an organization that specializes in neuro-rehabilitation for individuals with brain injuries who remain active in the community.
