Russell James Maryland (born March 22, 1969) is a former professional American football player. He played defensive tackle for ten seasons for the Dallas Cowboys, Oakland Raiders and Green Bay Packers of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Cowboys first overall in the 1991 NFL Draft. He played college football for the University of Miami Hurricanes.

Maryland was born and reared in Chicago, Illinois, where he played high school football at Whitney Young High School.

Maryland played college football at the University of Miami. In 1990, he registered 96 tackles and 10½ quarterback sacks for the Hurricanes, and won the Outland Trophy for the best lineman in college, beating out offensive linemen Joe Garten and Stacy Long.

Prior to his graduation from Miami, Russell was inducted into the Iron Arrow Honor Society, the highest honor bestowed by the university. Russell was inducted into the University of Miami Sports Hall of Fame in 2001.

Maryland was the first overall pick in the 1991 NFL Draft, by the Dallas Cowboys, after the initial No. 1 prospect Raghib Ismail decided to sign with the Toronto Argonauts. Even though the Cowboys did not have the worst record in the league that year, they used a draft choice acquired in a trade with the New England Patriots to make Maryland the number one overall choice.

Maryland (ⁱ/ˈmɛrɨlənd/) is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east. Maryland was the seventh state to ratify the United States Constitution, and three nicknames for it (the Old Line State, the Free State, and the Chesapeake Bay State) are occasionally used. Maryland is the 9th smallest state by area, but the 19th most populous and the 5th most densely populated of the 50 United States. The state's most populated city is Baltimore. Its capital is Annapolis. It was named after Queen Henrietta Maria.

Maryland has an area of 12,406.68 square miles (32,133.2 km²) and is comparable in overall area with the European country of Belgium (11,787 square miles (30,530 km²)). It is the 42nd largest/9th smallest state, and is closest in size to Hawaii (10,930.98 square miles (28,311.1 km²)), the next smallest state. The next largest state, Maryland's neighbor West Virginia, is almost twice the size of Maryland (24,229.76 square miles (62,754.8 km²)).

Ray Anthony Lewis (born May 15, 1975) is an American football linebacker for the Baltimore Ravens of the National Football League (NFL). Drafted by the Ravens in 1996, he has played his entire career for the team, and is the last player remaining from the Ravens' inaugural season. He has been selected to thirteen Pro Bowls and been named an Associated Press All-Pro ten times. He won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2000 and 2003; he was the sixth player to win the award multiple times. He was also the second linebacker to win the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player Award and the first linebacker to win the award on the winning Super Bowl team. Widely considered to be one of the best linebackers of all time, he played college football at the University of Miami.

Lewis was born in Bartow, Florida. He is the older brother of former University of Maryland running back Keon Lattimore. Lewis was an All-American linebacker and wrestling star at Kathleen High School in Lakeland.

As a freshman at the University of Miami, Ray Lewis was an immediate contributor and became a starter for the Hurricanes' final five games. He compiled 81 tackles, two sacks, two tackles for loss, and four pass deflections en route to being named to the freshman All-American team.

Sean Michael Maurice Taylor (April 1, 1983 – November 27, 2007) was an American college and professional football player who was a free safety for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) for four seasons. Taylor was drafted in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2004 NFL Draft by the Redskins. He played college football for the University of Miami, was a member of the Hurricanes' 2001 BCS National Championship team, and earned consensus All-American honors. Due to his ferocious hits, several of his pro teammates nicknamed him "Meast," a portmanteau word from the expression "half man, half beast."

Taylor died at the age of 24 on November 27, 2007, from critical injuries due to gunshots by intruders at his Miami area home. His death led to an outpouring of national support and sympathy, especially in the Washington area, where Taylor had been a fan favorite as a Redskin, and the Miami area, where Taylor had starred for the Miami Hurricanes, after leading Gulliver Prep to a Florida state high school championship and setting a state record for most touchdowns in a season (44).

Antrel Rocelious Rolle (born December 16, 1982) is an American football safety for the New York Giants of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft.

He played college football at the University of Miami and is the cousin of Brian Rolle of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Rolle attended South Dade High School in Homestead, Florida. As a senior, on defense, he posted three interceptions and 86 tackles. On offense, he had four receptions for 160 yards (40.0 yards per rec. avg.) and a touchdown. As a junior, on defense, he posted three interceptions, 85 tackles, and five pass deflections, and he returned three kickoffs and three punts for touchdowns.

Rolle was an All-American CB for the University of Miami where he especially excelled in press-coverage. Notable performances included shutting down future All-American receivers Larry Fitzgerald (3 catches for 26 yards) and Calvin Johnson (2 catches for 10 yards).

In 2001, his freshman season, Rolle was one of four true freshman to letter at Miami. He appeared in eight games, recording eight tackles and an interception. Rolle started 11 games as a sophomore in 2002, earning All-Big East first-team honors. Rolle totaled a career-high 66 tackles with two sacks, six tackles for a loss, seven pass deflections, and an interception for the season.