NORTH EAST, MD — Cecil College has named Athletic Director Ed Durham the 2026 recipient of the Mary A. Maloney Distinguished Service Award, recognizing nearly three decades of leadership that extended beyond coaching to student mentorship, athletic administration and community service.
The annual award, presented by the Cecil College Foundation, honors individuals dedicated to public service. It is named for the late Mary A. Maloney, Maryland’s first female county commissioner, who also served 24 years on the Cecil College Board of Trustees and held leadership roles on numerous county boards and commissions.
Durham has served as Cecil College’s athletic director since 2005 after joining the institution as an assistant men’s basketball coach in 1995. During his tenure, he has overseen the college’s athletic programs while emphasizing academic accountability and collaboration between coaches and faculty to support student-athletes both on and off the field.
“I love the fact that if faculty have a student-athlete in their class that they are concerned about, they will reach out to me,” Durham said. “It is about working together as a team to help these kids be successful.”
Durham also stepped into coaching roles when needed, leading the men’s soccer program during an emergency and later coaching the softball team for five seasons. He was a member of Cecil College’s 2005-06 NJCAA Division II national championship men’s basketball staff and served as head coach of the men’s basketball program for nine seasons before stepping down in September 2025.
His teams won three NJCAA Region 20 Division II championships and earned three appearances in the NJCAA Division II National Tournament, including a third-place finish during the 2018-19 season. Durham was named Mid-Atlantic Region 20 Coach of the Year for the 2021-22 season after guiding the Seahawks to a 26-2 regular-season record, a regional championship and an Elite Eight appearance in the national tournament. He finished his coaching career with 177 victories, including six 20-win seasons.
Beyond Cecil College, Durham has held leadership positions with NJCAA Region 20, serving as assistant regional director beginning in 2013 and as the region’s men’s director of athletics since 2018, overseeing championships, bylaws and athletic programs. For nearly 30 years, he has also organized Cecil College’s annual Green and Gold Tournament, providing local high school athletes an opportunity to compete in a collegiate setting.
Durham, who first attended Cecil College as a two-sport student-athlete before later completing his bachelor’s and master’s degrees, stated the recognition was especially meaningful because of Maloney’s record of service to the college and Cecil County.
“What Mary Maloney did for this community, this county, and this college was truly unmatched,” Durham said. “To be recognized in this way is pretty special.
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