Tom McMillen

Charles Thomas McMillen (born May 26, 1952) is an American politician, businessman, and former professional basketball player. A Rhodes Scholar, McMillen represented Maryland's 4th congressional district from 1987 to 1993. He played in the National Basketball Association for the Buffalo Braves, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Bullets from 1975 until 1985.

On March 22, 2011, he was appointed as chairman of the inaugural Board of Directors of the President's Foundation on Sports, Physical Fitness, and Nutrition. He is also the author of Out of Bounds, a critical look at the unhealthy influence of sports on ethics, and he served on the Knight Foundation's Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics investigating abuses within college sports. He was also a member of the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team that lost a controversial gold medal game to the Soviet Union.

McMillen earned his B.S. from University of Maryland in chemistry, which is part of the University of Maryland College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences. After graduating from Maryland in 1974, McMillen was drafted with the ninth pick in the first round of the 1974 NBA draft by the Buffalo Braves and the first round of the 1974 ABA draft by the Virginia Squires. McMillen signed with the Braves but postponed his entry into the NBA in order to attend University College, Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar. During his time at Oxford, McMillen was a member of the Oxford University basketball team. He also commuted to Bologna, to play for Italian club Virtus Bologna. During his eleven-year National Basketball Association career, he played for the Braves, New York Knicks, Atlanta Hawks, and Washington Bullets, before he retired in 1986 to pursue his political career.

U.S. House He was elected to the United States Congress as a Democrat to represent Maryland's 4th district, and served from 1987 to 1993 as that district's representative. Future president Donald Trump donated to McMillen's first Congressional campaign.

In 1992, the 4th was redrawn as a black-majority district due to a mandate from the Justice Department. His home in Crofton was drawn into the Eastern Shore-based 1st district, represented by first-term Republican Congressman Wayne Gilchrest. Although McMillen did very well in the more urbanized areas of the district near Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it was not enough to overcome Gilchrest's margin on the Eastern Shore, and McMillen lost his reelection bid.

McMillen is thought to be the tallest-ever member of Congress. At 6 feet 11 inches, he is two feet taller than Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, who is believed to be the shortest representative ever.

Later career

President Bill Clinton named McMillen to be the chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports; he resigned in November 1997 after the FBI raided a separate healthcare business he was running. McMillen was appointed to the University System of Maryland's Board of Regents in 2007, where he served until June 30, 2015. He was replaced by Robert R. Neall whom McMillen had defeated for Congress in 1986. In March 2023, McMillen was again appointed to the Boards of Regents, succeeding Gary L. Attman.

In September 2015, McMillen was selected to lead the Division I-A Athletic Directors' Association as it moved from Dallas to Washington, D.C. He remains President and Chief Executive Officer of the renamed Lead1 Association, now advocating for athletic directors at Football Bowl Subdivision universities.

Personal life McMillen is married to Dr. Judith Niemyer. The couple have lived in Fauquier County, Virginia since 2010.

In 1992, McMillen attended an NFL-related party hosted by Donald Trump, and happened to enter the party with his girlfriend at the same time as Jeffrey Epstein, which was caught on tape by NBC cameras.

Regular season

Playoffs

Electoral history Year Office Subject Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct 1986 Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 65,071 50.16 Robert R. Neall Republican 64,643 49.84 1988 Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 128,624 68.30 Bradlyn McClanahan Republican 59,688 31.70 1990 Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 85,601 58.85 Robert P. Duckworth Republican 59,846 41.15 1992 Congress, District 1 Tom McMillen Democrat 112,771 48.43 Wayne Gilchrest Republican 120,084 51.57