Tom McMillen
American basketball player and politician (born 1952)

Tom McMillen
Chair of the President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports
In office
1993–1997
PresidentBill Clinton
Preceded byArnold Schwarzenegger
Succeeded byLee Haney
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
from Maryland's 4th district
In office
January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1993
Preceded byMarjorie Holt
Succeeded byAl Wynn
Personal details
BornCharles Thomas McMillen
(1952-05-26) May 26, 1952 (age 73)
Elmira, New York, U.S.
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Maryland, College Park (BS)
University College, Oxford (BA)
Basketball career
Personal information
Listed height6 ft 11 in (2.11 m)
Listed weight215 lb (98 kg)
Career information
High schoolMansfield
(Mansfield, Pennsylvania)
CollegeMaryland (1971–1974)
NBA draft1974: 1st round, 9th overall pick
Drafted byBuffalo Braves
Playing career1974–1986
PositionPower forward / center
Number52, 54
Career history
1974–1975Virtus Bologna
1975–1976Buffalo Braves
1976–1977New York Knicks
1977–1983Atlanta Hawks
1983–1986Washington Bullets
Career highlights
Career NBA statistics
Points5,914 (8.1 ppg)
Rebounds2,913 (4.0 rpg)
Assists788 (1.1 apg)
Stats at NBA.com 
Stats at Basketball Reference 
Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame
Medals
Men's basketball
Representing  United States
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1972 Munich Team

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.

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.[1] He is also the author of Out of Bounds,[2] 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.[3]

Career

Basketball

McMillen playing for Virtus in Italy, 1975

Prior to entering politics, McMillen was a star basketball player on all levels. In 1970, he was the number one high school basketball player in the country coming out of Mansfield, Pennsylvania, and was the biggest recruiting catch early in coach Lefty Driesell's career at the University of Maryland, beating out rival coaches Dean Smith of the University of North Carolina and John Wooden of University of California, Los Angeles for McMillen's services. McMillen played for the Terrapins from 1971 to 1974.[4] 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.[5] After graduating from Maryland in 1974,[6] 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.[7] 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.[8] 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.[9] Future president Donald Trump donated to McMillen's first Congressional campaign.[10]

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.[11] At 6 feet 11 inches, he is two feet taller than Maryland Senator Barbara Mikulski, who is believed to be the shortest representative ever.[12]

Later career

McMillen shakes hands with Maryland Governor Wes Moore, 2024

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.[10] No prosecution was ever brought as part of the raid.[10][13] 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.[14] In March 2023, McMillen was again appointed to the Boards of Regents, succeeding Gary L. Attman.[15]

In September 2015, McMillen was selected to lead the Division I-A Athletic Directors' Association as it moved from Dallas to Washington, D.C.[3] He remains President and Chief Executive Officer of the renamed Lead1 Association, now advocating for athletic directors at Football Bowl Subdivision universities.[16][17]

Personal life

McMillen is married to Dr. Judith Niemyer.[18] The couple have lived in Fauquier County, Virginia since 2010.[19]

In 1992, McMillen attended a NFL-related party hosted by Donald Trump, and happened to enter the party with his girlfriend at the exact same time as Jeffrey Epstein, which was caught on tape by NBC cameras.[13][10] McMillen was also filmed talking with Ghislaine Maxwell; in 2025, he said that he was just saying hello to people as he walked through the party.[10] McMillen's name is listed in the Epstein flight logs for a date two months after the party, though he said in 2025 that the logs are false.[10] In a statement to Pablo Torre Finds Out, McMillen said that he did not have a close relationship with Epstein, nor would he have considered him a friend.[10]

In an email that was later released to the public by Congress, Gwendolyn Beck reached out to Epstein, claiming that McMillen had wanted to be reintroduced to him to help raise money so McMillen could receive an ambassadorship from the Obama administration.[10] McMillen also said he did not remember making that ask, that he would not have mentioned Epstein nor was he looking to receive an ambassadorship since he had been a supporter of Hillary Clinton's campaign.[10]

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high
 *  Led the league

NBA

Source[20]

Regular season

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1975–76 Buffalo 50 14.2 .432 .759 3.7 1.4 .1 .1 4.7
1976–77 Buffalo 20 13.5 .489 .722 3.6 .8 .1 .1 5.8
New York 56 22 21.8 .486 .805 5.7 .9 .2 .1 9.4
1977–78 Atlanta 68 24.8 .493 .800 6.1 1.2 .5 .2 9.9
1978–79 Atlanta 82* 17.0 .466 .891 4.0 .8 .2 .4 7.0
1979–80 Atlanta 53 20.2 .500 .000 .757 4.2 1.2 .7 .3 8.7
1980–81 Atlanta 79 19.8 .487 .167 .741 3.7 .9 .3 .3 7.4
1981–82 Atlanta 73 23 24.5 .509 .333 .824 4.6 1.8 .3 .3 9.9
1982–83 Atlanta 61 4 22.4 .467 .000 .812 3.6 1.2 .3 .4 8.3
1983–84 Washington 62 5 20.9 .497 .167 .814 3.2 1.2 .2 .3 9.2
1984–85 Washington 69 21 22.4 .472 .000 .830 3.0 .8 .1 .2 8.9
1985–86 Washington 56 1 15.4 .460 .000 .810 2.0 .6 .2 .2 5.8
Career 729 76 20.3 .483 .120 .806 4.0 1.1 .3 .3 8.1

Playoffs

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
1976 Buffalo 1 3.0 .500 – 1.0 .0 .0 .0 2.0
1978 Atlanta 2 37.5 .565 – 11.0 .5 .5 .0 13.0
1979 Atlanta 9 18.1 .435 .842 3.8 .8 .2 .1 6.2
1982 Atlanta 2 23.5 .615 – .667 3.5 .5 1.5 .0 10.0
1983 Atlanta 3 13.0 .333 – 1.000 2.3 .7 .3 .7 3.3
1984 Washington 4 10.5 .250 – .500 .5 .8 .0 .0 2.3
1985 Washington 1 0 7.0 .000 .000 – 5.0 1.0 .0 .0 .0
1986 Washington 4 0 13.5 .500 – – 1.3 1.8 .8 .0 4.0
Career 26 0 16.5 .439 .000 .793 3.2 .8 .4 .1 5.3

Electoral history

Year Office Subject Party Votes Pct Opponent Party Votes Pct
1986[21] Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 65,071 50.16 Robert R. Neall Republican 64,643 49.84
1988[22] Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 128,624 68.30 Bradlyn McClanahan Republican 59,688 31.70
1990[23] Congress, District 4 Tom McMillen Democrat 85,601 58.85 Robert P. Duckworth Republican 59,846 41.15
1992[24] Congress, District 1 Tom McMillen Democrat 112,771 48.43 Wayne Gilchrest Republican 120,084 51.57

References

  1. ^ "History of the Council". health.gov. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  2. ^ McMillen, Tom; Coggins, Paul (May 1, 1992). Out of Bounds: How the American Sport Establishment Is Being Driven by Greed Hypocrisy-And What Need to Be Done About It. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 0671707760.
  3. ^ a b "Ex-Terp Tom McMillen tapped to lead Division 1A Athletic Directors' Association". The Baltimore Sun. September 21, 2015. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  4. ^ "Tom McMillen College Stats". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  5. ^ Holan, Mark (March 20, 2015). "Thomas McMillen (Video)". Washington Business Journal.
  6. ^ Barker, Jeff (January 22, 2019). "Former Terps star McMillen predicts 'major gambling scandal' tied to college sports betting in future". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 14, 2020.
  7. ^ DatabaseBasketball page on Tom McMillen
  8. ^ "Aspiring To Higher Things: All-America, Rhodes Scholar, NBA player, Tom McMillen is emulating Bill Bradley. Next, elective office". Sports Illustrated. April 5, 1982. Archived from the original on May 28, 2010. Retrieved June 18, 2010.
  9. ^ "Members of Congress/Tom McMillen". The Washington Post. 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2009.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Torre, Pablo (December 2, 2025). We Showed a Basketball Icon His Name in the Epstein Files. Things Got Awkward (Video). Pablo Torre Finds Out.
  11. ^ Pathé, Simone (February 9, 2017). "Alan Simpson Is No Longer the Tallest Senator, and He's OK With That". Roll Call. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
  12. ^ Dowd, Maureen (April 20, 1987). "A Matter of Measurement". The New York Times.
  13. ^ a b Cox, Erin (July 19, 2019). "Who is the tall guy in that Epstein-Trump video? Marylanders remember". The Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved December 3, 2025.
  14. ^ Barker, Jeff (March 16, 2015). "Former Rep. Tom McMillen replaced as Maryland regent". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
  15. ^ Kurtz, Josh (March 24, 2023). "While some of his nominees struggle, Moore forwards another 128 names to Senate". Maryland Matters. Retrieved March 24, 2023.
  16. ^ "Tom McMillen - Lead1 Association". Lead1 Association. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  17. ^ Hobson, Will (December 22, 2017). "Why the new GOP tax law is setting off a dash for cash at many major college sports programs". The Washington Post. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  18. ^ Shapiro, Leonard (June 7, 2016). "Tom McMillen Still Has That Feathery Touch". Middleburg Life. Greenhill Media, LLC.
  19. ^ "Letter: The Sanctuary at Barrel Oak …wrong for Fauquier County and unrealistic". Fauquier Times. January 9, 2020. Retrieved January 11, 2020.
  20. ^ "Tom McMillen NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved April 22, 2025.
  21. ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (May 29, 1987). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 4, 1986" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  22. ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (April 20, 1989). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 8, 1988" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  23. ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (April 29, 1991). "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 6, 1990" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
  24. ^ Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives (May 31, 1993). "Statistics of the Presidential and Congressional Election of November 3, 1992" (PDF). U.S. Government Printing Office. Retrieved April 8, 2013.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Charles Thomas McMillen.
  • United States Congress. "Tom McMillen (id: M000573)". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress.
  • Appearances on C-SPAN
  • Career statistics from NBA.com  · Basketball Reference
  • "Tom McMillen to Speak at Mansfield University Commencement". mansfield.edu.
  • "Mansfield University Commencement". mansfield.edu.
  • National Foundation of Sports, Fitness and Nutrition. nationalfitnessfoundation.org
  • C. Thomas McMillen papers at the University of Maryland libraries
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