I met with Bill twice to do this interview. The first time we met was February 26th. Just three days later, we had our first Coronavirus death in the United States. Everyone’s life has been altered in some way, including the 7,000 team members of T. Rowe Price-they’re fortunate to have “Coach Stromberg” leading.

Bill, is one of the most decorated athletes in Johns Hopkins history. He had an outstanding baseball career, still holding records from his Blue Jay days on the diamond, but it was on the gridiron that Bill really excelled. He is considered to be one of the best wide receivers in NCAA Division III history, setting many school and NCAA records. Bill was inducted into the Johns Hopkins Hall of Fame in 1994 and the College Football Hall of Fame in 2004. After graduation in 1982, he signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles.

Thank you, Bill, for the quality time you gave me. We covered a wide range of topics, from growing up in West Baltimore, great memories from Loyola Blakefield and Johns Hopkins, and for the last four years leading one of the great financial institutions in the world.

We are still in the early stages of one of the most challenging periods in the history of our country. T. Rowe Price, one of Maryland’s great companies, and Bill Stromberg’s leadership, give me great optimism that our community will be much stronger when we get to “the other side.”

MG: I know you’re a Baltimore kid. Where did you grow up?

BS: I grew up in Westview Park, which is right between Woodlawn and Catonsville. My dad grew up in a neighborhood near Mt. St. Joe, their home actually looked over Slentz Field. My mom grew up on the east side of town near Patterson Park.

MG: What did your mom and dad do?

BS: My dad was an accountant and worked for Westinghouse, he was a controller and worked there for many years. My mom was a homemaker, she is alive today, 93, and is doing awesome. She was a nurturing person, easy to love, and held us to high standards, like “get your homework done.”

MG: When you grow up on the west side of Baltimore, you usually go to Mt. St. Joe or Cardinal Gibbons, before it closed. You went to Loyola. How did that happen?

BS: I went to St. Agnes, a Catholic grade school. When I was in the eighth grade, and it was time to make our field trip to Mt. St. Joe, I wound up in the middle of a food fight that I didn’t start. Right after that, I had a great visit to Loyola; it was across town, so it made it hard on my parents, but it just felt right to me. There was a great athlete from the west side at that time, Mark Poehlman, who was from Edmondson Heights, not far from my neighborhood. He was at Loyola and having great success, so it made it easier for me to realize it could work for me.

MG: What are your best memories from Loyola?

BS: It turned out to be a great decision for me. They pushed me in a way I hadn’t been used to being pushed. Academically, athletically, spiritually, and all three made a big difference for me.

MG: Who was the President of Loyola when you were a student?

BS: The president was Fr. Jim Salmon, in many ways he helped to save the school. The school was going through a hard time, and he helped to turn it around. I had a lot of respect for him.

MG: Favorite teacher?

BS: Fr. Nash. He was a quiet Jesuit, all the AP courses, calculus, physics, went through Fr. Nash. There was a quiz every day, you had to be prepared, there wasn’t a lot of love, and he held all of us to a high standard. He made sure we were the best we could be. He truly lived the Jesuit creed, “Men for Others.”

After four years, reflecting back, going to Loyola turned out to be an excellent decision for me. It pushed me in a way I wasn’t used to being pushed. In every aspect: academically, athletically, spiritually. All three of those made a big difference. It was just right for me.

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