Here's how Bruce H. Hoffman, executive director of the Maryland Stadium Authority, describes his contribution to the construction of Oriole Park at Camden Yards:

"The one thing I did was assemble a great team," he said. "I got them all the answers they needed promptly, and the team did all the work."

But the burden of bringing the project in successfully was his alone. Gov. William Donald Schaefer made that clear in late 1988 when Hoffman was recruited for the $125,000 job.

Hoffman, 44, took over just as the first stadium designs were under way, and soon was dealing with everyone from construction workers to corporate leaders.

When costs threatened to run over budget, he worked with the designers to bring the price down to scale. When the work schedule seemed dangerously tight, he put the project on a new, fast track. When a design feature didn't translate from blueprints to the job site, he found an alternative. When political troubles loomed, he stepped in to defuse them.

Today, Schaefer has only praise for Hoffman. And Hoffman, 44, plans to stay to build a football stadium at Camden Yards if Baltimore is awarded an NFL expansion franchise.