The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins joined the Big Ten Conference on July 1, 2014, following 62 years in the Atlantic Coast Conference as a founding member. Mike Locksley is the head coach of the Terrapins.
Since 1950, the Terrapins have played their home games at SECU Stadium in College Park, Maryland, with occasional home games from time to time in Baltimore, making them one of two FBS football teams in the Baltimore–Washington metropolitan area (Navy Midshipmen) and the closest Football Bowl Subdivision team to Washington, D.C. The team's official colors of red, white, black, and gold have been in use in some combination since the 1920s and are taken from Maryland's state flag. The Terrapins nickname — often abbreviated as "Terps" — was adopted in 1933 after the diamondback terrapin, a turtle species native to the state. Maryland shares storied rivalries with Virginia and West Virginia.
The program's achievements have included one national championship in 1953, nine ACC championships, two Southern Conference championships, 12 consensus All-Americans, several Hall of Fame inductees, and 28 bowl game appearances. Maryland possesses the third-most ACC championships with nine, which places them behind Clemson and Florida State with 15 each. Many former Terrapins players and coaches have gone on to careers in professional football including 17 first-round NFL Draft picks.
History
Early years (1892–1946)
In 1892, the school then known as the Maryland Agricultural College fielded its first officially-sanctioned college football team. They went scoreless in all three of that season's games, but the following year, posted a perfect record of 6–0. For the first two decades of the program, the team primarily competed against local universities and high schools due to the prohibitive nature of long-distance travel at the time.David Ungrady, Tales from the Maryland Terrapins , p. 4, Sports Publishing LLC, 2003, .
In 1911, Harry C. "Curley" Byrd became head coach and held that position for more than two decades until he was named the university president. In 1921,New College Body Planned in South , The New York Times, December 12, 1920. Maryland joined the Southern Conference where it remained for thirty years.2008 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide (PDF), University of Maryland, 2008, accessed December 9, 2008. Between 1935 and 1946, the school had several coaches that achieved fame elsewhere: Frank Dobson, a former assistant coach under John Heisman; Clark Shaughnessy, architect of Stanford's undefeated 1940 turnaround; and Paul "Bear" Bryant, who later became the long-time Alabama head coach.Year-by-Year Results (PDF), 2008 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, University of Maryland, 2008. Bryant resigned after one season when a player he had suspended was reinstated by President Byrd.B.J. Phillips and Peter Ainslie, Football's Supercoach, Time, p. 4, September 29, 1980.
Jim Tatum era (1947–1955)
Jim Tatum was hired in 1947, after a brief stint at Oklahoma where he had led the Sooners to a conference championship in his only season there.Gary King, The Forgotten Man of Oklahoma Football: Jim Tatum , Sooner Magazine, University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., Spring 2008, retrieved December 17, 2008. He was Maryland's sixth head coach in eight years, but Tatum stayed for nine seasons and became the school's most successful head coach in modern history.Records (PDF), 2007 Maryland Football Media Guide, University of Maryland, p. 55, 2007. During his tenure, he led Maryland to two national championships (one retroactive), three conference championships, three perfect seasons, six top-20 final rankings, and five bowl game appearances. Seven of his players were named first-team All-Americans, including five consensus All-Americans. Under Tatum, Maryland finished every season with a winning record.
After the 1947 season, the Terrapins participated in their first bowl game, the 1948 Gator Bowl, in which they tied Georgia, 20–20.1992 - Lu Gambino , Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, retrieved December 23, 2008. NCAA season-scoring leader Lu Gambino recorded all three Maryland touchdowns.2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book (PDF), National Collegiate Athletic Association, retrieved December 5, 2008. In 1949, Maryland again played in the Gator Bowl, where they defeated 20th-ranked Missouri, 20–7. The Terrapins finished the season ranked 14th by the Associated Press.1940s , Maryland Football Historical Timeline, Maryland Gridiron Network, retrieved January 8, 2008. Maryland's current home field, Byrd Stadium, was constructed in 1950, and named in honor of former coach and contemporary Maryland president Curly Byrd. Maryland started the 1950 season ranked 15th and defeated Navy, 35–21, in the Byrd Stadium dedication game.Facilities: Chevy Chase Bank Field at Byrd Stadium , University of Maryland, retrieved January 8, 2008.
The Terrapins won the 1951 Southern Conference co-championship alongside the Virginia Military Institute. Their perfect season culminated with an upset over first-ranked Tennessee in the . At the time, however, the wire services released their final rankings before the bowl games,Vic Gold, The Greatest Game , Washingtonian, January 1, 2002. and Maryland finished third in the Associated Press Poll. Several selectors, including analyst Jeff Sagarin, have retroactively credited Maryland with the national championship.Past Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (Division I FBS) National Champions , National Collegiate Athletic Association, retrieved December 1, 2008. In 1953, Maryland and six other schools split from the Southern Conference to form the Atlantic Coast Conference. That year, Maryland shut-out two 11th-ranked teams: Mississippi, 38–0, and Alabama, 21–0, won the ACC co-championship alongside Duke, and were named the national champions as the only undefeated and untied team in the nation. The Terrapins were defeated by fourth-ranked Oklahoma in the Orange Bowl. After the 1955 season, Tatum resigned to return to North Carolina, where he soon died of Rocky Mountain spotted fever.The Coach, Time, August 3, 1959.
After Tatum (1956–1971) The Terrapins entered 1956 ranked number-six, but after the departure of Tatum, they suffered their first losing season in a decade. It marked the beginning of a long undistinguished period of Maryland history, and between 1956 and 1971, they compiled a record of 50–100–1 and only three winning seasons. In 1967, they suffered their first and only winless season in 75 years.Maryland Historical Scores Stassen, retrieved January 17, 2009. High points during this period included victories over 14th-ranked North Carolina in 1957, 21–7, in which Queen Elizabeth II was in attendance for her first American Football game while she was in Washington. 11th-ranked Clemson in 1959, eighth-ranked in 1960, and seventh-ranked Syracuse in 1961.1960s , Maryland Football Historical Timeline, Maryland Gridiron Network, retrieved January 8, 2008. In 1962, assistant coach Lee Corso convinced African-American wide receiver Darryl Hill to transfer from the Naval Academy. Hill broke the color barrier in football at four institutions: Gonzaga High School, the Naval Academy, Maryland, and the ACC.Tom D'Angelo, Barriers made to be broken The Palm Beach Post, October 25, 2006. In 1965, back Bob Sullivan led the nation with 10 interceptions.ACC Year-by-Year (PDF), 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Media Guide, Atlantic Coast Conference, 2007.
Jerry Claiborne era (1972–1981) In 1972, Jerry Claiborne took over as head coach of the Terrapins, which had only nine wins in the past five years. In his first season, Maryland improved to 5–5–1, and the following year, they reached their first bowl game in almost two decades. The team steadily improved until his fifth season, 1976, when they finished the regular season with an 11–0 record, their first perfect mark since Tatum's 1955 squad. Boomer Esiason later described Claiborne's coaching style as "vanilla", and said his strategy was "run right, run left, run up the middle, punt, and play good defense." He went on to say, "But, there's no question he made me a tougher player . . . We'd do drills where the quarterback had to take on a linebacker. It was like he had a sign on our back, 'Hit us, we're stupid'. It made you a tougher player."David Ungrady, p. 210.
In 1974, Maryland had a pre-season rank of 14th and later beat 17th-ranked NC State to win the ACC championship. The Terrapins were defeated by 20th-ranked Tennessee in the Liberty Bowl and finished the season ranked 13th. In 1975, Maryland again won the ACC and defeated 13th-ranked Florida in the to finish 13th in the nation. That season, the Terrapins led the ACC in total offense with 375.2 yards per game. Maryland started 1976 ranked 12th, and quarterback Mark Manges led them to 11 consecutive wins to secure their third straight ACC championship. Maryland's loss to sixth-ranked Houston in the , 30–21, ended any hopes for a national championship.Cotton Bowl Foes Arrive , The New York Times, December 27, 1976.
In 1978, Maryland beat 20th-ranked NC State and finished with a ranking of 20th. The game that pitted 11th-ranked Maryland against 12th-ranked Clemson has been described as one of the most exciting games of the era. The "big-play caravan" ultimately saw Clemson triumph, 28–24.Bob Boyles and Paul Guido, The USA Today College Football Encyclopedia: A Comprehensive Modern Reference to America's Most Colorful Sport, 1953–present, p. 356, New York: Skyhorse Publishing, 2008, From 1974 to 1978, Claiborne and the Terrapins secured five consecutive bowl game berths and three consecutive ACC championships. Maryland made it to a sixth bowl game in 1980. After the 1981 season, Claiborne left the program for his alma mater, Kentucky,Herbert Sparrow, Claiborne seeks return to Kentucky glory days , The Free-Lance Star, December 17, 1981. and was replaced by Bobby Ross, an assistant coach for the Kansas City Chiefs.
Bobby Ross era (1982–1986) In a surprising choice, former Maryland assistant coach and Citadel head coach Bobby Ross, who was not a big-name at the time, was selected as head coach in 1982. In contrast to Claiborne's style, Ross implemented a high-powered offense. He replaced the I-veer triple option with an NFL-style offense that emphasized dropback passes, bootlegs, and play action passes.Justin Rodriguez, Champion of the underdog , Times Herald-Record, August 8, 2004. This change in tactics and strategy enabled starting quarterback Boomer Esiason the opportunity to excel to a degree not seen under Claiborne the season prior. Esiason said, "Ross has an uncanny knack of putting players in a position to not only succeed, but to overachieve . . . If he didn't show up at Maryland, I don't know what would have happened to me. I don't know if I would have turned into the player I was and played in the NFL." During this time, several Maryland quarterbacks went on to careers in the National Football League (NFL), and the school was nicknamed "Quarterback U" as a result.Quarterback U , Sports Illustrated, November 25, 1991.Ken Murray, Ex-Maryland Qbs Not A Passing Fancy, The Seattle Times, January 9, 1993.