The 1954 Maine Black Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maine as a member of the Yankee Conference and Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association during the 1954 college football season. In its fourth season under head coach Harold Westerman, the team compiled a 5–2 record (2–2 against Yankee Conference and 3–0 against MIAA opponents), finished third out of the six teams in the Yankee Conference, and won the Maine "State Series" championship. The team played its home games at Alumni Field in Orono, Maine. Thomas Golden and Ernest Short were the team captains.[1]
| 1954 Maine Black Bears football | |
|---|---|
MIAA champion | |
| Conference | Yankee Conference, Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association |
| Record | 5–2 (2–2 Yankee, 3–0 MIAA) |
| Head coach |
|
| Captain | Thomas Golden, Ernest Short |
| Home stadium | Alumni Field |
| Conf | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| New Hampshire $ | 4 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 1 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island | 3 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maine | 2 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vermont | 1 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 1 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| UMass | 1 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Connecticut | 0 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 1 | – | 8 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The team was led on offense by triple-threat quarterback Billy Pappas.[2]
Schedule
edit| Date | Opponent | Site | Result | Attendance | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 25 | Rhode Island |
| L 7–14 | [3] | |
| October 2 | at Vermont | W 23–20 | 6,500 | [4] | |
| October 9 | New Hampshire |
| L 10–21 | [2] | |
| October 16 | at Connecticut | W 41–13 | 11,000 | [5] | |
| October 23 | Bates |
| W 35–0 | [6] | |
| October 30 | Colby |
| W 33–6 | 6,500 | [7] |
| November 6 | at Bowdoin | W 27–13 | [8] |
References
edit- ^ "2019 Maine Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Maine. 2019. p. 86. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
- ^ a b Owen Osborne (October 11, 1954). "Passing Billy Pappas Paces New Hampshire In YC Victory Over Maine". Bangor Daily News. p. 8 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bud Leavitt (September 27, 1954). "Rhody Defeats Maine, 14–7". Bangor Daily News. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Maine Bears defeat UVM Catamounts 23–20". The Barre Daily Times. October 4, 1954. Retrieved June 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bill Newell (October 17, 1954). "Maine Crushes Connecticut By 41 to 13: Ernie Smart Has 89-Yard Kickoff Return". The Hartford Courant. p. IV-1 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Black Bears Wallop Bates Eleven, 35-0". Bangor Daily News. October 25, 1954. pp. 7, 18 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Bud Leavitt (November 1, 1954). "Maine Bears Halt Mule Attack: Co-Captain Ernie Smart Paces 33-6 Series Win". Bangor Daily News. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ Owen Osborne (November 8, 1954). "Maine Defeats Bowdoin To Win 20th State Grid Title". Bangor Daily News. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 25, 2022.