NCAAF Maryland Terrapins

The Terrapins’ inaugural season was in 1892. Jim Tatum took control as head coach in 1947. The team won two national championships under Tatum. He led them to their first bowl game in 1948 in which they faced the University of Georgia. The game finished in a 20-20 tie. The very next year, they returned to the Gator Bowl and got their first win against Missouri. In 1953, Maryland helped form the ACC. In its inaugural season, the Terrapins won the first ACC title, sharing it with Duke. Additionally, they were the only team to finish undefeated and were named National Champions. Under Tatum, the Terrapins won two national championships, three ACC Championships, and they appeared in five Bowl Games.

The Terrapins were relatively quiet from 1957-1972. In 1972, Jerry Claiborne’s first season as head coach, the Terrapins returned to postseason play by finishing 5-5 and getting a bowl game invite. In Claiborne’s fifth season, the team went 11-0. Claiborne took the Terrapins on a historic run from ‘74 through ‘78. This run included five bowl games and three ACC championships. In 1981, Claiborne left the program and took the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky.

Bobby Ross took over the program from 1982-1986. Ross changed the offense to a more NFL-type offense, which got away from the pro-running style of Claiborne. Ross and quarterback Boomer Esiason took the offense to another level. The changes to the offense paid off as the Terrapins blew past the ACC until the championship against Clemson, where they eventually lost. Ross ended up leading the Terrapins to three straight ACC championships from 1983-1985.

In the 2000s, the Terrapins were up and down at best. Ralph Friedgen once played and was an assistant at Maryland; he became head coach in 2001. The Terrapins beat a few ranked teams in Friedgen’s first season as head coach en route to an outright championship in the ACC. The year 2006 was a bright one for the Terrapins: they recorded a 9-4 record. Additionally, they went on to beat Purdue 24-17 in the Champs Sports Bowl. The year 2008 proved to be a solid year for the Terrapins, too; they finished 8-5 beating a host of ranked teams, and winning the Humanitarian Bowl. Friedgen’s final year was debatably Maryland’s best year in years. The team finished 9-4 thus including another bowl victory in the Military Bowl. Friedgen won ACC coach of the year and quarterback Danny O’Brien brought home the ACC Rookie of the Year award.

The year 2013 was the Terrapins’ last year participating in the ACC, since they joined the Big Ten in 2014.

Mike Locksley has been head coach since 2019. They are trending upwards with a massive 54-10 win over Virginia Tech in the Pinstripe Bowl.