Maryland Terrapins football: 1856–1946

Maryland Terrapins football

The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision competition. The Terrapins compete within the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

program representing the University of Maryland

University of Maryland, College Park

The University of Maryland, College Park is a top-ranked public research university located in the city of College Park in Prince George's County, Maryland, just outside Washington, D.C...

traces its lineage to the team first formed at what was then the Maryland Agricultural College (MAC) in 1892. In the initial years, due to the rudimentary state of intercollegiate athletics and interstate travel, all games were played against local colleges, high schools, and athletic clubs.

In 1902, Maryland hired its first professional coach, John Markey

John Markey

David John Markey was an American politician, Army officer, businessman, and college football coach. He is probably most notable for a controversial unsuccessful campaign for a United States Senate seat against former Maryland governor Herbert R. O'Conor in 1946...

, and soon after drafted a "football philosophy", an early attempt at a codification of college football. During his tenure as head coach from 1911 to 1934, Harry C. "Curley" Byrd

Curley Byrd

Harry Clifton "Curley" Byrd was an American university administrator, educator, athlete, coach, and politician...

significantly increased Maryland's strength of schedule

Strength of schedule

In sports, strength of schedule refers to the difficulty or ease of a team's/person's opponent as compared to other teams/persons. This is especially important if teams in a league do not play each other the same number of times.-Computation:...

, and recorded victories over then-powerhouses Penn

Penn Quakers

The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 27 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.-Men's crew:-Football:...

and Yale

Yale Bulldogs

The Yale Bulldogs are the athletic teams of the Yale University. The school sponsors 35 varsity sports. The school has won two NCAA national championships in women's fencing, four in men's swimming and diving, and twenty one in men's golf.-Men's baseball:...

. Byrd also greatly increased school support and interest in the sport, and was responsible for the building of the school's first stadium

Old Byrd Stadium

Old Byrd Stadium, also known as Byrd Stadium or Byrd Field and nicknamed "the Byrd Cage", was the home stadium for the University of Maryland from 1923 until 1947. It was located in College Park, Maryland, east of Baltimore Avenue on the site of the school's present-day fraternity row...

in 1923.

Byrd became the university president in 1935, and continued his support for Maryland football from that office. As a coach, he was succeeded by several prominent individuals, namely Clark Shaughnessy

Clark Shaughnessy

Clark Daniel Shaughnessy was an American football coach and innovator. He is sometimes called the "father of the T formation", although that system had previously been used as early as the 1880s. Shaughnessy did, however, modernize the obsolescent T formation to make it once again relevant in the...

, who had perfected the T-formation, and Paul "Bear" Bryant

Bear Bryant

Paul William "Bear" Bryant was an American college football player and coach. He was best known as the longtime head coach of the University of Alabama football team. During his 25-year tenure as Alabama's head coach, he amassed six national championships and thirteen conference championships...

, who later went onto great success at Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide football

. After just one season at Maryland, a conflict with Byrd resulted in Bryant's departure.

Introduction of football at Maryland

Informally, football and baseball

Baseball

Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...

games had been played at the Maryland Agricultural College as early as the time of the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. In 1890, an unofficial school team composed mostly of Maryland Agricultural students saw action against local high schools Laurel

Laurel High School (Laurel, Maryland)

Laurel High School is a public high school located in Laurel, Maryland, and is the oldest school in the Prince George's County Public Schools system. Founded in 1899 with an enrollment of 59 students and four teachers, the original school building is now the Phelps Community Center in Laurel...

and Sandy Spring

Sandy Spring, Maryland

Sandy Spring, Maryland is an unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Maryland.The community was founded by Quakers who arrived in the early 18th century searching for land where they could grow tobacco and corn. One of the very early land owners in the Sandy Spring area was Richard Snowden,...

. It was not officially sanctioned by the college, but was allowed to use the school's name. In 1891, the same team played three games against Gallaudet, Hyattsville

Hyattsville, Maryland

Hyattsville is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States. The population was 17,557 at the 2000 census.- History :The city was named for its founder, Christopher Clark Hyatt. He purchased his first parcel of land in the area in March 1845...

, and Sandy Spring. The victory over Sandy Spring prompted the MAC faculty to officially recognize the team.
In 1892, the first official Maryland Agricultural football team, known as the "Aggies" or "Farmers", was formed by quarterback William Skinner, who also served concurrently as the head coach. They went scoreless in that inaugural season with losses to St. John's College

St. John's College, U.S.

St. John's College is a liberal arts college with two U.S. campuses: one in Annapolis, Maryland and one in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Founded in 1696 as a preparatory school, King William's School, the school received a collegiate charter in 1784, making it one of the oldest institutions of higher...

, Johns Hopkins

Johns Hopkins Blue Jays

The Johns Hopkins University's intercollegiate sports teams are called the Blue Jays , and they compete in the NCAA's Division III, except for the lacrosse teams that compete in Division I. They are primarily members of the Centennial Conference. The team colors are Columbia blue and black, and...

, and Episcopal High School. In the game against Episcopal, halfback Pearse "Shorty" Prough gained the only positive yardage for the team—after first running in the wrong direction for 30 yards, before changing course for a net gain of 35 yards. Episcopal's school newspaper, the Monthly Chronicle, stated that the play "showed an unaccreditable ignorance of football."

The following season, in 1893, showed significant improvement. Maryland won all six of its games, including ones against Baltimore City College

Baltimore City College football

The Baltimore City College football team, known as the "Knights", or formerly, the "Collegians" or "Alamedans", represents the Baltimore City College preparatory school of Baltimore, Maryland...

, St. John's, and Western Maryland

McDaniel College

McDaniel College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland, located 30 miles northwest of Baltimore. The college also has a satellite campus located in Budapest, Hungary. Until July 2002, it was known as Western Maryland College...

. The St. John's match was controversial, however. After the game, St. John's players wrote in the Baltimore American that "a decision by which the M.A.C. were allowed to score the only touchdown made by the quarterback after a run of 90 yards, with no one in pursuit, appeared a very doubtful one." At the end of the season, Maryland Agricultural was awarded both the District of Columbia

Washington, D.C.

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....

and the state collegiate championships. The awarding of the Maryland state championship, however, was protested by St. John's, which claimed that it was the deserving team.

Formation of the MIFA

In 1894, former coach and quarterback William Skinner helped lead the formation of the Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association

Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association

The Maryland Intercollegiate Football Association , also called the Maryland Intercollegiate League, was an early college football conference with a membership composed of schools located primarily in the state of Maryland. One exception to that was Gallaudet, which is located in Washington, D.C...

(MIFA) in order to improve the process of naming the state champions. Other teams involved included Baltimore City College, Gallaudet, Johns Hopkins, Washington College

Washington College

Washington College is a private, independent liberal arts college located on a campus in Chestertown, Maryland, on the Eastern Shore. Maryland granted Washington College its charter in 1782...

, and Western Maryland. The game against St. John's once again aroused controversy, and the MAC accused their opponent of hiring ringers from Lehigh

Lehigh Mountain Hawks

The Lehigh Mountain Hawks are the athletic teams representing Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, United States. The Hawks participate in NCAA Division I competition as a member of the Patriot League...

. When Johns Hopkins canceled their game, Maryland arranged to play Georgetown

Georgetown Hoyas football

The Georgetown Hoyas football team represents Georgetown University in the Division I Football Championship Subdivision level of college football. Like other sports teams from Georgetown, the team is named the Hoyas, which derives from the chant, Hoya Saxa...

instead. The Maryland team called the game with a 6–4 lead as darkness fell. However, the referee, Georgetown halfback Mike Mahoney, ruled it a forfeiture and awarded the win to Georgetown. Today, Maryland and Georgetown both count the game as a Maryland Agricultural win in their records.

A brief hiatus

In 1895, Maryland Agricultural, a land-grant school

Land-grant university

Land-grant universities are institutions of higher education in the United States designated by each state to receive the benefits of the Morrill Acts of 1862 and 1890....

with a military curriculum requirement, had a new commandant of cadets take office. Lieutenant Clough Overton, who opposed football at the university, cut funding for equipment and instituted strict rules limiting practice time. Instead of accepting this serious disadvantage against their opponents, the players declined to field a football team for the season.

The following season, there was a renewal of football at Maryland. Fullback Grenville Lewis

Grenville Lewis

Grenville Lewis, Jr. was an American engineer, cattle rancher, and college football coach. He served as the head coach at the Maryland Agricultural College .-Biography:...

was elected as team captain and head coach. He instituted a strict physical training regimen involving calisthenics

Calisthenics

Calisthenics are a form of aerobic exercise consisting of a variety of simple, often rhythmical, movements, generally using multiple equipment or apparatus. They are intended to increase body strength and flexibility with movements such as bending, jumping, swinging, twisting or kicking, using...

and long-distance running, and banned smoking, drinking, and eating pie

Pie

A pie is a baked dish which is usually made of a pastry dough casing that covers or completely contains a filling of various sweet or savoury ingredients....

during the football season. This was unpopular with the team, but Lewis was embraced by the students and faculty. In the game to decide the state championship, Maryland Agricultural faced Maryland-Baltimore

University of Maryland, Baltimore

University of Maryland, Baltimore, was founded in 1807. It comprises some of the oldest professional schools in the nation and world. It is the original campus of the University System of Maryland. Located on 60 acres in downtown Baltimore, Maryland, it is part of the University System of Maryland...

. Late in the scoreless game, the Aggies pushed to their opponents' two-yard line. With darkness approaching and Maryland Agricultural having difficulty scoring, the referee called the game. It became clear that Maryland-Baltimore had sneaked three extra players onto the field, but the referee refused to award the Aggies the win. Two days later, the Maryland–Baltimore players voted to forfeit the game, and with it the championship, to Maryland Agricultural.

In 1897, Maryland faced Johns Hopkins for the first time since the Aggies' inaugural season. Hopkins beat Maryland handily, 30–6, and the Aggies went on to lose their next three games to finish the year with a 2–4 mark. The 1898 season saw the Aggies finish 2–5–1 and in 1899, the team canceled the remainder of its season after accumulating a 1–4 record. Maryland saw a marginal improvement to 3–4–1 in 1900, but then fell to a 1–7 season in 1901.

A football philosophy

In 1902, Maryland Agricultural paid $300 for its first professional football coach, John Markey

John Markey

. Markey re-instated physical conditioning and incorporated a tackling

Tackle (football move)

Most forms of football have a move known as a tackle. The primary purposes of tackling is to disposses an opponent of the ball, to stop the player from gaining ground towards goal or to stop them from carrying out what they intend....

dummy

Dummy

Dummy may refer to:*Military dummy:**dummy round—a cartridge that is inert, i.e. contains neither primer nor gunpowder**decoy—fake military equipment intended to deceive the enemy...

during practice for the first time at the school. He led Maryland to a 3–5–2 record his first season, before improving to 7–4 in his second year. Markey had not planned to play on the team, but was forced to fill in for a fullback who was intimidated by a death threat from a Georgetown fan. The following year, in the game against Columbian

George Washington Colonials football

The George Washington Colonials football team represented The George Washington University in National Collegiate Athletic Association major college-level football competition from 1881 to 1966. The Colonials were most successful between the 1930s and 1950s when they regularly played top-level...

(now The George Washington University), their opponents complained that Markey was a professional. Maryland Agricultural responded with the same accusation against Columbian fullback Granville Church, and the teams came to an agreement to let both play. Markey went on to score the only points of the game in a 6–0 Maryland Agricultural victory.

At this time, there was no official regulating body for college sports. The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the United States (IAAUS), predecessor to the National Collegiate Athletic Association

National Collegiate Athletic Association

The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...

(NCAA), was not formed until 1906. Maryland Agricultural attempted to rectify this lack of regulation by writing a "philosophy" for the sport, which stated in part that it would "offer no inducements to any athlete."

After his request for a salary increase was rebuffed, Markey coached part-time in 1904. Maryland recorded a 2–4–2 record, and he did not return as head coach the following year. Markey was replaced by Fred Nielsen

Fred Nielsen

Fred Kenelm Nielsen was a Danish-American lawyer, diplomatic official, and college football coach. Nielsen served as the head football coach at the Maryland Agricultural College from 1905 to 1906, the George Washington University from 1907 to 1908, Georgetown University from 1910 to 1911, and the...

, a former Nebraska

Nebraska Cornhuskers football

The Nebraska Cornhuskers represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln in college football. The program has established itself as a traditional powerhouse, and has the fourth-most all-time victories of any NCAA Division I-A team. Nebraska is one of only six football programs in NCAA Division I-A...

halfback.

Arrival of Curley Byrd

Under Nielsen in 1905, Harry "Curley" Byrd

Curley Byrd

Harry Clifton "Curley" Byrd was an American university administrator, educator, athlete, coach, and politician...

began his long career at Maryland. He saw his first action as an end late in the 0–17 loss to the Naval Academy

Navy Midshipmen football

The Navy Midshipmen football team represents the United States Naval Academy in NCAA Division I-A college football. They are a Division I Football Bowl Subdivision independent school and coached by Ken Niumatalolo since December 2007...

. Byrd impressed Nielsen enough to earn the starting position for the remainder of the season. He would also play baseball

Baseball

and run track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

at the school, where he set the records for the 50- (5.2 seconds), 100- (10 seconds), and 220-yard (22.3 seconds) dashes. In 1906, Byrd also played as a quarterback

Quarterback

Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...

, and in 1907, a kicker

Placekicker

Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...

. Additionally, he assisted with coaching, as head coach Charles Melick

Charles Melick

Charles Wesley Melick was an American educator and college football coach. He served as the head coach at the University of Maryland in 1907.-Biography:Melick spent most of his early life in the Midwest, primarily in Nebraska...

and assistant coach Durant Church had other full-time jobs.

The Curley Byrd era: 1911–1934

In 1911, Charley Donnelly

Charley Donnelly

Charles F. "Charley" Donnelly was an American educator, golfer, and college football and golf coach. He served as the head football coach at the Maryland Agricultural College in 1911 and as the head golf coach at the College of the Holy Cross in the 1930s and 1940s.-Biography:A native of...

was the head coach for the first seven games, before stepping down with a 2–4–1 record. Due to injuries, Maryland did not have enough players to field a practice squad

Scout team

In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team, taxi squad, practice squad or practice roster, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured players. Frequently used in American or Canadian Football, these teams consist of less...

and turned to local high schools for scrimmages. Curley Byrd was serving as the football coach at one of these high schools and agreed to take the head coaching job at Maryland, his alma mater

Alma mater

Alma mater , pronounced ), was used in ancient Rome as a title for various mother goddesses, especially Ceres or Cybele, and in Christianity for the Virgin Mary.-General term:...

. Byrd held that position for 24 years, making him the longest-serving football coach in school history. During this time, he developed a unique offensive scheme called the "Byrd system", which combined elements of the single-wing and double-wing formations. He also coached the basketball

Maryland Terrapins men's basketball

The Maryland Terrapins men's basketball team represents the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I competition...

and baseball teams from 1913 to 1923.

Founding of the University of Maryland

The campus was devastated by a fire in 1912, which deepened the school's grave financial difficulties. In 1916, the state government took full control of the school and renamed it Maryland State College. Byrd became the assistant athletic director in 1918 and assisted in the consolidation with the professional colleges in Baltimore, which resulted in the creation of the University of Maryland. During this time, the team was referred as 'The Old Liners', most likely in reference to the state nickname.

During his tenure, Byrd greatly increased fan and faculty interest and financial support for football at Maryland. Prior to 1912, the team lacked any facilities and its one field left much to be desired. In 1915, Byrd requested funds for the school's first stadium

Old Byrd Stadium

and associated facilities.
In 1913, Maryland Agricultural compiled a 6–3 record. The team shut-out four Maryland state universities: Johns Hopkins (26–0), Western Maryland (46–0), St. John's (13–0), and Washington College (20–0). For the feat, Maryland Agricultural won the state championship. In 1914, the MAC tallied a 5–3 record. In intrastate play, the Farmers recorded wins over Johns Hopkins, St. John's, and Washington College, and a loss to Western Maryland. Once again, the team secured the state championship. The following year, Maryland met Johns Hopkins at Homewood Field

Homewood Field

Homewood Field is the athletics stadium of the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland. It was built in 1906 and has an official capacity of 8,500 people. The name is taken, as is that of the entire campus, from that of the estate of Charles Carroll of Carrollton. It serves as the home...

on Thanksgiving Day, which drew the venue's all-time record crowd of 13,000 spectators. Hopkins won a hard-fought defensive struggle, 3–0, and the two teams met on the occasion all but two subsequent years through 1934, the final game of the series.

Jack Faber

Jack Faber

John Edgar Faber, Jr. was an American microbiologist and college football and lacrosse coach at the University of Maryland. Faber served as the Maryland lacrosse coach from 1928 to 1963, during which time he compiled a 249–57 record and secured numerous national and conference championships...

, who played for Byrd at the time, said that Maryland scheduled games against "four or five schools every year we had no right beating." Maryland achieved a winning record each season during Byrd's first decade of coaching, from 1911 to 1920. In that period, the team also accumulated a 7–2–1 record against arch-rival Johns Hopkins. The following decade, the team played an increasingly difficult and farther afield schedule. During the 1920s Maryland recorded wins against some of the period's powerhouses: Yale, Rutgers

Rutgers Scarlet Knights football

The Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team represents Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision play...

, Princeton, Pennsylvania, Syracuse, Cornell

Cornell Big Red

The Cornell Big Red is the informal name of the sports teams, and other competitive teams, at Cornell University. The university sponsors 36 varsity sports, as well as numerous intramural and club teams. Cornell participates in NCAA Division I as part of the Ivy League.The men's and women's hockey...

, and North Carolina

North Carolina Tar Heels football

The North Carolina Tar Heels football team represents the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collegiate level football. In Carolina’s first 121 seasons of football competition, the Tar Heels have compiled a record of 646–488–54, a winning percentage of .566...

Conferences reshuffle

For the 1920 season, Maryland played in the South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association

South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association

The South Atlantic Intercollegiate Athletic Association was an intercollegiate athletic conference. The SAIAA was first formed in 1907 and remained active until 1921...

(SAIAA). Meanwhile, members of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association

The Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association was one of the first collegiate athletic conferences in the United States. Twenty-seven of the current Division I FBS football programs were members of this conference at some point, as were at least 19 other schools...

(SIAA) were locked in a heated debate over whether first-year students should be eligible to play football. The larger schools, in general, were against the practice, and eventually the disagreement resulted in a schism within the SIAA. Eight teams from the SIAA split to form the Southern Conference

Southern Conference

The Southern Conference is a Division I college athletic conference affiliated with the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Southern Conference football teams compete in the Football Championship Subdivision . Member institutions are located in the states of Alabama, Georgia, North...

: Alabama

Alabama Crimson Tide football

, Auburn

Auburn Tigers football

Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...

, Clemson

Clemson Tigers football

The Clemson Tigers football team is an American football team from Clemson University in South Carolina. It competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

, Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs football

The Georgia Bulldogs football team represents the University of Georgia in football. The Bulldogs are a member of the Southeastern Conference and are frequently a top-25 team. The University of Georgia has had a football team since 1892 and has an all-time record of 738–398–54...

, Georgia Tech, Kentucky

Kentucky Wildcats football

The Kentucky Wildcats football team is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the East Division of the Southeastern Conference.-History:Paul "Bear" Bryant Era...

, Mississippi State

Mississippi State Bulldogs football

The Mississippi State Bulldogs football program represents Mississippi State University in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing as a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. Mississippi State has produced 38 All-Americans, 171 All-SEC selections, and 124...

, and Tennessee

Tennessee Volunteers football

The Tennessee Volunteers football team are an American college football team at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville . The NCAA Division I team is also a member of the Southeastern Conference ....

. They were joined by six non-SIAA members: North Carolina, North Carolina State, Virginia

Virginia Cavaliers football

Virginia Cavaliers football is a college football program that competes in the NCAA Division I-FBS and the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference...

, Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech Hokies football

The Virginia Tech Hokies football team is a college football program that competes in NCAA Division I-FBS, in the Coastal Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They have more wins in team history than any other program in the ACC. Their home games are played at Lane Stadium which seats over...

, Washington & Lee, and Maryland. Maryland would remain within the Southern Conference for the next three decades.

In 1923, the eponymous stadium

Old Byrd Stadium

, for which Byrd had petitioned funding, was completed at a cost of $60,000 with a maximum capacity of 10,000. That season was also one of Byrd's most successful. He hired former Maryland quarterback and future long-time basketball coach, Burton Shipley

Burton Shipley

-References:*David Ungrady, , p. 3–26, 2003, Sports Publishing LLC.*, The M Club, accessed 18 January 2009.-External links:* at College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com* at Baseball-Reference...

, as an assistant coach. The team shutout five of its opponents and held Johns Hopkins and Catholic

Catholic Cardinals football

The Catholic University Cardinals football team represents the Catholic University of America in National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III college football competition as a member of the Old Dominion Athletic Conference . The team played its first game in 1895 and was a major college...

to just six points apiece, for an overall record of 7–2–1. The only losses came at Yale and against Virginia Tech. Maryland led Yale, 14–12, at halftime, but a referee ruled incomplete a drop kick that Byrd claimed was good by a "country mile". Yale won the game, 16–14. Mainly for his performance against Yale and Penn, end Bill "Zeke" Supplee

Bill Supplee

William C. "Zuke" Supplee was an American educator and college athlete. He attended the University of Maryland where he played college football and basketball for the Maryland Terrapins, and competed in track & field...

was named an All-American

College Football All-America Team

The College Football All-America Team is an honor given annually to the best American college football players at their respective positions. The original usage of the term All-America seems to have been to the 1889 College Football All-America Team selected by Casper Whitney and published in This...

by the Associated Press

Associated Press

The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...

. He was the first Maryland player honored as such.

In 1928, Maryland finished with a 6–3–1 record, but tallied wins over "three of [its] ancient rivals": Johns Hopkins, Yale, and Virginia. That season, Gerald "Snitz" Snyder

Gerald Snyder

Gerald Theodore "Snitz" Snyder was an American football player and Army officer. He played college football as a back for the Maryland Terrapins at the University of Maryland...

became the second Old Liner to be named an All-American, when the Associated Press selected him to their second-team.

In 1933, Byrd spearheaded the adoption of the diamondback terrapin

Diamondback terrapin

The diamondback terrapin or simply terrapin, is a species of turtle native to the brackish coastal swamps of the eastern and southern United States. It belongs to the monotypic genus, Malaclemys...

as the official school mascot. He had already renamed the student newspaper The Diamondback
The Diamondback
The Diamondback is the independent student newspaper of the University of Maryland, College Park. It was founded in 1910 as The Triangle and renamed in 1921 in honor of a local reptile, the Diamondback terrapin...

in 1921, and the football team was referred to as the "Terrapins", in addition to the older nicknames, as early as 1928. At some point, newspapers shortened the nickname to the "Terps" in order to abridge headlines.

Big-name coaches: 1935–1946

When Byrd became the university president in 1935, Jack Faber

Jack Faber

replaced him as head coach and accumulated a 7–2–2 record. The following year, Frank Dobson

Frank Dobson

Frank Gordon Dobson, is a British Labour Party politician who has been the Member of Parliament for Holborn and St. Pancras since 1979...

, former Georgia Tech assistant coach under John Heisman

John Heisman

John William Heisman was an American player and coach of football, basketball, and baseball. He served as the head football coach at Oberlin College , Buchtel College, now known as the University of Akron , Auburn University , Clemson University , Georgia Tech , the...

, assumed the head coaching position. After a 6–5 first season, Dobson led the Terrapins to an 8–2 record in 1937. The highlight of the season was a 13–0 shutout of 17th-ranked Syracuse. In the homecoming

Homecoming

Homecoming is the tradition of welcoming back alumni of a school. It most commonly refers to a tradition in many universities, colleges and high schools in North America...

game, Charlie Weidinger completed a pass to William Bryant for a 13–7 go-ahead over Florida

Florida Gators football

The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...

. The Terrapins' two losses came against Penn and Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions football

The Penn State Nittany Lions football team represents the Pennsylvania State University in the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision as a member of the Big Ten Conference. It is one of the most tradition-rich and storied college football programs in the...

, the latter being the second game in a rivalry

Maryland–Penn State rivalry

The Maryland–Penn State football rivalry was an American college football rivalry game played by the Maryland Terrapins football team of the University of Maryland and the Penn State Nittany Lions football team of Pennsylvania State University....

that would bedevil Maryland throughout its entire duration. At the end of the season, Maryland was declared the Southern Conference champions, the team's first major conference title.

The following two years, 1938 and 1939, saw Dobson's teams accumulate 2–7 records, and he was replaced by Jack Faber. However, Faber did not have much more success, going 2–6–1 in 1940 and 3–5–1 in 1941.

Shaughnessy's T-formation

In 1942, Clark Shaughnessy

Clark Shaughnessy

was hired as head coach. Shaughnessy had achieved fame

1940 Stanford Indians football team

The 1940 Stanford Indians football team, nicknamed the "Wow Boys", represented Stanford University in National Collegiate Athletic Association intercollegiate competition during the 1940 season. First-year head coach Clark Shaughnessy inherited a team that finished with a 1–7–1 record the previous...

at Stanford

Stanford Cardinal football

The Stanford Cardinal football program represents Stanford University in college football at the NCAA Division I FBS level and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference's North Division. Stanford, the top-ranked academic institution with an FBS program, has a highly successful football tradition. The...

, where he installed his quarterback-centric version of the T-formation as his primary offensive scheme. In response, Glenn "Pop" Warner

Glenn Scobey Warner

Glenn Scobey Warner , most commonly known as Pop Warner, was an American football player and coach...

had said, "If Stanford wins a single game with that crazy formation, you can throw all the football I ever knew in the Pacific Ocean." Stanford, which had gone 1–7–1 the previous season, went undefeated in Shaughnessy's first year and earned the number-two ranking in the final AP Poll

AP Poll

The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...

. Shaughnessy was named 1940 College Coach of the Year for the turnaround performance. Under Shaughnessy, the Terps went 7–2, with one of the losses a 0–42 shutout at Duke

Duke Blue Devils football

The Duke Blue Devils football program is a college football team that represents Duke University . The team is currently a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference , which is a Division I Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association . The Blue Devils compete in the Coastal...

, which in five seasons had won the Southern Conference three times and been ranked in the AP top-20 four times. After one season, Shaughnessy left Maryland for Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Panthers football

Pittsburgh Panthers football is the intercollegiate football team of the University of Pittsburgh, often referred to as "Pitt", located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Traditionally the most popular sport at the university, Pitt football has played at the highest level of American college football...

.
For 1943 and 1944, Clarence Spears

Clarence Spears

Dr. Clarence Wiley "Doc" Spears was an American football player, coach, and doctor. He was an All-American guard at Dartmouth College and served as the head football coach at Dartmouth , West Virginia University , the University of Minnesota , the University of Oregon...

was the Maryland head coach. Like Shaughnessy, Spears had taken an underachieving team and turned them around. In 1925, he took over Minnesota

Minnesota Golden Gophers football

The University of Minnesota Golden Gophers are one of the oldest programs in college football history. They compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision and the Big Ten Conference. The Golden Gophers have claimed six national championships and have an all time record of 646–481–44 as...

, which had posted a 3–3–2 record the prior season, and led them to a share of the 1927 Big Ten championship. However, at Maryland, when Spears accumulated a record of 5–12–1 after two seasons, he too was replaced.

Bryant's brief stint

In 1945, Paul "Bear" Bryant

Bear Bryant

, who would later go on to achieve legendary status among football coaches, was named the head coach at Maryland. During his first year as a college head coach, Bryant led Maryland to a respectable 6–2–1 record, including a last-second win over out-of-state rival

Maryland–Virginia rivalry

The Maryland–Virginia rivalry, the Virginia–Maryland rivalry, or the Beltway Brawl is an American college football rivalry game played annually by the Maryland Terrapins football team of the University of Maryland and the Virginia Cavaliers football team of the University of Virginia...

Virginia. However, he resigned after just one season, when university president Curley Byrd reinstated a player that Bryant had suspended.

In 1946, Clark Shaughnessy returned from Pittsburgh to Maryland for one more season. That year, the Terrapins recorded a 3–6 season including losses to North Carolina, South Carolina, Michigan State

Michigan State Spartans football

The Michigan State Spartans football program represents Michigan State University in college football as members of the Big Ten Conference at the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision level...

, and N.C. State. After that, Shaughnessy went on to coach the National Football League

National Football League

The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...

's Los Angeles Rams in 1948 and 1949.

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