Throwback Thursday

Expectations for the Black Bear Football team going into the 2013 season were few to none according to various media sources and coaches polls. Instead of bowing to popular opinion, Maine went on to have a 10 win season and captured their first outright Colonial Athletic Association title. Furthermore the team was awarded a home playoff game for the first time ever and close to 9,000 fans came out to cheer on the Black Bears regardless of result. Through all the highs and lows of the Maine program there has been just one man captaining the ship through changing seas for the last 21 seasons. This Throwback Thursday goes out to none other than our beloved head coach, Jack Cosgrove, who’s roots with Black Bear football go well beyond patrolling the sidelines.
Coach Cosgrove was actually “Player Cosgrove” as the starting quarterback for the Black Bears from 1974 through 1977 and saw the team return to glory by capturing the Yankee Conference Championship in his rookie season. He was named to the all-conference team twice during his time heading the offense for Maine and still ranks in the top ten all-time in passing yards for the Black Bears. After his playing career ended he immediately shifted to the sidelines where he was a graduate assistant coach from 1978 through 1980 as we completed his master’s degree at Orono.
Cosgrove would leave Maine for several years to coach football and teach history back a high school in Massachusetts and then move to Boston College where he was a offensive assistant coach for two seasons helping the Eagles achieve a winning record and a bowl appearance during the 1986 season. However, “the college of our hearts always” is called that for a reason and Coach Cos came back to Orono in 1987 as the quarterbacks and receivers coach; this time he was here to stay.
Between 1987 and 1993 Cosgrove held a variety of positions from passing game coordinator to assistance offensive coordinator and then eventually head offensive coordinator before he was finally promoted to head coach for the 1993 season.
When you look back at Coach Cosgrove’s resume at Orono clearly his best years have been the most recent with 3 conference championships, 6 playoff births, and several winning seasons since 2001. It’s no wonder that Cosgrove received perhaps his biggest honor this past week being named Football Championship Series (co-)coach of the year for Region 1 for the 2013 season, his first time receiving the award in 21 seasons.
Whether on the field or off, Jack Cosgrove is the architect of Maine Football and will likely go down as the greatest coach in school history when his career is all said and done. For another great season and his coach of the year award we Fill The Steins to Coach Cos for this Throwback Thursday.
Photo Credit: Courtesy of GoBlackBears.com

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