College Sports Established
1865
Location
Orono, Maine
College Name
University of Maine
Collegiate History
1979 - Present / NCAA Division I
Conference History
1979 - Present / America East Conference
Nickname
Black Bears - Sports fans of all ages know the Maine Black Bears to be one of the most storied college teams in New England. But do you know how they got their name? The story behind it is interesting and goes back to the early days of college athletics at what was then known as Bowdoin College.
The origins of this nickname go back to 1875 when a student-run newspaper first referred to Bowdoin's athletic team by its current moniker: "Black Bears." This came about due to a unique combination of two elements: One, an old Native American legend that held that black bears were powerful and wise, and two, a local tradition among students who had adopted black bear cubs from nearby forests for use as mascots during sporting events.
As time passed, other schools began using similar nicknames—including Harvard’s “Crimson Tide”—but Maine Black Bears remained true to their original roots. Even today, you can find evidence throughout campus honoring this long-standing tradition with statues depicting black bears in action or proudly displayed banners proclaiming “Go Black Bears!” As such, it has become synonymous with school spirit and pride amongst alumni across generations – making them part of something special within collegiate sports culture here in New England!
NCAA Championships
Baseball 0
Men's Basketball 0
Women's Basketball 0
Football 0
Soccer 0
- 1993
- 2009
- 2013
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Baseball Program Legacy
The baseball program has made several trips to the College World Series and has produced numerous major- league baseball players. The program has also made 16 NCAA tournament appearances, most recently in 2011 when they defeated FIU, 4-1, in the NCAA regionals. The program has won the AEC Tournament five times, in 1993, 2002, 2005, 2006, and 2011. The program ... -
Seasonal Improvement Highlights
The men’s basketball team in recent years has made progress as in the 2009–10 season the team finished the season in second place in the America East conference with a 19–11 overall record with recording one of its biggest wins in recent years with a 52–51 win over Boston College of the Atlantic Coast Conference and in the 2010–11 season ... -
Remarkable Football Achievements
The Maine Black Bears defeated Mississippi State University, 9-7. This marked the first time that Maine defeated a Division I FBS opponent. The largest crowd that the Black Bears have ever played in front of was 77,469 fans at Memorial Stadium, when Maine fell, 25–7, to the Nebraska Cornhuskers in Lincoln. The team scheduled to play BCS games at the ...
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History of the Black Bears
Maine Black Bears are a beloved college sports team that has been around for over 100 years. The University of Maine’s athletic program began in 1902, and the Black Bears have since become one of the most successful teams in NCAA Division I history. With an impressive record of 8 National Championships, 12 Conference Titles, and 29 NCAA Tournament appearances across all sports programs throughout their illustrious history, it is no wonder why they are so popular among fans today.
The football program was established in 1896 with games played against other local colleges, such as Colby College and Bowdoin College, before eventually joining the Yankee Conference (now known as CAA Football) during its first season in 1951-52. Since then, they have won two conference titles (1956 & 1965) while appearing in eight bowl games, including four consecutive trips to New Orleans for Sugar Bowls from 1959-62, where they were victorious twice! They also have a rivalry with fellow CAA member Villanova Wildcats, dating back nearly 60 years ago when both teams first met on November 5th, 1955, at Philadelphia's Municipal Stadium - a game won by Maine 13–6!
In addition to football success, there have been plenty more accomplishments within other sports programs too; men’s basketball holds five championships from 1943–47 while women’s basketball earned three straight America East titles between 2005–07 under head coach Cindy Blodgett, who was inducted into Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall Of Fame last year! Men's ice hockey is another big draw amongst fans, having appeared seven times at Frozen Four tournaments since 1993 – winning it all once during the 1999/2000 season after beating Boston College 4-3 OT thriller final match up! Last but not least, undersized baseball teams made two trips to the World Series finals back in 1992 & '93, yet unfortunately did not manage to secure any trophies there either time around...
All these achievements speak volumes about the kind of commitment and dedication shown by players and coaches alike throughout a decades-long journey to make sure that every single fan out there knows just how much this university means to everyone involved in the sport itself well beyond state borders, even though some may say “it ain't easy bein' black bear" still stands true today many ways than one making perfect slogan motto live to strive towards excellence each day we come closer achieving our goals dreams future generations will look upon us fondly remember great moments shared along way cheers go out those who helped make possible everything accomplished thus far let continue to keep the tradition going strong forever.
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