Maine Black Bears
Encyclopedia
The Maine Black Bears are the athletic teams which represent the University of Maine
. They compete in NCAA Division I athletics, with the majority of the teams playing in the America East Conference
. The only exceptions are the ice hockey
program, which competes in Hockey East
, and the football program, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association
.
title five times, appeared in eleven Frozen Four
s, and won 2 National Championships
. The Black Bears compete in the Hockey East conference, a very competitive conference including teams such as Boston College
, Boston University, Northeastern
and New Hampshire
. The program has produced many professional ice hockey players, such as Paul Kariya
, Eric Weinrich
, Keith Carney
, Garth Snow
, Mike Dunham
, Dustin Penner
, and Jimmy Howard
. The team is best known for its 1992–93 season, in which the team only lost one game, finishing with a record of 42–1–2. The team is noted for its head coach Shawn Walsh
, who coached the team for seventeen seasons. Walsh is credited with turning the team into such a successful program, as well as turning the Alfond Arena
into one of the most intimidating arenas in college hockey. Walsh died of renal cell carcinoma
on September 26, 2001.
team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association
. Previous to the 2007 season, the CAA football league was sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football program has produced many professional football players, such as Pro Bowl
linebacker
Lofa Tatupu
, who transferred to USC
after his freshman year, center
Mike Flynn
, linebacker Stephen Cooper, offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk
, wide receiver Phil McGeoghan
, running back Montell Owens
, quarterback Mike Buck, defensive back Daren Stone
, tight end Matthew Mulligan
, defensive lineman Mike DeVito
, linebacker Jovan Belcher
and defensive back
Brandon McGowan
. Current Iowa coach, and 2002 AP National Coach of the Year Kirk Ferentz
began his head coaching career at Maine. The team also received brief publicity when the Oakland Raiders
selected wide receiver
Kevin McMahan
as the last player in the 2006 NFL Draft
, affectionately known as Mr. Irrelevant
. The University of Maine is known currently to have the most active players on NFL rosters at the Division 1 FCS level.
The team has played several FBS opponents and is slowly progressing to develop into a division I FBS program. The team has played teams in recent years such as Iowa, Rutgers, Hawaii, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Connecticut, Syracuse, and to play the University of Pittsburgh in 2011. In 2004, 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 currently plays their collegiate games at Harold Alfond Stadium. The team is scheduled to play BCS games at ACC's Boston College in 2012 and the Big Ten's Northwestern in 2013.
team, as well as all other sports teams, participate in the America East Conference
. The current Clemson University
head coach Jack Leggett
also attended the university, as well as NBA head coach Rick Carlisle
(although Carlisle transferred to Virginia
and finished his college career there). Other notables include Rufus Harris, European player Kevin Reed, and several Maine high school stars including Bangor's Jon McAllian and Edward Little's Troy Barnies. A prominent current player is San Diego-native Gerald Mclemore. The mens team has enjoyed a very good 09-10 season after two mediocre seasons. The women's and men's basketball teams play their collegiate games at Alfond Arena. On October 20, 2011 Maine announced that Men's and Women's Basketball teams will have 11 home games played at Memorial Gym in Orono. UMaine played home basketball games at Memorial Gym from its opening in 1935, but held some games at the Bangor Auditorium
from 1980 through the early part of the 1990-91 season. The remaining men’s and women’s home games will be played at Alfond Arena, UMaine’s basketball home since January 1992. The men’s team has held a total of eight games at Memorial Gym
since 2003-04.
The women's basketball
team is particularly noted for producing one-time WNBA player Cindy Blodgett
, who also served as an assistant coach at Boston College
and Brown
.
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 ACC conference team Boston College
and in the 2010-11 season defeating the University of Massachusetts 68-56 and Penn State 74-64.
On May 23, 2007, Blodgett was named the Head Coach of Maine's women's team. She was released in March 2011.
The Black Bears' rivalry with the New Hampshire Wildcats
is the longest continuous basketball rivalry between any two non-Ivy League
schools: the men's teams have played each other 107 seasons in a row, from 1904-1905 to the present season (2010–2011).
The program has developed 2 NBA players those being former Los Angeles Clippers
Jeff Cross
and former Boston Celtics
and current head coach of the Dallas Mavericks
Rick Carlisle
.
Fox Sports Radio
affiliate WAEI-FM/WAEI. TV coverage includes Bangor's WABI-TV
(Most home football and basketball games and some hockey games). NESN
also carries select hockey and basketball games (from American East TV and ESPN Plus
). During the school year Black Bear Weekly is carried Sunday mornings on WABI.
In 2006 the University sold the advertising rights to athletic events to Missouri
based Learfield Sports. Starting with the fall 2007 sports season, WVOM
and WGUY
split radio coverage, WGUY carrying men's and women's basketball and select baseball and softball games and WVOM carrying football and hockey broadcasts. After the 2008 fall sports season, WAEI-FM became the flagship for all Maine sports.
Many Black Bear games can also be heard on WMEB 91.9 FM, a student run, commercial free radio station located on campus.
Men's Ice Hockey - 1993, 1999
Conference Titles
Men's Ice Hockey
Hockey East - 1989, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2004
Baseball
America East - 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011
Men's Cross Country
America East - 2004
Softball
America East - 1994, 2004
Football
Yankee Conference - 1949, 1951, 1952, 1961, 1965, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1989
Atlantic 10 - 2001, 2002
Women's Basketball
America East - 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004
Men's Outdoor Track
America East - 1995
Women's Outdoor Track
New England - 2003
University of Maine
The University of Maine is a public research university located in Orono, Maine, United States. The university was established in 1865 as a land grant college and is referred to as the flagship university of the University of Maine System...
. They compete in NCAA Division I athletics, with the majority of the teams playing in the America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
. The only exceptions are the ice hockey
Ice hockey
Ice hockey, often referred to as hockey, is a team sport played on ice, in which skaters use wooden or composite sticks to shoot a hard rubber puck into their opponent's net. The game is played between two teams of six players each. Five members of each team skate up and down the ice trying to take...
program, which competes in Hockey East
Hockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
, and the football program, which competes in the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
.
Ice hockey
The University of Maine men's ice hockey program was introduced in 1977. The team has been successful and have won the Hockey EastHockey East
Hockey East Association is a NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey conference which operates in New England. It participates in the NCAA's Division I as a hockey-only conference....
title five times, appeared in eleven Frozen Four
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known...
s, and won 2 National Championships
NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship
The annual NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship tournament determines the top men's ice hockey team in NCAA Division I and Division III. The semi-finals and finals of the Division I Championship are branded as the Frozen Four, a passing nod to the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship - known...
. The Black Bears compete in the Hockey East conference, a very competitive conference including teams such as Boston College
Boston College Eagles ice hockey
The Boston College Eagles are a Division I college hockey program that represent Boston College in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. The team has competed in Hockey East since 1984, having previously played in the ECAC. The Eagles have won four national championships and the most current coming in 2010...
, Boston University, Northeastern
Northeastern Huskies
The Northeastern University Huskies are the athletic teams representing Northeastern University. They compete in thirteen varsity team sports: men's and women's hockey ; men's baseball, men's and women's basketball, women's field hockey and volleyball, swimming, and men's and women's soccer , and...
and New Hampshire
New Hampshire Wildcats
The New Hampshire Wildcats, or Cats, are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white...
. The program has produced many professional ice hockey players, such as Paul Kariya
Paul Kariya
Paul Tetsuhiko Kariya is a Canadian retired professional ice hockey winger who played 15 seasons in the National Hockey League . Known as a skilled and fast-skating offensive player, he played in the NHL for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim, Colorado Avalanche, Nashville Predators and St...
, Eric Weinrich
Eric Weinrich
Eric John Weinrich is an American former professional ice hockey defenseman who played 17 seasons in the National Hockey League with the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, Chicago Blackhawks, Montreal Canadiens, Boston Bruins, Philadelphia Flyers, St. Louis Blues and Vancouver Canucks...
, Keith Carney
Keith Carney
Keith Edward Carney is an American retired professional ice hockey defenseman. He last played for the Minnesota Wild of the National Hockey League in the 2007–08 season.-Playing career:...
, Garth Snow
Garth Snow
Garth E. Snow is an American retired professional ice hockey goaltender and is currently the general manager for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League.-Playing career:...
, Mike Dunham
Mike Dunham
Michael Dunham is a retired American professional ice hockey goaltender who is currently the goaltending coach for the New York Islanders of the National Hockey League .-Playing career:...
, Dustin Penner
Dustin Penner
Dustin Penner is a Canadian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Los Angeles Kings of the National Hockey League . Penner was never drafted by a team in the NHL. He was discovered and signed as a free agent by the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim after playing college hockey for the...
, and Jimmy Howard
Jimmy Howard
James "Jimmy" Russell Howard III is an American professional ice hockey goaltender for the Detroit Red Wings of the National Hockey League...
. The team is best known for its 1992–93 season, in which the team only lost one game, finishing with a record of 42–1–2. The team is noted for its head coach Shawn Walsh
Shawn Walsh
William Shawn Walsh was the head ice hockey coach for the University of Maine Black Bears....
, who coached the team for seventeen seasons. Walsh is credited with turning the team into such a successful program, as well as turning the Alfond Arena
Alfond Arena
Alfond Arena is a 5,712-seat multi-purpose arena in Orono, Maine, USA. The arena opened in 1977. It is home to the University of Maine Black Bears ice hockey and basketball teams. It is recognizable for its distinctive multi-angular roof design, which was also used in the Pavilion at Villanova...
into one of the most intimidating arenas in college hockey. Walsh died of renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma
Renal cell carcinoma is a kidney cancer that originates in the lining of the proximal convoluted tubule, the very small tubes in the kidney that filter the blood and remove waste products. RCC is the most common type of kidney cancer in adults, responsible for approximately 80% of cases...
on September 26, 2001.
Football
Maine's footballCollege football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
team competes in the Colonial Athletic Association
Colonial Athletic Association
The Colonial Athletic Association is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose full-time members are located in East Coast states from Massachusetts to Georgia. Most of its members are public universities, with five in Virginia alone, and the conference is headquartered in Richmond,...
. Previous to the 2007 season, the CAA football league was sponsored by the Atlantic 10 Conference. The football program has produced many professional football players, such as Pro Bowl
Pro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
Lofa Tatupu
Lofa Tatupu
-Seattle Seahawks:Tatupu quickly established himself as one of the top defensive players in the league as a rookie in 2005, in which he was named to the Pro Bowl, while leading the NFC Champion Seahawks in tackles, with 104, en route to their first Super Bowl appearance in franchise history...
, who transferred to USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
after his freshman year, center
Center (American football)
Center is a position in American football and Canadian football . The center is the innermost lineman of the offensive line on a football team's offense...
Mike Flynn
Mike Flynn (offensive lineman)
Michael Patrick Flynn is an American football center who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 1997...
, linebacker Stephen Cooper, offensive lineman Justin Strzelczyk
Justin Strzelczyk
Justin Conrad Strzelczyk was a former American football offensive lineman who played nine seasons in the NFL, all for the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1990–1998 and helped the team gain a Super Bowl berth. He can also be seen in the 1997 Adam Sandler music video, "The Lonesome Kicker"...
, wide receiver Phil McGeoghan
Phil McGeoghan
Phil McGeoghan is a former football player who played four seasons as a wide receiver for the New York Jets, Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos and New Orleans Saints of the NFL from 2001 to 2004...
, running back Montell Owens
Montell Owens
Montell Ernest Owens is an American football fullback for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League. He was signed by the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2006. He played college football at Maine. He was listed in the Top 200 Players in the NFL Today by NFL Power Rankings 2011...
, quarterback Mike Buck, defensive back Daren Stone
Daren Stone
Daren Stone is an Canadian football Linebacker for the Calgary Stampeders. Stone is a former American football safety. He was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the sixth round of the 2007 NFL Draft...
, tight end Matthew Mulligan
Matthew Mulligan
Matthew Ben Mulligan is an American football tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
, defensive lineman Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito
Mike DeVito is an American football defensive end for the New York Jets. He played college football at The University of Maine. DeVito resides in Wellfleet, Massachusetts on Cape Cod.- Early career :...
, linebacker Jovan Belcher
Jovan Belcher
Jovan Allen Belcher is an American football linebacker with the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League. He played collegiately with the Maine Black Bears. He played defensive end during his junior and senior years, after switching to the position from outside linebacker where he played...
and defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan
Brandon McGowan is an American football safety of the National Football League who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
. Current Iowa coach, and 2002 AP National Coach of the Year Kirk Ferentz
Kirk Ferentz
Kirk James Ferentz is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the head football coach at the University of Iowa, a position he has held since 1999. From 1990 to 1992, Ferentz was the head football coach at the University of Maine. He has also served as an assistant coach...
began his head coaching career at Maine. The team also received brief publicity when the Oakland Raiders
Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders are a professional American football team based in Oakland, California. They currently play in the Western Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
selected wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Kevin McMahan
Kevin McMahan
Kevin Nathaniel McMahan is a free agent American football wide receiver who played most recently for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Oakland Raiders with the last pick in the 2006 NFL Draft, earning him the title Mr. Irrelevant...
as the last player in the 2006 NFL Draft
2006 NFL Draft
The 2006 National Football League Draft, the 71st in league history, took place in New York City at Radio City Music Hall on April 29 and April 30, 2006. For the 27th consecutive year, the draft was telecast on ESPN and ESPN2, with additional coverage offered by ESPNU and, for the first time, by...
, affectionately known as Mr. Irrelevant
Mr. Irrelevant
"Mr. Irrelevant" is the title bestowed each year upon the last pick of the annual National Football League draft.- Irrelevant Week :The name arose in 1976, when former Southern California and NFL receiver Paul Salata founded "Irrelevant Week" in Newport Beach, California. He announced the final...
. The University of Maine is known currently to have the most active players on NFL rosters at the Division 1 FCS level.
The team has played several FBS opponents and is slowly progressing to develop into a division I FBS program. The team has played teams in recent years such as Iowa, Rutgers, Hawaii, Mississippi State, Nebraska, Connecticut, Syracuse, and to play the University of Pittsburgh in 2011. In 2004, The Maine Black Bears defeated Mississippi State University
Mississippi State University
The Mississippi State University of Agriculture and Applied Science commonly known as Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States, partially in the town of Starkville and partially in an unincorporated area...
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 currently plays their collegiate games at Harold Alfond Stadium. The team is scheduled to play BCS games at ACC's Boston College in 2012 and the Big Ten's Northwestern in 2013.
Basketball
The university's basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
team, as well as all other sports teams, participate in the America East Conference
America East Conference
The America East Conference is a NCAA Division I college athletic conference whose members are located mainly in the northeastern United States. The conference was known as the ECAC North from 1979 to 1988 and the North Atlantic Conference from the fall semester of 1988 to the end of the spring...
. The current Clemson University
Clemson University
Clemson University is an American public, coeducational, land-grant, sea-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States....
head coach Jack Leggett
Jack Leggett
Jack Leggett is the head baseball coach for Clemson University. In 17 seasons, he has led the Tigers to 767 wins . The Tigers have reached the NCAA Tournament in 16 of his 17 seasons as head coach, including the College World Series six times.He was named ACC Coach of the year in 1994, 1995 and 2006...
also attended the university, as well as NBA head coach Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle
Richard Preston Carlisle is the head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He has also coached the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.-Playing career:Carlisle...
(although Carlisle transferred to Virginia
Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball
The Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball program represents the University of Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference in the NCAA's Division I. The team is coached by Tony Bennett.-Statistics:-Retired numbers:-Retired jerseys:...
and finished his college career there). Other notables include Rufus Harris, European player Kevin Reed, and several Maine high school stars including Bangor's Jon McAllian and Edward Little's Troy Barnies. A prominent current player is San Diego-native Gerald Mclemore. The mens team has enjoyed a very good 09-10 season after two mediocre seasons. The women's and men's basketball teams play their collegiate games at Alfond Arena. On October 20, 2011 Maine announced that Men's and Women's Basketball teams will have 11 home games played at Memorial Gym in Orono. UMaine played home basketball games at Memorial Gym from its opening in 1935, but held some games at the Bangor Auditorium
Bangor Auditorium
The Bangor Auditorium is a 5,948 seat multipurpose arena located in downtown Bangor, Maine. It opened October 1, 1955 and is used for concerts , sporting events, circus performances, political rallies, as well as trade shows with 16,000 square feet of space. It shares the same complex as the...
from 1980 through the early part of the 1990-91 season. The remaining men’s and women’s home games will be played at Alfond Arena, UMaine’s basketball home since January 1992. The men’s team has held a total of eight games at Memorial Gym
Memorial Gymnasium (University of Maine)
Memorial Gym nicknamed "The Pit" is a 1,300-seat multi-purpose arena in Orono, Maine. It is home to the University of Maine Black Bears men's and women's basketball team. Maine will play 11 men's and women's basketball games during 2011-12 at Memorial Gym. The men’s team has held a total of eight...
since 2003-04.
The women's basketball
Women's basketball
Women's basketball is one of the few women's sports that developed in tandem with its men's counterpart. It became popular, spreading from the east coast of the United States to the west coast , in large part via women's colleges...
team is particularly noted for producing one-time WNBA player Cindy Blodgett
Cindy Blodgett
Cindy Lee Blodgett is a former collegiate and professional basketball player. She was also the head coach at University of Maine, located in Orono, Maine from 2007 to 2011. Cindy attended Lawrence High School in Fairfield, where she was an all-star basketball player. She led the Bulldogs to a...
, who also served as an assistant coach at Boston College
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
and Brown
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
.
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 ACC conference team Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
and in the 2010-11 season defeating the University of Massachusetts 68-56 and Penn State 74-64.
On May 23, 2007, Blodgett was named the Head Coach of Maine's women's team. She was released in March 2011.
The Black Bears' rivalry with the New Hampshire Wildcats
New Hampshire Wildcats
The New Hampshire Wildcats, or Cats, are the athletic teams of the University of New Hampshire. The wildcat is the school's official mascot, the colors are UNH Blue and white...
is the longest continuous basketball rivalry between any two non-Ivy League
Ivy League
The Ivy League is an athletic conference comprising eight private institutions of higher education in the Northeastern United States. The conference name is also commonly used to refer to those eight schools as a group...
schools: the men's teams have played each other 107 seasons in a row, from 1904-1905 to the present season (2010–2011).
The program has developed 2 NBA players those being former Los Angeles Clippers
Los Angeles Clippers
The Los Angeles Clippers are a professional basketball team based in Los Angeles, California, United States. They play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association...
Jeff Cross
Jeff Cross (basketball)
Jeffrey Andrew Cross is a retired American basketball player. He played for the Los Angeles Clippers in the National Basketball Association ....
and former Boston Celtics
Boston Celtics
The Boston Celtics are a National Basketball Association team based in Boston, Massachusetts. They play in the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference. Founded in 1946, the team is currently owned by Boston Basketball Partners LLC. The Celtics play their home games at the TD Garden, which...
and current head coach of the Dallas Mavericks
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks are a professional basketball team based in Dallas, Texas. They are members of the Southwest Division of the Western Conference of the National Basketball Association , and the reigning NBA champions, having defeated the Miami Heat in the 2011 NBA Finals.According to a 2011...
Rick Carlisle
Rick Carlisle
Richard Preston Carlisle is the head coach of the NBA's Dallas Mavericks. He has also coached the Indiana Pacers and Detroit Pistons, and was previously a player in the NBA. He is also one of the only 11 people to win an NBA championship both as a player and as a coach.-Playing career:Carlisle...
.
Baseball
The University of Maine baseball program has made several trips to the college world series & 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 NCAA regionals.Radio and television
The current radio broadcast rights to all UMaine sports are held by Bangor, MaineBangor, Maine
Bangor is a city in and the county seat of Penobscot County, Maine, United States, and the major commercial and cultural center for eastern and northern Maine...
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio
Fox Sports Radio, abbreviated FSR, is an international radio network consisting of sports talk programming. The network is a service of Premiere Networks...
affiliate WAEI-FM/WAEI. TV coverage includes Bangor's WABI-TV
WABI-TV
WABI-TV is the CBS-affiliated television station for Central and Eastern Maine licensed to Bangor. It broadcasts a high definition digital signal on VHF channel 13 from a transmitter on Peaked Mountain in Dixmont. The station can also be seen on Time Warner Cable channel 6 and in high definition...
(Most home football and basketball games and some hockey games). NESN
New England Sports Network
The New England Sports Network, or NESN [NESS-en], is a regional cable television network that covers the six New England states except Fairfield County, Connecticut and Southbury, Connecticut, a town in New Haven County, Connecticut which is covered by New York City sports networks...
also carries select hockey and basketball games (from American East TV and ESPN Plus
ESPN Plus
ESPN Plus, the popular name of ESPN Regional Television, is an American television program syndicator. ERT is based along with sister network ESPNU in Charlotte, North Carolina...
). During the school year Black Bear Weekly is carried Sunday mornings on WABI.
In 2006 the University sold the advertising rights to athletic events to Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
based Learfield Sports. Starting with the fall 2007 sports season, WVOM
WVOM
WVOM is an FM radio station located at 103.9 MHz, owned by Blueberry Broadcasting. WVOM and the other 16 Clear Channel stations in Maine were sold in August 2008 to Maine-based Blueberry Broadcasting which is headed by Louis Vitale and Bruce Biette...
and WGUY
WGUY
WKVZ is a radio station broadcasting a Contemporary Christian format. Licensed to Dexter, Maine, USA, the station serves the Bangor area...
split radio coverage, WGUY carrying men's and women's basketball and select baseball and softball games and WVOM carrying football and hockey broadcasts. After the 2008 fall sports season, WAEI-FM became the flagship for all Maine sports.
Many Black Bear games can also be heard on WMEB 91.9 FM, a student run, commercial free radio station located on campus.
Championships
National ChampionshipsMen's Ice Hockey - 1993, 1999
Conference Titles
Men's Ice Hockey
Hockey East - 1989, 1992, 1993, 2000, 2004
Baseball
America East - 1990, 1991, 1993, 2002, 2005, 2006, 2011
Men's Cross Country
America East - 2004
Softball
America East - 1994, 2004
Football
Yankee Conference - 1949, 1951, 1952, 1961, 1965, 1974, 1982, 1987, 1989
Atlantic 10 - 2001, 2002
Women's Basketball
America East - 1990, 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2004
Men's Outdoor Track
America East - 1995
Women's Outdoor Track
New England - 2003