1950 Maine Black Bears football team

1950 Maine Black Bears football
Conference	Yankee Conference, Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association
Record	5–1–1 (3–1 Yankee, 2–0–1 MIAA)
Head coach	David M. Nelson (2nd season)
Captain	Peter Pocius Jr.
Home stadium	Alumni Field

1950 Yankee Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
New Hampshire $	4	–	0	–	0			8	–	0	–	0
Maine	3	–	1	–	0			5	–	1	–	1
Rhode Island State	2	–	2	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
UMass	1	–	1	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
Vermont	0	–	3	–	0			2	–	5	–	0
Connecticut	0	–	3	–	0			3	–	5	–	0
$ – Conference champion

The 1950 Maine Black Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maine as a member of the Yankee Conference and Maine Intercollegiate Athletic Association during the 1950 college football season. In its second and final season under head coach David M. Nelson, the team compiled a 5–1–1 record (3–1 against Yankee Conference and 2–0–1 against MIAA opponents). The team played its home games at Alumni Field in Orono, Maine. Peter Pocius Jr. was the team captain.^[1]

The team's statistical leaders included right halfback Lawrence Hersom with 484 rushing yards; quarterback Eugene Sturgeon with 102 passing yards; and end Richard Largay with 46 receiving yards. Three players (Hersom, Philip Coulombe, and Gordon Pendleton) tied with 18 points scored.^[2]

In February 1951, coach Nelson resigned his post as Maine's head football coach to become head football coach and athletic director at the University of Delaware.^[3] Nelson was the head coach at Delaware for 15 years and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1987.^[4]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 30	at Rhode Island State	Meade Field Kingston, RI	W 13–0
October 7	at Vermont	Centennial Field Burlington, VT	W 15–7		[5]
October 14	New Hampshire	Alumni Field Orono, ME (rivalry)	L 0–19	6,000	[6]
October 21	at Connecticut	Gardner Dow Athletic Fields Storrs, CT	W 16–7
October 28	Bates	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 19–6
November 4	Colby	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 26–7
November 11	at Bowdoin	Whittier Field Brunswick, ME	T 6–6

^[2]

References

1. "2019 Maine Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Maine. 2019. p. 86. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
2. "Brief Summary Of Cumulative Football Statistics". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 25, 2022.
3. "Nelson Leaves Maine To Coach At Delaware". Caledonian-Record. February 24, 1951. p. 5 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "David Nelson". National Football Foundation. Retrieved June 3, 2020.
5. "Wildcats next Maine grid opponent". The Bangor Daily News. October 9, 1950. Retrieved June 11, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Wildcats Trim Maine To Lead Conference". The Portsmouth Herald. October 16, 1950. p. 6 – via Newspapers.com.