Actions speak for Tennett> Diligence, dedication of UMaine senior aid Bears

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ORONO – John Tennett worked diligently for more than two years to become the starting quarterback for the University of Maine football team.

He reached his goal in 1995, but, six games into the season, a strong-armed freshman named Mickey Fein replaced him.

For many athletes, the story might have ended there. For Tennett, it was a new beginning.

Two years later, the humble young man from Bangor is considered the Black Bears’ epitome of commitment, leadership, and effort by his coaches and his teammates.

Today at 1 p.m., senior captain John Tennett leads UMaine onto the field at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., where he will play his final game for the Bears.

Tennett, a 6-foot-3, 195-pounder, found a new niche as a wide receiver. He is one of UMaine’s primary offensive weapons, having made 49 receptions for 626 yards and six touchdowns this season.

Playing football at UMaine has been a rewarding, yet challenging, experience for Tennett. He has excelled as a player and as a role model after joining the team as a walk-on, dealing with losing his starting job, and learning a new position.

“I think it’s helped me grow as a person a lot,” Tennett said Thursday. “I had some adversity there for a while, and it helped me put things in perspective.”

While the physical challenges were many for Tennett, it was his mental strength and determination that enabled him to refocus and make a difference.

Gabby Price, Tennett’s coach at Bangor High, had always preached that good things happen to good people. It is a motto Tennett adopted as his own.

“It taught me to keep going and that if you stick it out and you work hard every day, then good things are going to happen,” Tennett said. “It really helped me get through some problems.”

Yet, Tennett’s disappointment was never evident to his teammates, including Fein, with whom he worked daily during the season.

“It wasn’t strained at all,” Fein said of their relationship at the time. “He was always supportive and helping me out. Anything he could do to help out the University of Maine football team, he was out there trying to do.”

Coach Jack Cosgrove thought Tennett’s athleticism should translate well to receiver and suggested the switch after the ’95 season.

“I remember telling him, `I’m making this move, but I want you to know that I believe it will happen successfully and we’re gonna put you on full scholarship to show you that,’ ” Cosgrove said.

Tennett was relieved at not having to compete with Fein and create a potential conflict within the team, which always has been his primary concern.

“The pressure that would have been put on both of us would have been a detriment to the program and to the whole team in general,” Tennett said. “I was happy to do it [switch positions].”

During the spring of 1996, Tennett worked out at wide receiver alongside Rameek Wright and Drew O’Connor. In the fall, Tennett handled the move with relative ease, making 28 catches for 506 yards (18.1-yard average) and three touchdowns.

He combined outstanding speed with soft hands to finish second on the team in receiving behind All-American Rameek Wright.

“He really had the ability to play the position. Combine that with his work ethic and his drive, and you knew he was gonna be pretty darned good at it,” Cosgrove said.

Tennett admits there were challenges in making the change.

“There’s so many little things about playing receiver that people don’t notice,” Tennett explained. “There’s so many games within the game. It was a tough transition.”

Tennett’s attitude and his performance were noticed and greatly appreciated by his teammates, who elected him and Derek Carter as captains for 1997.

“He’s a very dedicated kid,” Fein said. “That’s what [the coaches] said was best for the team, and that’s what he went out and did. You can’t say enough about a kid who does stuff like that and makes sacrifices for the group.”

Wright, who arrived at UMaine with Tennett in 1993, has garnered most of the accolades among the Bears’ receiver corps with his stellar play. He credits Tennett with playing a more important role on the squad.

“One word – leader – both on and off the field,” Wright said of his friend. “He contributes a lot to us by playing and also by being the great leader that he is.”

The leadership role is one to which Tennett dedicates himself, but it is with action, rather than words, that he has tried to set the standard for his teammates.

“I think to be a captain in any sport you have to lead by example and you have to do things better than everyone else. You have to work harder. You have to do things that lift the whole program up. You can’t just take it as a title,” Tennett said.

“He’s a great team kid all the way and I think everybody knows that about him,” Cosgrove said. “He has done everything we’ve asked, and on top of that he’s been a great captain.”

Tennett’s efforts on the field can’t be minimized. He goes into his final game as UMaine’s third-leading receiver.

“I just love the position,” Tennett said. “I’m having a lot of fun, and I’m glad I made the switch.”

In only two seasons, Tennett ranks 11th on the school’s all-time list with 1,132 receiving yards. He needs 30 yards to move into 10th.

“John has really flourished as a wide receiver and a big-play guy,” Cosgrove said. “He’s really good in all phases of the game.”

For Tennett, the ultimate reward for his participation at UMaine is the people he has met.

“It’s a great group to be around,” Tennett said. “I’ve got a lot of close friends that I’m sure I’ll have for a lifetime.”

Tennett hasn’t come by his success and dedication without the efforts of family, friends, and coaches who have taught him what is important about athletics as they relate to life.

Among the key influences in Tennett’s life are his parents, John and Nancy Tennett, whom he said never pressured him in sports.

“They let me develop and let me enjoy the things I wanted to do,” the younger Tennett said.

Among coaches, he is especially fond of Price, whose influence reached beyond athletics.

“There’s so much more you learn from coach Price outside of football that I don’t think of him as a football coach. I think of him as a friend,” Tennett said.

Tennett also noted the encouragement of his uncle, Mark Hackett, the wisdom of Bangor High basketball coach Roger Reed, and the tireless efforts of the UMaine football staff.

Upon his graduation, Tennett’s goal is to follow in the footsteps of his coaching mentors.

“I’d like to get into the field of teaching and coaching, help some kids out,” Tennett said. “I’d try to teach them some of the things I’ve learned from various coaches and hopefully let them have the same great experiences that I’ve had.”