Scott Lakatos, who has been instrumental in the development of the University of Maine football team’s defense since his arrival in 1995, is moving on.

The 35-year-old Lakatos, who had the second-longest tenure among Black Bear football assistants, has accepted a position as the defensive coordinator at Brown University in Providence, R.I.

Lakatos cited a substantial pay increase (reported to be $20,000) and the desire for he and his wife Amanda to be closer to their families in Connecticut and New Jersey, respectively, as the key components of his decision to leave.

“They’ll leave if we can’t pay them. That’s kind of what it boils down to,” said UMaine coach Jack Cosgrove.

Lakatos was the secondary coach and special teams coach before becoming the defensive coordinator a year ago. This year, he helped rebuild a youthful UMaine defense into a strong unit toward the end of the season.

“Anybody who was around us and saw our development as a defense would be hard-pressed to say we didn’t make great strides,” Cosgrove said. “Scott kept that defense together and focused on what we were doing. He was the leader in that whole situation.”

Lakatos admitted the hardest part about the move is leaving behind all the UMaine players and coaches with whom he has built relationships over the years. Plus the fact the Bears return a strong defensive nucleus next season.

At Brown, under coach Phil Estes, Lakatos is expected to implement elements of the aggressive, Virginia Tech-style defense UMaine plays. He is looking forward to what he called the stability of Ivy League football.

For Cosgrove, Lakatos’ departure creates a void that may be difficult to fill. He hopes to find a coach who is familiar with the so-called “G” defense the Bears have been using in recent years.

“We want to try to keep that in place,” Cosgrove said. “It’s something we’re committed to, and our kids have confidence in it as well.”

Cosgrove is looking for a coach who is willing to stay in Orono for more than a year or two.

“When you make this type of hire, you want a guy who is not only a good coach and person and teacher but a guy who can see himself fitting into the Maine environment and lifestyle for a number of years. That commitment and stability is important to me.”

Kimball receives umpires’ award

Shawn Kimball of Levant was honored recently with the Al Card Sportsmanship Award presented by the Maine Chapter of the Collegiate Baseball Umpires’ Association.

Kimball, a longtime umpire who worked in the minor leagues and also does high school games in Eastern Maine, retired this year from umpiring at the college level.

Bob Flynn of Auburn was also a recipient of the Al Card Sportsmanship Awards, named after the likeable former umpire from the Augusta area.

Stailing headed to Rhode Island

Katie Stailing, a standout at Morse High School in Bath, recently signed a National Letter of Intent to accept a basketball scholarship from the University of Rhode Island.

The 6-foot guard-forward, a member of the NEWS’ All-Maine First Team last season.