Jack Cosgrove’s greatest fear is that the University of Maine football program will cease to be relevant in the fiercely competitive Colonial Athletic Association.

The former Black Bears quarterback and longtime coach plans to stay in Orono to make sure that doesn’t happen.

One day after withdrawing his name from consideration for the University of Rhode Island head coaching job, Cosgrove said Monday he will be coaching the Black Bears for the foreseeable future.

“We have agreed in principle to a contract that will keep me here for a good piece of time,” Cosgrove said of discussions with UMaine athletic director Blake James.

Cosgrove, who is earning a base salary of $135,000 during 2007-08, would not divulge details of the contract, which must go through proper channels and be approved by UMaine administrators.

“Blake was very good in terms of working with me through the contract and the issues that were maybe a concern before,” he added. “I felt like the conditions I was concerned about were addressed.”

Cosgrove, in his 15th year as UMaine’s head coach, was offered a new contract Dec. 11. His existing deal, which was negotiated in 2003 as a five-year extension, was scheduled to expire June 30, 2008.

Cosgrove interviewed last Thursday for the Rhode Island job while on a recruiting trip. The 52-year-old native of Sharon, Mass., reportedly was one of four candidates to replace Tim Stowers, who was fired last month.

Pete Adrian also withdrew late last week, leaving Darren Rizzi and Robert Talley from the original pool of candidates.

Cosgrove takes great pride in UMaine’s status as a charter member of the former Yankee Conference, but has watched as the program loses ground to other schools in a league the focus of which has begun shifting to the south.

The CAA includes some private institutions with much more financial wherewithal.

“I always want to feel as if we have a chance to be successful,” Cosgrove said. “This new league, the Colonial Athletic Association, has some great aspirations and I think it’s important that we have a plan to keep up with this conference.”

Cosgrove has an 80-90 career record (.471) at UMaine, including a 47-35 mark (.573) and a share of two league titles (2001, 2002) in the last seven seasons.

The Bears went 4-7 this fall, capping a year he called, “one of great frustration.” He realizes he and the team must embrace the existing challenges.

“We have to be a better football team,” said Cosgrove, whose ultimate goal is winning a national championship. “I want to set high goals and I just want to have an opportunity to do the things that are necessary to be successful and hopefully have the resources to do that.”

One key concern was hitting the recruiting trail without a new contract or an extension.

“Being without a contract for your future is worrisome to anybody,” Cosgrove said. “It makes you start to wonder whether you’re doing a good enough job. Your competition uses it against you.”

UMaine also experienced tremendous turnover in its coaching staff as former associate head coach Bobby Wilder took the head coaching job at Old Dominion. He also wound up taking three former Bears coaches with him.

With coaching instability, a remote geographic location, reduced recruiting success the last two years and a time-worn artificial surface on Morse Field, UMaine’s challenges appeared to be mounting.

“We’ve had pockets of success, but if we could become more consistent, I think that could help us win some recruiting battles,” Cosgrove said, pointing to the ability to attract talented student-athletes to UMaine as the critical factor.

“I really think we undersell ourselves as a university and what a special place the University of Maine can be,” he said.

Cosgrove explained his wife Marilyn and four children had plenty of input about his decision to stay at UMaine.

“They have grown immeasurably through their experiences in the community. That was an important consideration,” he said.

Cosgrove sees the potential for UMaine to make some big strides in the coming years.

Thanks to a $1 million donation from Phillip and Susan Morse, new FieldTurf will be installed at Alfond Stadium in 2008. And through the generosity of late UMaine benefactor Harold Alfond, the football program will double any money raised in an ongoing effort, through the end of this month.

Also, moving the weight training operation from the cramped former rifle range into the refurbished Latti Fitness Center is a positive development.

And while football may not benefit directly, the proposed renovation of Memorial Gymnasium, when completed, will send a message to all prospective student-athletes and their families about UMaine.

“I think that will give us a ‘wow’ factor,” Cosgrove said, referring to the type of reaction created by the newly opened recreation center on campus.

“We’re working toward a lot of things in a slow fashion that I think will be advantageous to all the teams at the University of Maine.”

Pete Warner may be reached at pwarner@bangordailynews.net or 990-8240.