Former University of Maine football coach and athletic director Harold Westerman will be honored tonight during the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston’s annual Bob Whelan College Football Awards Night in Burlington, Mass.

Westerman will be presented with the club’s John Baronian Award for Lifetime Contributions to Football.

Westerman directed the Black Bears to an 80-38-7 record (.668) in 16 seasons from 1951-1966. He become UMaine’s athletic director in 1966 and held the position until his retirement in 1982.

The team MVP award at UMaine is named in honor of Westerman, who also was instrumental in the addition of men’s hockey as a varsity sport in 1977.