ORONO – One of the most impressive aspects of the 2001 University of Maine football team is its sense of perspective.

Despite their unprecedented run to a share of the Atlantic 10 championship, the program’s first-ever postseason victory and an appearance in the NCAA Division I-AA national quarterfinals, coach Jack Cosgrove’s Black Bears never were presumptuous about their achievements or their collective athletic ability.

They were confident throughout, but remained emotionally grounded. UMaine, which finished 9-3 and most recently was ranked No. 16, never took anything for granted. The players and coaches realized they needed to constantly bear down, work hard, and remain committed to the program and each other.

“It’s a blue-collar team. You’ve got to be when you come up here,” said junior quarterback Jake Eaton. “We came up here because we thought this program was growing and going in the right direction.”

The growth has been steady since 1997, when Harold Alfond and Phillip and Susan Morse bestowed a combined gift of $5,225,000 to build an impressive facility, Morse Field at Alfond Stadium. Along with those considerable contributions came an understanding the university would step up to the plate and provide the full complement of 63 scholarship equivalencies that would allow Cosgrove and his staff to build something special.

Now, less than five years later, the Bears have completed an impressive season that seems to demonstrate the benefits of the faith UMaine benefactors and the school have shown the football program.

“Without the resources and the scholarship dollars to recruit, we don’t have the quality of player that we have now,” Cosgrove said.

However, the ultimate responsibility lies with the coaches and players who believed UMaine football could be something special.

“I thought we’ve had comparable talent to this team the last two years, but this team’s gone an extra step, worked harder,” Eaton said. “They’ve been more committed to each other and the program.”

The coaches at the other Atlantic 10 schools could see only what the Bears had done on the field in recent years. In August, they picked UMaine to finish eighth out of 11 teams in the preseason poll.

Last Saturday at Cedar Falls, Iowa, the Bears were one of eight teams left in the NCAA I-AA playoffs. After the 56-28 loss to Northern Iowa, UMaine was unsatisfied on a handful of fronts.

“We certainly made a lot of big steps and we’re pleased with that, but we had bigger plans and this one hurts quite a bit because we feel we’ve been playing real good football,” Cosgrove said of the loss.

Associate head coach and offensive coordinator Bobby Wilder, who captained UMaine’s 1987 playoff team, reflected on the Bears’ successful season.

“I’ll be perfectly honest with you, I thought this [success] is a year earlier than I anticipated,” Wilder admitted. “The young kids just came together so fast and our senior leadership has been phenomenal,” he added. “The kids played well consistently the entire year.”

This year’s senior class will be remembered for its football talents and its dedication to the program. The fifth-year players, including co-captain Chad Hayes of Old Town, Lennard Byrd, Malik Nichols, Damon Boinske and Justin Davis, committed to UMaine before the new stadium was built.

Hayes and Byrd earn All-Atlantic 10 first-team honors at tight end and as a kick returner, respectively, while English was a second-team running back. Hayes made 28 catches for 382 yards and seven touchdowns this season and is expected to be named an All-American.

“[This season] raises aspirations for our future and that’s a tribute to the seniors who set the tone of the team and created the chemistry and a work environment,” Cosgrove said. “They’ve certainly modeled some outstanding values for the younger players on the team.”

English netted 1,157 yards and scored eight TDs this fall and ranks third on UMaine’s all-time rushing list with 2,842 yards. Byrd was 10th on the team with 27 tackles, led the squad with nine pass breakups and was an outstanding kick returner, averaging 27.4 yards on kickoffs and 10.9 yards on punts.

Offensive tackle Zack Magliaro and linebacker Ernie Svolto were other key contributors in a senior class that has set new standards for the program.

“It’s a great feeling to be a part of something like this, the start of something, and I hope the guys continue,” Hayes said. “It’s been a hell of an effort from the whole team, everybody from the last guy on the depth chart to coach Cosgrove.”

The loss of this influential senior class will be deeply felt.

“The worst part of losing [to Northern Iowa] is the fact that I feel as though we let the seniors down, because they worked so hard to get us where we’ve been,” said sophomore wide receiver Paris Minor. “They were here when the program was nothing and now we’re playing great and I wish they could be here for some more years to cherish it.”

UMaine should come back with another outstanding team next season. The Bears, who ranked second in the A-10 in total defense (321 yards per game) and third in scoring defense (20.3 ppg), must replace Boinske, Nichols, Byrd and Svolto.

Back in the fold are league defensive player of the year Stephen Cooper (107 tackles, 5 sacks, 3 interceptions), along with free safety Dave Cusano (64 tackles), ‘backers Lofa Tatupu (62 tackles) and Rob Kierstead, cornerbacks Jarrod Gomes and Devon Goree, ends Brendan Curry and Marcus Walton, and tackles Dennis Dottin-Carter, Dan Joslyn and Amos Hall.

A handful of other players, including LB Brandon McGowan and DT Pat Pau received some valuable playing time.

“We know what we’re capable of doing now,” Cooper said. “They guys have got a different type of mindset knowing that we are a competitive team in the Atlantic 10 and also in the playoffs.”

The Bears also return plenty of experience on offense, where Eaton was the leader this season. He passed for 2,198 yards and 19 touchdowns, completing 58 percent of his throws.

Sophomores Stefan Gomes (60 catches, 787 yards, 9 TDs) and Paris Minor (52-754-3) emerged as go-to receivers. UMaine must replace Hayes and hopes to improve its depth at wide receiver.

With English gone, the Bears have a trio of tailbacks to run behind dependable fullback John Gelsomino. Marcus Williams, James Henry and Onyi Momah all have the potential to be the starter.

Magliaro is a significant loss on a young line, but tackle Matt Hammond, guards Pete Richardson, Mike Leconte and Josh Watson and center Ben Lazarski all will be back.

“We’re going to go into offseason and our goals are going to be to repeat as Atlantic 10 champions,” Eaton said. “We had a great season.”

UMaine also has its punting and kicking games intact with the return. Placekicker Chris DeVinney made eight of 10 field goals and hit 34 of 41 PATs, while punter Mike Mellow averaged 36.0 yards per punt. Each should push the other for the placekicking job next season.

The Bears will soon begin their extensive offseason program in preparation for the 2002 season. This year’s success has established a higher level of expectation among the players, who are determined to continue building momentum for the program.

“Right now, our focus is to remain at the top,” Minor said. “It’s easier to get up here than it is to stay up here. We’ve got to have a great offseason, work hard, work on the little things, get better as a team, get more cohesive as a team and come back next year and hopefully we can get back to where we are – and a little bit farther.”