Instruct: Given a question, retrieve relevant passages that can help answer the question.
Query: How many championships did the Maryland Terrapins win under Jim Tatum?
From 1947 to 1955, Jim Tatum served as the head coach of the Maryland Terrapins football team, which represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football. Maryland hired Tatum to replace Clark Shaughnessy after the 1946 season. Tatum had created both success and controversy during his one season as head coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team. During his nine-year tenure, Tatum became one of the most successful head football coaches in Maryland history, and the Terrapins compiled two national championships, three conference championships, and five bowl game appearances. His teams compiled a 73–15–4 record without a single losing season, and as of the end of 2016, he has the highest winning percentage of any Maryland football coach who coached at least seven games.[1] In 1954, the University of Maryland appointed a new president, Dr. Wilson Elkins, who chose to de-emphasize football. Following the 1955 season, Tatum took a pay cut to coach at his alma mater, North Carolina, and he died four years later.
List of Maryland Terrapins football seasons
Maryland entered the season ranked ninth in the preseason AP Poll.[41] In the season opener against Missouri, Chet Hanulak scored in the first two minutes of play on a 61-yard run. Maryland intercepted four passes while sacrificing three fumbles in the 20–7 win.[42]
Jim Tatum was hired in 1947, after a brief stint at Oklahoma where he had led the Sooners to a conference championship in his only season there.[10] He was Maryland's sixth head coach in eight years, but Tatum stayed for nine seasons and became the school's most successful head coach in modern history.[11] During his tenure, he led Maryland to two national championships (one retroactive),[2] three conference championships, three perfect seasons, six top-20 final rankings, and five bowl game appearances.[7] Seven of his players were named first-team All-Americans, including five consensus All-Americans. Under Tatum, Maryland finished every season with a winning record.[7]
Over the course of the season, Maryland outscored its opponents 381–74, accumulated three shutout wins, and held seven opponents to 7 points or less. It was Maryland's first 10-win season and remains the team's only perfect undefeated season in the modern era.[11][nb 1]
On Thanksgiving Day, Tatum coached Maryland to a pummeling, 74–13, of his former boss Don Faurot's Missouri,[45] and the Terrapins set an ACC record-high for scoring that stood for 27 years.[46] Maryland finished the season with a 7–2–1 record and was named the eighth-ranked team by AP.[11] Bill Walker was selected by AP as a second-team All-American. Three Maryland players were named to the All-ACC first team: Dick Bielski, Bill Walker, and Ronnie Waller. Two were named to the All-ACC second team: John Irvine and Bob Pellegrini.[23]
In Tatum's one season at Oklahoma, he led the Sooners to an 8–3 finish and a share of the Big Six Conference championship.[10] Tatum and his staff also recruited nine players who became All-Americans: Plato Andros, Buddy Burris, Jack Mitchell, Jim Owens, John Rapacz, Darrell Royal, George Thomas, Wade Walker, and Stan West.[7]
The AP preseason poll ranked Maryland second in the nation.[11] The Terrapins recorded a 37-point shutout of 19th-ranked Georgia and defeated 20th-ranked Navy, 38–7. Maryland finished the season with a No. 13 final ranking.[11] Their loss at Mississippi ended a 22-game winning streak for the Terrapins.[11] Tatum blamed the Terrapins' late season slide to injuries suffered by star quarterback Scarbath and weariness from the grueling road schedule.[36]
The modern Maryland Terrapins football program traces to the team first formed by quarterback Will Skinner in 1892 at what was then known as the Maryland Agricultural College. Since then, the Terrapins (commonly known as the "Terps") have experienced their most success under head coaches Jim Tatum, Jerry Claiborne, Bobby Ross, and Ralph Friedgen.
Maryland improved to 9–1 in 1949 to earn their second bowl appearance. Their lone loss came against a ranked Michigan State team and Maryland allowed no opponent to score more than 14 points. They recorded victories over two ranked teams: Boston U. and Missouri under Tatum's former boss, Don Faurot.[11] Maryland finished the regular season with a final AP ranking of 14th.[22] The Terrapins again traveled to the Gator Bowl for their finale, and they defeated 20th-ranked Missouri.[11] Ray Krouse was named All-Southern Conference and an AP second-team All-American.[19][23]
Meanwhile, Tatum resigned to take the head coaching job at Maryland with a $12,000 salary, one-third more than he made at Oklahoma, ($134,647, adjusted for inflation). Oklahoma filled the open coaching job with Tatum's former assistant, Bud Wilkinson.[7]
The Terrapins started off as the 15th-ranked team in the preseason AP Poll.[24] At Georgia, Maryland lost its season-opener, 7–27.[11] Tatum said, "We weren't ready for Georgia in a game as early as September 23 ... We weren't in shape and the [92°F (33°C)] heat killed us." The loss, however, did not affect Maryland's poll ranking as the situation surrounding the game was generally understood.[25]
Maryland entered the season at number-16 on the AP and Coaches' polls, and remained ranked for the duration. A 40-point trouncing of conference foe George Washington in the season-opener propelled the Terrapins to a number-nine ranking in both polls.[11][30] Other wins included games against Southeastern Conference powerhouses: a romp over Georgia and a shutout against LSU. Before the Georgia game, Tatum showed his team that Georgia had charged only $5 for tickets, instead of the usual $7.50 ($48 instead of $72, adjusted for inflation). Tatum said, "They don't think very much of you, do they?"[12]
Jim Tatum was hired in 1947, after a brief stint at Oklahoma where he had led the Sooners to a conference championship in his only season there. He was Maryland's sixth head coach in eight years, but Tatum stayed for nine seasons and became the school's most successful head coach in modern history. During his tenure, he led Maryland to two national championships (one retroactive), three conference championships, three perfect seasons, six top-20 final rankings, and five bowl game appearances. Seven of his players were named first-team All-Americans, including five consensus All-Americans. Under Tatum, Maryland finished every season with a winning record.
During his tenure at Maryland, Tatum became one of the most successful head football coaches in school history. In nine seasons, he led the Terrapins to two national championships, three conference championships, and five bowl game appearances. His teams compiled a 73–15–4 record without a single losing season. To date, he remains the winningest Maryland football coach of the modern era with a winning percentage of 0.819.[53]
In Tatum's initial season at Maryland, his results were similar to those at Oklahoma. After compiling a 3–6 record the year prior, the Terrapins improved to 7–2–2 under Tatum. Whereas his predecessor Clark Shaughnessy had pioneered the T-formation, Tatum installed the split-T offense that his former colleague Don Farout had invented. The team's two losses came at the hands of two ranked period powerhouses, Duke and North Carolina.[11][12] Maryland's star running back, Lu Gambino, scored three touchdowns against West Virginia to lead the team to their first victory in the third meeting of the series.[13] The Terrapins' regular-season play earned them a berth in their first postseason game.[11]
In 1945, Paul "Bear" Bryant began his long and distinguished career as a head football coach at the University of Maryland. The following year, he was replaced by Jim Tatum, a pioneer of the split T. Maryland football achieved its greatest success under Tatum, who compiled a 73–15–4 record without a single losing season, and to date, he remains the winningest Maryland coach of the modern era. NCAA recognized selectors awarded Maryland the national football championship in 1951 and 1953. During Tatum's tenure from 1946 to 1955, Maryland also secured one Southern Conference championship and two Atlantic Coast Conference championships. In 1962, Darryl Hill transferred to Maryland from the United States Naval Academy, making the school the first team in the Atlantic Coast Conference with a black player. Jerry Claiborne became head coach in 1972, and led Maryland to three consecutive ACC championships from 1974 to 1976. The Terrapins finished the 1976 regular season with an undefeated 11–0 record, but lost to Houston in the Cotton Bowl Classic, which ended national championship speculation. Bobby Ross replaced Claiborne in 1982, and he repeated the feat of three consecutive ACC championships from 1983 to 1985. In 1984, Maryland quarterback Frank Reich led the Terrapins to the then greatest halftime comeback against the defending national champions, Miami. After a long bowl game drought, Ralph Friedgen was hired as head coach in 2001, and in his first season, led Maryland to the ACC championship and its first Bowl Championship Series game appearance.
Maryland next traveled to South Carolina to face a team coming off of a four-game winning streak. Ralph Felton scored first to cap a long drive with a short rush. In the next series, the Gamecocks punted it away and the ball was returned by Hanulak 35 yards for a touchdown. In the second quarter, South Carolina recovered a Maryland fumble on the Terrapins' 14-yard line. In three plays, Maryland had pushed them back to the 32-yard line before South Carolina finally scored. With South Carolina held to 37 rushing yards the final result was 24–6.[42]
Between 1947 and 1955, Jim Tatum led the Terps to two national championships, two ACC championships, a Southern Conference championship, and five bowl game appearances. In 1952, Maryland quarterback Jack Scarbath was the runner-up to the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to college football's most outstanding player. The next year, coach Tatum led the team through an undefeated regular season. This resulted in Maryland being awarded the 1953 National Championship.
Maryland was sanctioned for violating a Southern Conference rule, passed halfway through the 1951 season, that banned postseason play. The punishment, for participating in the Sugar Bowl, disallowed the Terrapins from playing any conference games during the 1952 season.[35] This compelled Maryland to schedule all but three games on the road.[36]
In Week 2, the Terrapins played the inaugural game at the newly completed Byrd Stadium. It was the first game against the Naval Academy in 16 years. The series had been canceled in 1934 after Maryland accused Navy of an illegal game-winning play. In 1950, Maryland agreed to fill a vacancy in the Navy schedule left open by a Georgetown cancellation.[26] The high-scoring game was the 12th meeting of the intense in-state rivalry and resulted in just the second-ever Maryland win.[27]
With the final polls already closed before the bowl season, Tennessee retained possession of the national championship. In following years, however, several selectors have named Maryland as the retroactive 1951 national champions: Jeff Sagarin, the College Football Researchers Association, DeVold System, Dunkel System, and National Championship Foundation.[34]
At North Carolina, the undefeated Terrapins met the undefeated Tar Heels. Two 15-yard penalties against North Carolina set up a quarterback sneak by Faloney for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Bill Walker caught a pitch at the Maryland 35 and ran it 49 yards to the North Carolina 16-yard line. From there, Charlie Boxold scored another touchdown for the Terrapins. In the third quarter, Hanulak took a pitch and took it 34 yards into the end zone. The 26–0 win was the Maryland's first in Chapel Hill, North Carolina since 1924. Tatum later called it "the greatest win of any team I ever coached, including the [1952] Sugar Bowl [over national champion Tennessee]."[42]
The 1948 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football in its 28th season as a member of the Southern Conference. Jim Tatum served as the head coach for the second year of his nine-year tenure. The Terrapins compiled a 6–4 record, which proved to be the worst of Tatum's term at Maryland and the only one in which his team lost more than two games. Griffith Stadium was temporarily used as the home field, as an interim venue between the original Byrd Stadium and the much larger, newly constructed stadium of the same name.
After defeating George Washington 27–6, the Terrapins went on to shut out two ranked teams: 11th-ranked Mississippi and 11th-ranked Alabama. Maryland secured a share of the ACC championship alongside Duke and a berth in the Orange Bowl as the only undefeated and untied team in the nation.[11] Maryland finished the regular season 10–0 and were crowned the national champions.