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. 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.

During Tatum's tenure, several Maryland players were awarded prestigious individual honors. Two Maryland quarterbacks were runners-up for the Heisman Trophy, which is awarded to college football's most outstanding player. In 1952, Jack Scarbath was a first runner-up to Oklahoma running back Billy Vessels.1952 – 18th Award , Heisman.com, retrieved December 10, 2008. In 1953, Bernie Faloney was a third runner-up, with John Lattner of Notre Dame winning the award.1953 - 19th Award , Heisman.com, retrieved December 20, 2008. Dick Modzelewski won the 1952 Outland Trophy, the annual award given to the nation's most outstanding interior lineman.

Seven Maryland players received first-team All-American honors: Bernie Faloney, Stan Jones, Dick Modzelewski, Bob Pellegrini, Mike Sandusky, Jack Scarbath, and Bob Ward (twice honored). Seven Maryland players received second-team All-American honors: Tom Cosgrove, Chet Hanulak, Ray Krouse, Dick Modzelewski, Ed Modzelewski, Ed Vereb, and Bill Walker (twice honored). Also during this period, the Southern Conference (through 1952) and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) (since 1953) bestowed all-conference honors upon Maryland players twenty-seven times.All-Time Honors (PDF), 2001 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, CBS Sports, 2001, retrieved December 8, 2008.SoCon Records (PDF), 2007 Southern Conference Football Media Guide, Southern Conference, p. 141–147, 2007, retrieved October 6, 2008 In later years, two of these players were honored as part of the ACC's 50th Anniversary Team and five were inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.ACC Record Book, Section 8 (PDF), pp. 177, Atlantic Coast Conference, 2007, retrieved December 5, 2008.

Tatum before Maryland Jim Tatum was born in McColl, South Carolina on July 22, 1913. He played football as a left tackle like four of his older brothers. Tatum attended the University of North Carolina where he played for Carl Snavely's Tar Heels and earned All-American honors during his senior year in . The following season, he became Snavely's assistant coach and followed him to Cornell in 1936. Tatum returned to North Carolina in 1940 as an assistant coach under Bear Wolf. In 1942, Tatum was promoted into the head coaching job himself and compiled a 5–2–2 record. The next year, during the Second World War, he enlisted in the United States Navy and served as an assistant coach for the Iowa Pre-Flight School football team under Don Faurot, the inventor of the split-T. Future Oklahoma coach Bud Wilkinson worked as an assistant coach alongside Tatum.

In 1946, with the recommendation of Oklahoma athletic director Jap Haskell, Tatum was hired as the Sooners' head coach and brought Wilkinson as an assistant. Tatum replaced Dewey Luster, who resigned due to ill health.Harold Keith, Sooner Sports (PDF), Sooner Magazine, p. 6, January 1946, retrieved December 17, 2008. Luster had struggled in the position as the Second World War put a continuous and heavy drain on athletes at the University of Oklahoma.Harold Keith, Sooner Sports (PDF), Sooner Magazine, p. 15, July 1942, retrieved December 17, 2008. The final game before Luster's resignation was a 0–47 loss at the hands of Oklahoma A&M, which rounded out Oklahoma's 1945 season with a 5–5 record.

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.All-Time Results (PDF), Program History, 2008 Oklahoma Football Guide, p. 194, University of Oklahoma Sooners Athletics, 2008, retrieved December 17, 2008. 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.

In addition to his team's success on the gridiron, Tatum caused controversy. Buddy Burris, the first three-time All-American at Oklahoma, said, "Jim Tatum was a con-man, a dictator, a tyrant, and one hell of a football coach." Tatum greatly surpassed his allocated budget and linked players with sponsors who sometimes paid or bought clothes for their sponsored players. After a 34–13 Gator Bowl victory over N.C. State, University of Oklahoma president George Cross discovered that Tatum had paid the fifty Sooners players $120 each ($, adjusted for inflation). Cross had explicitly warned Tatum not to do so, as it was a violation of conference rules. With further investigation, it was discovered that $60,000 ($ in inflation-adjusted terms) was unaccounted for in the athletic department budget, which resulted in the relief of athletic director Jap Haskell.

Meanwhile, Tatum resigned to take the head coaching job at Maryland with a $12,000 salary, one-third more than he made at Oklahoma, ($, adjusted for inflation). Oklahoma filled the open coaching job with Tatum's former assistant, Bud Wilkinson.Gary King, The Forgotten Man of Oklahoma Football: Jim Tatum , Sooner Magazine, University of Oklahoma Foundation, Inc., Spring 2008, retrieved December 17, 2008.

The 1947 season

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.Year-by-Year Results (PDF), 2008 Maryland Football Media Guide, University of Maryland, 2008. 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.Of Absent Friends (PDF), The LA84 Foundation, retrieved January 2, 2009. The Terrapins' regular-season play earned them a berth in their first postseason game.

1948 Gator Bowl

Maryland met Georgia in the 1948 Gator Bowl. The Terrapins scored first when Gambino broke a 35-yard run for a touchdown in the second quarter. On the first series of the second half, Georgia quarterback John Rauch led an 87-yard drive capped by a one-yard dive into the end zone. Maryland responded with an 80-yard drive for another score by Gambino. Georgia turned the ball over with a fumble on its own 40-yard line and Maryland capitalized with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Gambino. In the final quarter, Georgia came from behind with a one-yard touchdown rush by Joe Geri and a nine-yard touchdown pass to John Donaldson. Georgia missed the extra point and the final result was a 20–20 tie.Georgia's Bowl History (PDF), 2006 Georgia Bulldogs Football Media Guide, University of Georgia, 2006, retrieved January 14, 2009.The 3rd Annual Gator Bowl - Historical Box Scores , The Gator Bowl Association, retrieved January 18, 2009. Gambino recorded all three Maryland touchdowns and 165 rushing yards, which set a school bowl-game record that stood for 60 years until broken by Da'Rel Scott in the 2008 Humanitarian Bowl.Patrick Stevens, Scott finally gets chance, The Washington Times, December 31, 2008.

Effects Gambino finished the year as the NCAA scoring leader with 96 points.2007 NCAA Division I Football Records Book, National Collegiate Athletic Association, 2007, retrieved December 5, 2008. He was inducted into the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame in 1992 for his achievement as the bowl game's "first superb running back."Lu Gambino , Gator Bowl Hall of Fame, retrieved December 23, 2008. Lu Gambino received All-Southern Conference honors.Records (PDF), 2007 Southern Conference Football Media Guide, Southern Conference, p. 141–147, 2007, retrieved October 6, 2008.

The 1948 season

The 1948 season saw Maryland slide to a 6–4 record, but they delivered four shutouts and lost two of their games by a combined three points. Two of their four losses came against ranked conference opponents, and a third was a 34-point shutout at the hands of Vanderbilt. Future two-time Heisman runner-up Charlie Justice helped North Carolina to a 29-point romp over the Terrapins.1948 - 14th Award , Heisman.com, retrieved January 16, 2009.1949 - 15th Award , Heisman.com, retrieved January 16, 2009.

The 1949 season

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. Maryland finished the regular season with a final AP ranking of 14th.Maryland 1949 AP Football Rankings , AP Poll Archive, retrieved January 15, 2009. The Terrapins again traveled to the Gator Bowl for their finale, and they defeated 20th-ranked Missouri. Ray Krouse was named All-Southern Conference and an AP second-team All-American.ACC All-Americans (PDF), 2007 Atlantic Coast Conference Media Guide, Atlantic Coast Conference, 2007, retrieved January 16, 2009.

The 1950 season

The Terrapins started off as the 15th-ranked team in the preseason AP Poll.1950 Preseason AP Football Poll , AP Poll Archive, retrieved January 30, 2009. At Georgia, Maryland lost its season-opener, 7–27. Tatum said, "We weren't ready for Georgia in a game as early as September 23 ... We weren't in shape and the [] heat killed us." The loss, however, did not affect Maryland's poll ranking as the situation surrounding the game was generally understood.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1951, p. 276.

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.Rick Snider, Ill will lingers at Navy, Maryland; Rivalry to restart in Crab Bowl, The Washington Times, p. 1, August 29, 2005. The high-scoring game was the 12th meeting of the intense in-state rivalry and resulted in just the second-ever Maryland win.Maryland vs Navy, 1869–2007 , Stassen College Football Information, retrieved November 11, 2008.