The 1951 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in 1951 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon). Maryland outscored its opponents, 381–74, and finished the season with a 10–0 record, including three shut outs, and held seven opponents to seven points or less. It was the school's first perfect undefeated and untied season since 1893. Maryland also secured its first berth in a major postseason bowl game, the 1952 Sugar Bowl, where it upset first-ranked Tennessee under head coach Robert Neyland.
Maryland was led by fifth-year head coach Jim Tatum, whom Time magazine called "the most successful major college coach in the game" during his nine-year tenure at College Park.The Coach, Time, August 3, 1959. To date, Tatum remains the winningest Maryland football coach of the modern era, with a winning percentage of 0.819.Records (PDF), 2007 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, University of Maryland, p. 55, retrieved 14 January 2009. 2009-05-07. The team returned experienced junior quarterback Jack Scarbath, who was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in the following season. Other key returning players included Ed Modzelewski, Ed Fullerton, Bob Ward, and Bob Shemonski.
The team was selected national champion by NCAA-designated major selectors of Dunkel, Football Research, National Championship Foundation, Sagarin, and Sagarin (ELO-Chess).
Before the season
Maryland had ended the previous season on a two-game winning streak, which it extended through the duration of the 1951 season. The following year, the Terrapins continued that streak for seven additional games before a loss to 11th-ranked Mississippi. In total, Maryland won 22 straight games from 1950 to 1952, which remains the longest winning streak in program history. One Associated Press writer characterized the 1950 season's 7–2–1 record as a disappointment to "never-satisfied alumni" who had hoped for an undefeated season and first-ever Southern Conference championship.
Respected sports prognosticator Grantland Rice picked North Carolina under Carl Snavely as the frontrunner to win the Southern Conference championship and predicted they would finish as the 18th ranked team in the nation. Rice estimated Maryland would finish second in the league and 20th in the rankings.Granny Rice Makes Annual Grid Forecast For Look, The Dispatch, August 31, 1951. Robert Moore of the Associated Press named Maryland the favorite to win the Southern Conference championship and stated it was "undoubtedly ... the team to beat", although he acknowledged that at least eight other teams would also be in contention: North Carolina, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina State, South Carolina, VMI, Wake Forest, and William & Mary. Moore was more subdued in his assessments of George Washington, Richmond, Virginia Tech, Washington & Lee, and predicted rebuilding seasons for Davidson, Furman, The Citadel, and West Virginia.Maryland Favorite To Take Southern Crown, Times Daily, September 2, 1951.
The Associated Press later called Maryland's preseason favorite title a "dubious distinction", to which few teams in the Mid-Atlantic had been able to live up. Tatum expressed confidence and said it was "the best team I've ever coached," but acknowledged the team could lose as many as seven games in a worst-case scenario.SC Football Teams Start Workouts; North Carolina And Clemson Are Sleepers; VPI, Spiders to Rely Heavily on Freshmen, The Free Lance-Star, September 1, 1951. Another Associated Press article said most people expected a big season from Maryland as the culmination of five years of Tatum's high-caliber recruiting.Maryland Ready For Best Season, The Rock Hill Herald, September 7, 1951. A United Press article had high confidence in Maryland, because of its experienced team and what it assessed as an easier schedule than previous seasons. It predicted Georgia, LSU, Navy, and North Carolina as the "only rough spots" on the schedule.
Personnel Maryland lost several players, including fifteen lettermen, from the previous season due to the exhaustion of their college eligibility. These included ends Elmer Wingate and Pete Augsburger, tackles Chet Gierula and Ray Krouse, center Jack Rowden, and kicker Jack Targarona.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1951, pp. 277–278. Notably, Maryland did not lose a single back "worthy of mention", and all of the linemen aside from the ends had ready replacements.
On the whole, Maryland returned a seasoned team that included 22 lettermen, and the United Press described the team as "bigger and bruisier than ever."Maryland Rated Tops In Southern Grid Conference This Year; No Rival as Strong as Terrapins With 22 Lettermen on Squad, North Carolina Depends on Sophomores, Reading Eagle, September 18, 1951. They were led by junior quarterback Jack Scarbath who gained significant experience in the split-T the previous season, in which he started the first six games before suffering an injury. He was backed up by a capable reservist in sophomore quarterback Bernie Faloney. (In 1952, Scarbath was the Heisman Trophy runner-up,1952 – 18th Award, Heisman.com, retrieved December 10, 2008. Archived 2009-06-25. and the following year, Faloney finished fourth in the voting.1953 - 19th Award , Heisman.com, retrieved December 20, 2008.)
Scarbath was accompanied in the backfield by several other capable players, including "one of the biggest fullbacks in captivity" Ed Modzelewski and halfbacks Chet "the Jet" Hanulak and Ed Fullerton. Halfback Bob Shemonski, the previous season's conference-scoring leader, was shifted to play mostly on defense, but would rank as the team leader in kick returns with six for 126 yards. The Terrapins' line was anchored by co-captains Bob Ward, a guard, and Dave Cianelli, the center. At tackle, it featured Ed's brother, Dick Modzelewski, and Bob Morgan. The defense was described as particularly deep, anchored by Ward, Cianelli, and Jeff Keith, and with good reserves available into even the third string.
The position(s) for each player are annotated in parentheses (for an explanation of the abbreviations used see American football positions).Year-By-Year Results , 2007 Terrapin Football Record Book, University of Maryland, p. 17–22, 2007, retrieved February 4, 2009.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1952, pp. 162–164.
John Alderton (DE) Ed Barritt Lynn Beightol (QB) Dick Bielski (FB) Walter Boeri (FB/G/LB) Dave Christianson (T) Dave Cianelli (C/FB/LB) Lloyd Colteryahn (OE) Tom Cosgrove (C) Marty Crytzer (C/E) Lynn Davis (DB) Don Decker (K) Bob DeStefano (QB) Bernie Faloney (QB/P) Ralph Felton (FB/DB/LB) Ed Fincke (C) Hank Fox (E) Chick Fry (T) Ed Fullerton (HB/DB) John Guender Chet Hanulak (HB) Fred Heffner (E/K/P) Joe Horning (HB/DB) Art Hurd (G) Stan Jones (T) Ed Kensler (DG) Jeff Keith (C/LB) Charles Lattimer (C) Bob Laughery (B) Pete Ladygo (OG/LB) Paul Lindsay (E) Leonard Mahoney Bill Maletzky (G) Roy Martine Dick Modzelewski (T) Ed Modzelewski (FB) Bob Morgan (T) Joe Moss (OT) Frank Navarro (G) Paul Nestor (DE) Dick Nolan (DB) Joe Petruzzo (HB/DB) Jack Scarbath (QB) Karney Scioscia (FB) Bob Shemonski (E/HB/DB) Ray Stankus (G) Dan Staffieri Clifford Trexler (C) Bob Ward (G) George Weicker (T) Lou Weidensaul (E)
Coaching staff Jim Tatum served as the head coach for his fifth year at Maryland in the 1951 season. All told, he served a nine-year tenure at College Park and compiled a 73–15–4 record for a winning percentage of 0.819, the highest among Maryland coaches in the modern era. Tatum later gained national recognition, with Time magazine later calling him "the most successful major college coach in the game", and 1951 proved to be his breakout season. Tatum employed the split-T, which he had learned firsthand as the protégé of its pioneer, Don Faurot. This new offensive system sought to emulate the "two-on-one" fast break of basketball, with the aim of creating an undefended back.Don Faurot's Split-T Formation, University of Missouri, retrieved June 22, 2009. Archived 2009-06-25. Name Position Year Alma mater Jim Tatum Head coach 5th North Carolina (1935) Tommy Mont Backfield coach 1st Maryland (1947) Warren Giese Ends coach 3rd Oklahoma (1947) Jack Hennemier Line coach 4th Duke Duke Wyre Head trainer
Schedule
Game summaries Washington & Lee
The season opened against Washington & Lee, the defending 1950 Southern Conference champions. In the first quarter, the Generals' fumbled in their own end zone, which was converted into a Maryland touchdown when Pete Ladygo recovered it. Tatum used his alternates generously: fifty Terrapin players saw action in the game and nine scored. Quarterbacks Jack Scarbath, Bob DeStefano, Bernie Faloney, and Lynn Beightol all saw action.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1952, p. 165.
George Washington
To open the game against George Washington, Scarbath led a five-play drive that culminated in a one-yard rush by Ed Modzelewski for a score. Don Decker made the extra point. Later, Ed Modzelewski scored again on a 62-yard touchdown break. In the second quarter, back-up quarterback Faloney scored on a quarterback keeper. Then, Ralph Felton connected with Ed Fullerton with a 27-yard pass for another touchdown to close the half, 27–0. In the third quarter, Scarbath threw a pass to Felton for the final Maryland score. In the fourth quarter, G.W.'s Bino Varreira scored in the last minute of play, for a final result of 33–6.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1952, p. 166.
Georgia
The year prior, Georgia had soundly beaten an unprepared and unconditioned Maryland team in the season-opener. In 1951, the Bulldogs were supposed to be one of the Terrapins' toughest tests. Maryland tallied first with a field goal by Don Decker, which was an unusual method to score at the time. Later in the first quarter, Chet Hanulak rushed for a touchdown. In the second quarter, Hanulak scored again. Georgia's only score of the game came on a four-yard rush by Lauren Hargrove. Halftime expired with a score of 17–7. In the third quarter, Ed Modzelewski, Ralph Felton, and Scarbath each scored. Fullerton scored the final touchdown on a then school-record 86-yard run.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1952, p. 167.
North Carolina
In the first quarter, Maryland engineered a 79-yard drive. Ralph Felton gained the last 27 yards for the score. North Carolina responded with a 41-yard drive capped by a touchdown by Bob Gantt. In the second quarter, Bob Shemonski broke the stalemate with a touchdown pass to Lou Weidensaul for the go-ahead. In the final minutes of the fourth quarter, Maryland's Joe Petruzzo broke up a pass in the end zone to preserve the victory, 14–7.Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1952, p. 168.
It was the 18th game of the series and the first Maryland win in eleven meetings. The previous one had been in 1926.North Carolina vs Maryland 1869-2007, Stassen College Football Information, retrieved January 30, 2009.
Louisiana State