1947 Maryland Terrapins football team

The 1947 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in 1947 college football season as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon).

1947 Maryland Terrapins football
Gator Bowl, T 20–20 vs. Georgia
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Record7–2–2 (4–2–1 SoCon)
Head coach
Offensive schemeSplit-T
CaptainGeorge Simler
Home stadiumByrd Stadium (original)
Seasons
← 1946
1948 →
1947 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 14 William & Mary $ 7 1 0 9 2 0
No. 9 North Carolina 4 1 0 8 2 0
South Carolina 4 1 1 6 2 1
No. 19 Duke 3 1 1 4 3 2
Washington and Lee 3 2 0 5 5 0
Maryland 3 2 1 7 2 2
No. 17 NC State 3 2 1 5 3 1
VPI 4 3 0 4 5 0
Davidson 3 3 1 6 3 1
Wake Forest 3 4 0 6 4 0
VMI 2 3 1 3 5 1
Clemson 1 3 0 4 5 0
The Citadel 1 4 0 3 5 0
Furman 1 4 0 2 7 0
Richmond 1 5 0 3 7 0
George Washington 0 4 0 1 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from AP Poll

Jim Tatum served as the first-year head coach and replaced Clark Shaughnessy who had been asked to resign. Tatum replaced Shaughnessy's pass-oriented version of the T formation with the option-heavy split-T offense. During his nine-year tenure at College Park, Tatum would become the winningest coach in school history. In 1947, he got off to a good start and significantly improved from Shaughnessy's 3–6 record of the season prior.

The highlight of the season was a berth in the 1948 Gator Bowl, the first postseason game in school history. NCAA-scoring leader Lu Gambino ran for 165 yards and scored all three touchdowns for Maryland. The game ultimately ended in a stalemate.

Maryland was ranked at No. 45 (out of 500 college football teams) in the final Litkenhous Ratings for 1947.[1]

Schedule

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DateOpponentSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 27at South CarolinaW 19–1313,000[2]
October 3Delaware*W 43–1916,460[3]
October 10Richmond
  • Byrd Stadium
  • College Park, MD
W 18–6[4]
October 18at No. 17 DukeL 7–1920,000[5]
October 25at VPIW 21–1912,500[6]
November 1West Virginia* 
  • Byrd Stadium
  • College Park, MD (rivalry)
W 27–016,500[7]
November 8at DuquesneW 32–0[8]
November 15vs. No. 19 North CarolinaL 0–1922,000[9]
November 22at Vanderbilt*W 20–620,000[10]
November 29NC State
  • Byrd Stadium
  • College Park, MD
T 0–014,000[11]
January 1Georgia*T 20–2021,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

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Roster

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The Maryland roster for the 1947 season consisted of the following players:[13][14]

Coaching staff

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Game summaries

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South Carolina

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Gambino scored three touchdowns and Maryland firmly held the momentum for the first three quarters. In the final period, South Carolina mounted a comeback attempt. Maryland player Gene Kinney intercepted a pass on the Terrapin 31-yard line to secure the victory, 19–13.[15]

Delaware

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Delaware entered the game atop a 32-game winning streak. Gambino again scored three touchdowns, with others added by Davis, Idzik, and Targarona. The Blue Hens responded to an 88-yard touchdown run by Gambino with a 90-yard score by Cole.[16]

Richmond

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Maryland avenged the previous season's loss to Richmond. Gambino scored twice and completed a pass to Simler for the third touchdown.[17]

Duke (#17)

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Maryland fumbles and interceptions helped Duke snap the three-game winning streak. Vernon Seibert scored the Terrapins' only score of the day. It was also the first touchdown ever scored by Maryland against Duke.[18]

VPI scored twice in the first quarter after Maryland penalties and a turnover. In the fourth quarter, Maryland mounted a two-touchdown rally to spoil VPI's homecoming, 21–19. The decisive scores were due to a long Vic Turyn pass to Simler and a 32-yard dash by Idzik. McHugh made all three point after touchdown kicks, which proved to be the margin of victory.[19]

West Virginia

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Duquesne

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North Carolina (#19)

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Vanderbilt

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North Carolina State

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Georgia (Gator Bowl)

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1 2 3 4 Total
Maryland 0 7 13 0 20
Georgia 0 0 7 13 20

Awards

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Lu Gambino was selected as a first-team All-Southern Conference back.[20][21] Gambino and Eugene Kinney were named honorable mention All-Americans.[21]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Dr. E. E. Litkenhous (December 18, 1947). "Michigan National Champion in Final Litkenhous Ratings". Times. p. 47 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Maryland Shades Gamecocks, 19-13". Greenville News. September 28, 1947. pp. Sports 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Maryland Wins, 43-19, To Shatter Delaware Streak". Wilmington Morning News. October 4, 1947. pp. 1, 15 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Maryland Defeats Richmond, 18-6". The Baltimore Sun. October 11, 1947. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Warren Duffee (October 19, 1947). "Duke And UNC Roll To Victories: Fred Folger Punts, Passes And Runs Devils To 19 To 7 Victory Over Big Maryland". Asheville Citizen-Times. p. D1 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Fourth Period Brings Defeat For Gobblers". The Staunton News Leader. October 26, 1947 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Maryland Beats W.Va. Eleven, 27-0". The Baltimore Sun. November 2, 1947. p. 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ Carl Hughes (November 9, 1947). "Dukes Walloped by Maryland, 32-0". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 29 – via newspapers.com.
  9. ^ C.M. Gibbs (November 16, 1947). "North Carolina Downs University of Maryland, 19 To 0". The Baltimore Sun. pp. Sports 1–2 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ Raymond Johnson (November 23, 1947). "Rugged Terrapins Stun Vandy With 20-6 Upset". The Nashville Tennessean. pp. 1C, 4C – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Maryland and North Carolina Play To 0-0 Tie". The Baltimore Sun. November 30, 1947. p. Sports 1 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ F. M. Williams (January 2, 1948). "Georgia Ties Maryland, 20-20; Gambino Scores Three Times". The Atlanta Constitution. p. 9 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland Yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 237.
  14. ^ Year-By-Year Results Archived 2018-10-26 at the Wayback Machine, 2007 Terrapin Football Record Book, University of Maryland, p. 17–22, 2007, retrieved February 4, 2009.
  15. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 240.
  16. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 241.
  17. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 242.
  18. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 243.
  19. ^ Terrapin, University of Maryland yearbook, Class of 1948, p. 244.
  20. ^ Records (PDF), 2007 Southern Conference Football Media Guide, Southern Conference, p. 141–147, 2007, retrieved 6 October 2008.
  21. ^ a b All-Time Honors Archived 2011-05-23 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), 2001 Maryland Terrapins Football Media Guide, CBS Sports, retrieved 8 December 2008.