1989 Maine Black Bears football team

1989 Maine Black Bears football
1989 Maine Black Bears football
Yankee Conference co-champion
NCAA Division I-AA First Round, L 35–38 at Southwest Missouri State
Conference	Yankee Conference
Record	9–3 (6–2 Yankee)
Head coach	Tom Lichtenberg (1st season);
Offensive coordinator	Jack Cosgrove (1st season)
Captain	Scott Hough, John Gibson
Home stadium	Alumni Field
	Seasons ← 1988 1990 →

The 1989 Maine Black Bears football team was an American football team that represented the University of Maine as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1989 NCAA Division I-AA football season. In their first and only season under head coach Tom Lichtenberg, the Black Bears compiled a 9–3 record (6–2 against conference opponents), tied for the Yankee Conference championship, and lost to 1989 Southwest Missouri State Bears football team in the first round of the NCAA Division I-AA Football Championship playoffs. Scott Hough and John Gibson were the team captains.^[1]

1989 Yankee Conference football standings
v t e	Conf					Overall
Team	W		L		T	W		L		T
No. 8 Maine +^	6	–	2	–	0	9	–	3	–	0
No. 18 Connecticut +	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	3	–	0
No. 16 Villanova +^	6	–	2	–	0	8	–	4	–	0
New Hampshire	5	–	3	–	0	7	–	3	–	0
Delaware	5	–	3	–	0	7	–	4	–	0
Boston University	4	–	4	–	0	4	–	7	–	0
UMass	3	–	5	–	0	5	–	5	–	1
Rhode Island	1	–	7	–	0	3	–	8	–	0
Richmond	0	–	8	–	0	1	–	10	–	0

+ – Conference co-champions ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee poll

Schedule edit

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 2	Youngstown State*		Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 28–14	8,050	^[2]
September 9	at New Hampshire		Cowell Stadium Durham, NH	W 24–7
September 16	Villanova		Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 47–14	8,650	^[3]
September 23	UMass	No. 9	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 40–23
September 30	Richmond	No. 8	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 41–16	7,169	^[4]
October 7	Lock Haven*	No. 8	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 56–0
October 14	at Rhode Island	No. 6	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI	W 47–21
October 21	Connecticut	No. 4	Alumni Field Orono, ME	W 30–8
October 28	at Delaware	No. 4	Delaware Stadium Newark, DE	L 28–35
November 4	at Boston University	No. 8	Nickerson Field Boston, MA	L 28–30
November 11	at Northeastern*	No. 10	Parsons Field Brookline, MA	W 29–26
November 25	at No. 9 Southwest Missouri State*	No. 8	Briggs Stadium Springfield, MO (NCAA Division I-AA First Round)	L 35–38	7,270	^[5]
*Non-conference game Rankings from NCAA Division I-AA Football Committee Poll released prior to the game

The following Black Bears were selected in the 1990 NFL Draft after the season.^[6]

Round	Pick	Player	Position	NFL club
6	156	Mike Buck	Quarterback	New Orleans Saints
7	183	Scott Hough	Guard	New Orleans Saints
11	293	Justin Strzelczyk	Tackle	Pittsburgh Steelers

^ "2019 Maine Football Media Guide" (PDF). University of Maine. 2019. p. 88. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 23, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2021.
^ "Smith runs Maine past Penguins". Sun-Journal. September 3, 1989. Retrieved March 24, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Turnovers are costly to 'Nova in 47–14 setback". The Philadelphia Inquirer. September 17, 1989. Retrieved April 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ "Bears continue winning ways". Sun-Journal. October 1, 1989. Retrieved November 3, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
^ Dan O'Neill (November 26, 1989). "SWMO Wins Wild Opener". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 9F – via Newspapers.com.
^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 1, 2024.