Maryland Terrapins Nickname and Mascot
Maryland Football Uniforms
With the state flag and other unique features incorporated
into Maryland football uniforms, there is no doubt that the
Terps are trend setters when it comes to their Under
Armour football gear.
Maryland Terrapins Nickname, Mascot and Football Gameday Traditions and Gridiron Legends
Like many others, Maryland fans cheer for the tortoise instead of the hare. Along with that, Terrapin fans are excited about the future with the program's planned move to the Big 10 Conference.
Location: College Park, Md.
Conference: ACC
School Colors: Red, White, Black & Gold
Fight Song: "Maryland Victory Song"
After losing to Episcopal High at the conclusion of their first football season in 1892, Maryland set the tone for future greatness by posting an undefeated campaign the next season. Since then the football program achieved a national championship in 1953, numerous postseason trips including Cotton, Sugar and Orange bowl berths.
Favorite expression at
"Fear the Turtle!"
Maryland players have won Outland and Lombardi Trophies while another came Terrapin came within a hair of winning the Heisman. The school has produced two NFL Hall of Famers while Boomer Esiason and Neil O'Donnell led their NFL squads to the Super Bowl.
The university also served as the starting point for a coach that is considered by many to be the greatest ever. Even though he faced a bear of a task, Paul Bryant took a squad that had won only one game the prior year to a 6-2-1 record in 1945. The Bear would stay in the Maryland den for only one season before accepting assignments with Kentucky, Texas A&M and Alabama. H.C. Byrd, Jim Tatum, Jerry Claiborne, Bobby Ross and Ralph Friedgen have also helped the Terps forge many wins through the years.
After competing in the Southern Conference for many years, Maryland became a charter member of the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953. The Terps claimed two conference championships in the 1950s, along with three in the 1970s and 1980s. Maryland's most recent conference crown was gained in 2001 when the Terps became the first team other than FSU to win the outright ACC crown since the Noles had joined the league and started competing for the ACC championship in 1992.
No Ordinary Turtle
The school mascot is a costumed
anthropomorphic turtle
Maryland Nickname: Terrapins
When the suggestion rang out from Maryland football coach Dr. H.C. Byrd in 1932 that the school adopt the "Diamondbacks" as a school symbol he wasn't accused of having snakes in his head. The Diamondback that the future university president was referring to was not a serpent, but were instead the snapping turtles he had encounters with during his childhood in Crisfield Md.
The turtle was already represented on campus with the student newspaper that was named the Diamondback. The turtle soup got thicker the next year when the Class of 1933 donated a giant bronzed Diamondback. When the student yearbook, The Reveille, became The Terrapin in 1935, Maryland officials were ready to stick their necks out for their new symbol.
E.J. Henderson
Since the university was consolidated from different state schools in 1920, it had lacked an identity that its supporters could comfortably hang their hat on. Initially the nickname "Old Liners" had been used, but doubts about its meaning and origination brought it to the end of the line. Some said the term honored a troop of Maryland soldiers who fought bravely in the Revolutionary War, while others said that the "Old Liners" reflected a border squabble with Pennsylvania. Another name that at one time was used by many schools was also embraced by Maryland. The 1893 football team sported the name "Aggies" on their way to a 6-0 season.
Testudo Statue
Testudo is the centerpiece of our campus, and the act of
rubbing his nose for good luck is our most-enduring tradition,
going strong since 1933!
Maryland Mascot: Testudo
Maryland's Terrapin mascot represents the university in the form of a bronze statue and a costumed character. The statue as discussed earlier arrived during the Great Depression while the more mobile mascot first stalked the sidelines in the 1970s.
While large in stature, the 300-pound Testudo was a constant target of rival fans. His location in front of the school's Richie Coliseum offered pranksters easy access and the turtle's golden skin was painted enemy colors. Without notifying Maryland officials, a group of Johns Hopkins abducted the mascot in 1947, nearly causing a riot in the process. When an effort was made to retrieve the statue, 200 police were alerted to the Baltimore campus to control the situation.
Despite not having an appetite for grass, Testudo was discovered on the lawn of a University of Virginia fraternity house. The frat members called Maryland President Dr. H.C. Byrd and told him to get the turtle off their lawn. After the incident Testudo was packed away in the campus carpentry shop for safe keeping. In an effort to curb the statue from gaining frequent flyer miles, 700 pounds of cement were added to the Testudo's base.
Through the years Testudo has changed nesting spots and despite his inability to flirt, he has produced offspring. In addition to his Richie Coliseum location, the statue has taken residence in front of Byrd Stadium, and McKeldin Library when it was decided he could be more enjoyed in the center of campus. A duplicate ofTestudo was made from a wax mold in 1992 and placed outside the football locker room. Maryland football players touch the bronze Terrapins nose for good luck as the team takes the field. Testudo was reincarnated once again in 1995 and was placed in the Cole Field House.
Maryland's Football Stadium: Fit For a Queen
The Terps football stadium is named for a Byrd and has hosted a queen. The 54,000 seat stadium was constructed in 1950 and was named for Dr. H.C. Byrd, a man who had a great impact on the university. After being a multi-sport athlete at the school, Byrd would become Maryland's all-time winningest football coach during his 24-year coaching career (1911-34) that was followed by his becoming the university's president.
1974 Outland Trophy and
Lombardi Award Winner
and NFL legend
Randy White
Following his incredible career at
Maryland, White was the overall No.
2 pick of the 1975 Draft. After joining
the Cowboys, White became a 9x
First-Team All-Pro selection and a
Co-Super Bowl MVP. White was
named to the NFL 1980s All-Decade
Team as was inducted into the Pro
Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
While many of Byrd's victories caused many celebrations, the "royalist" of them all was when Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip attended a game in 1957.
Maryland's Top
Heisman Finalist
Jack Scarbath
The Terps star finished second in the
1952 Heisman Trophy race. Scarbath
was edged out by Oklahoma's Billy
Vessels by a 525 to 367 vote margin.
Maryland Football Championships and Terps Football Legends
Many images of the 1950s have been recounted by the movie American Graffiti and the television show Happy Days. However, when Maryland fans reminisce about the golden age, Fonzie, Richie and Mr. C are probably far from their minds. They are instead focusing on a group of National Football Foundation College Hall of Famers that helped bring happy days and championships to College Park in the '50s.
Leading the Maryland charge was head coach Jim Tatum whose teams posted a 51-8-2 record from 1950-55. A perfect 10-0 record and Sugar Bowl victory in 1951 was followed by a national championship for the school in 1953. Running Coach Tatum' s new Split T offense with great precision helped Terp quarterback Jack Scarbath finish second in the 1952 Heisman Trophy race. Earning All-American and 1949 Gator Bowl MVP honors helped Bob Ward become Maryland's Bob Ward become the school's first College Hall of Famer. Dick Modzelewski won the Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman in 1952, while lineman Bob Pellegrini followed with an All-American career that resulted in his being picked first in the 1956 NFL draft.
While defensive tackle Stan Jones didn't receive as many college accolades, he was a major force on the 1953 squad that only gave up 3 I regular season points. Jones would later become the school's first NFL Hall of Famer, an honor he now shares with 1974 Lombardi and Outland Trophy winner Randy White.
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Terps Gameday Traditions
"Get Your Keys Out"
Students jingle their keys rather than cheer to keep the noise down on important offensive plays for the Maryland football team.
"Move Those Chains"
When the team makes a first down, fans remind the sideline chain gang of what they need to do, beginning with a long loud "Ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh", followed by three "Move Those Chains!," while UM fans give the first down signal.
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