Maryland Terrapins football under Jim Tatum
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.
1952 Maryland Terrapins football team
The 1952 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the University of Maryland in National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) college football in its 32nd season as a member of the Southern Conference. However, during the 1952 season, Maryland underwent sanctions by the Southern Conference that disallowed the team from playing any conference opponents. This was in response to Maryland's violation of a newly instituted ban on postseason play the year prior by its participation in the 1952 Sugar Bowl. Jim Tatum served as the head coach for the sixth season of his nine-year tenure. The team compiled a 7–2 record The loss against 14th-ranked Mississippi ended Maryland's school-record 22-game winning streak. After the season, Maryland left the Southern Conference in order to become a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).