John Huard obit

UMaine football legend John Huard passes away at 80

In 2014, he was named the first UMaine player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame

 

He was not on the list.

ORONO, Maine (WABI) - UMaine football legend John Huard has passed away at 80 years old.

Huard was drafted by the Denver Broncos with the 113th pick in the 1967 AFL/NFL Draft.

He also played for the New Orleans Saints, Montreal Alouettes, and Toronto Argonauts in his professional career before serving as head coach for the Acadia Axemen, Maine Maritime Academy, and the Argos.

In 2014, he was named the first UMaine player to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

One of the greatest football players to ever don a University of Maine uniform has died.

The legendary John Huard passed away peacefully Wednesday morning with his family by his side.

He was 80 years old.

On the football field, Huard was the king of the gridiron, a hard-hitting linebacker who starred for the Black Bears from 1963 through 1966. His indelible mark on the program is still being felt nearly 60 years later.

After an amazing career at Maine, Huard kicked off his pro career. He was drafted by Denver in 1967 and played professionally for both the Broncos and later, the New Orleans Saints. He also played and later coached in the Canadian Football League and was the head coach at Maine Maritime from 1987 through 1993.

Huard became the first Black Bear to be inducted into the teams "ring of honor." He's also the only Black Bear to be elected into the College Football Hall of Fame. Former University of Maine football coach and quarterback Jack Cosgrove remembers the intensity Huard brought to the football field.

"He was our offensive line coach in 1974, the year I was a sophomore, and we went and won the Yankee Conference Championship that year, and I'm forever in debt to him, because that o-line played their butts off, and we had a great year," Cosgrove said.

Huard began coaching in 1974 under Walter Abbott in Maine. He then became head coach of the Acadia Axemen, winning the Vanier Cup in 1979 and 1981.

Before the 1984 season he was hired by J. I. Albrecht to coach the Atlantic Schooners expansion franchise. However, the team never played a game and Huard remained at Acadia for one more season before becoming the special teams coach of the Chicago Blitz of the United States Football League (USFL). In 1987, Huard was hired as head football coach of the Maine Maritime Academy. Huard coached the Mariners until 1994 when he was hired by former boss J. I. Albrecht to coach the CFL's expansion Shreveport Pirates. That June he was fired by Pirates President Lonie Glieberman, citing "philosophical differences",[3] and replaced by SMU Athletic Director Forrest Gregg before coaching a single game. Huard and Albrecht later sued the Pirates. Quarterback Billy Joe Tolliver and the City of Shreveport also brought legal action against the team in separate suits. He then served on the coaching staff at Maine's Kents Hill School.

In 2000 he was hired by Albrecht again, this time as head coach of the Toronto Argonauts. His tenure lasted eight games with a record of 1–6–1. He resigned after a 51–4 home loss to the British Columbia Lions.

Huard was later the CEO of Northeast Turf in South Portland, Maine and the northeast representative of FieldTurf. He donated turf to Acadia University's Raymond Field and University of Maine's Mahaney Dome. Huard oversaw the installation of FieldTurf at Gillette Stadium during the 2006 NFL season.

 

Career history

Denver Broncos (1967–1969)

New Orleans Saints (1971)

Montreal Alouettes (1973)

Toronto Argonauts (1973–1975)

Career highlights and awards

2× First-team Little All-American (1965, 1966)

Second-team All-East (1966)