ORONO, Maine — Jack Bicknell achieved considerable notoriety as a football coach.
In 1984, he was at the helm of the Boston College program when eventual Heisman Trophy winner Doug Flutie threw the famous “Hail Mary” touchdown pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami.
Bicknell later helped take professional football international as a coach in the World League of American Football/NFL Europe.
Before that, Bicknell spent five seasons as the head coach at the University of Maine. And while those teams achieved only modest success, the men who played for him cherish the experience.
This weekend, scores of former Bicknell UMaine players and assistant coaches are descending on Orono to celebrate their charismatic leader and their time together.
Bicknell led UMaine (then called UMO) from 1976 to 1980 and guided the Black Bears to an 18-35-1 record. His impact on the program went far beyond wins and losses.
UMaine head coach Jack Cosgrove played two seasons under Bicknell (1976-1977), was a graduate assistant under him for two years and held his first paid college coaching position with Bicknell at Boston College (1985-1987).
“I’m tremendously indebted to the man,” said Cosgrove, UMaine’s 23-year coach.
“The thing that dawned on me was how much of an influence he was in his time here on some of the things that shape us today,” he added.
Following longtime UMaine coaches Harold Westerman and Walter Abbott, New Jersey native Bicknell brought change to the Black Bears.
Cosgrove said that prior to Bicknell’s arrival, UMaine built around players from Maine, Massachusetts and New England. Bicknell’s New Jersey roots, and his time as an assistant at Boston College (1968-1975), helped the Bears expand their territory into New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania.
“It was a dramatic change in terms of our recruiting base. It brought diversity to the school,” Cosgrove said.
UMaine has relied heavily on those areas ever since, in part through contacts with former Bicknell players.
Cosgrove said Bicknell also was instrumental in implementing a year-round strength and conditioning program and also instituted early-morning offseason running and workouts, which continue.
Many former Bicknell players have shared their stories and photos of time spent at UMaine on a blog at bicknellbears.com in preparation for their reunion.
The festivities begin Friday with a program in the Alfond Family Lounge at Alfond Arena that is to include speakers and a video tribute to Bicknell, who will address the group.
On Saturday, the contingent will tour the UMaine locker room and football facilities before enjoying tailgating and the Black Bears’ 3:30 p.m. game against Rhode Island on Morse Field at Alfond Stadium.