University of Maine Sports Hall of Fame
Robert Pidacks helped bring national notoriety to the Maine skiing program. The Rumford native was a three-year letterman and captain of the 1950-51 state championship team. Upon graduation, Pidacks placed first among 128 competitors in the U.S. Olympic trials for the 18 kilometer cross country race. His time of 1:32.19 was a U.S. record at that time. Representing the United States in the 1952 Olympics, he finished as the top American competitor in the Nordic ski competition. In 2005, Pidacks was inducted into the Maine Ski Hall of Fame.
