Orono, Maine -- UMaine Athletics is proud to welcome back members of the 2001 & 2002 Atlantic-10 Championship teams to Alfond Stadium this Saturday when the Black Bears host New Hampshire at 12 p.m.

Members of the 2001 & 2002 teams will be recognized during a special halftime ceremony.

The 2001 Black Bears finished their season 9-3 overall and posted a mark of 7-2 in Atlantic 10 play to earn the conference championship. That season, Maine defeated New Hampshire 57-24 on its way to the Division-I AA playoffs. In the postseason, Maine went on the road to defeat McNeese State, 14-10, before coming up short in the quarterfinal round at Northern Iowa. Quarterback Jake Eaton finished the season 162-for-281 with 2,198 yards passing and 19 touchdowns while Royston English guided Maine with 1,157 rushing yards. Stefan Gomes added 60 catches for 787 yards while Stephen Cooper led a stout defense with 95 tackles while Brendan Curry added a team-leading seven sacks.

Maine continued its success of 2001 into 2002 where the Black Bears again captured the Atlantic 10 crown with a 7-2 league mark, ending the season with an impressive 11-3 overall record. Maine began the season by winning six straight games and again defeated New Hampshire, 31-14. The Black Bears earned a berth into the Division-I AA playoffs where they knocked off Appalachian State, 14-13, before seeing the season come to an end with a loss at Georgia Southern. Running back Marcus Williams paced Maine's offense with 1,406 rush yards while Eaton finished the season with 1,849 passing yards and 16 touchdowns. Ryan Waller led all receivers with 37 catches for 575 yards while Cooper posted an impressive 121 tackles and 9.5 sacks to lead the defense.


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