ORONO, Maine — The University of Maine will name its new sports performance center for Walt Abbott, a Black Bear Hall of Fame student-athlete, coach and administrator who spent more than five decades helping shape the university's athletic program.
"I am truly grateful for this recognition," Abbott said. "I have had the honor of being a part of the UMaine community since 1954; first as a student athlete, then as a coach, an educator, an administrator, and a fan. Carol and I met here as students, we raised our family here, and we have known thousands of students and coworkers on this campus who have been like family. UMaine has meant the world to me, and I have always been proud to be a Black Bear."
The Walt Abbott Sports Performance Center will be constructed inside Morse Arena. The 6,000-square-foot facility will feature state-of-the-art equipment for speed, strength and agility training and will serve football, basketball and select other varsity programs.
"Walt Abbott's legacy is woven into the fabric of UMaine athletics," UMaine President Joan Ferrini-Mundy said. "This new center will stand as a lasting tribute to his commitment to our student-athletes and to the values of leadership, character and excellence he embodies."
Abbott ('58, '65), inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame in 2004, dedicated more than 50 years to the athletic department. He mentored hundreds of student-athletes as an assistant coach, head coach, interim athletic director and faculty member in what is now the College of Education and Human Development.
Several of his former players and colleagues contributed more than $500,000 in gifts to support the naming opportunity.
"There have been a lot of greats who have been part of Maine Athletics, and Walt Abbott is at the top of this list and is the gold standard," said Director of Athletics Jude Killy. "All that Walt accomplished in his career was remarkable, yet his legacy is well beyond those successes and lies within his character. Walt is the single most revered person and mentor I have encountered in my time at Maine and it is an honor for all of us to recognize him."
"Along with Walt's many accomplishments, Walt and his late wife, Carol, have been long-time donors to the University of Maine," said UMaine Foundation President Jeff Mills. "This recognition is well-deserved and we are grateful for their generosity."
Abbott, a three-year letterwinner for the UMaine football team from 1955 through 1957, served as an assistant coach with the football program before succeeding Harold Westerman as the head coach at UMaine in 1967. Abbott spent nine seasons at the helm of the Black Bears, guiding UMaine to a Yankee Conference Championship in 1974.
In 1984, the Walt Abbott Outstanding Defensive Player Award was established in the football program in his honor and is presented to Maine's top defensive player each season.
Following his time as head coach, Abbott twice fulfilled the role of director of athletics. He first filled the vacant position from May to December in 1991 before another term from April 1994 to December 1995.
In the classroom, Abbott educated students in the areas of coaching, physical education, outdoor leadership, and safety and rescue.
Abbott, born in Rumford in 1936, graduated from Stephens High School in 1954 before going on to earn degrees from UMaine in 1958 and 1965. Abbott and his late wife, Carol ('59), raised three children, Steven, Scott and Sherry ('95, '01).
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