ORONO, Maine – The University of Maine athletic department is proud to announce that Jack Cosgrove will be inducted into UMaine football's prestigious Ring of Honor during the upcoming 2026 season.

Cosgrove, the University of Maine's all-time winningest football coach, will join Thurlow Cooper, Mike Flynn, Chris Keating, John Huard, and Hal Westerman in Maine's Ring of Honor.
"I am truly honored by the recognition bestowed my way through this very prestigious award," Cosgrove said. "The Cosgrove family is extremely grateful for the experiences we lived with an incredible group of talented student-athletes that have forever impacted our lives. Black Bears for life!"

Including his undergraduate playing career, assistant coaching duties and senior administration services, Cosgrove dedicated 36 years to the University of Maine and was inducted into the UMaine Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.
"Coach Cosgrove's induction into the University of Maine Football Ring of Honor is a fitting tribute to one of the most influential figures in the history of our program," head football coach Jordan Stevens said. "The standard of attitude, effort, and discipline that he established continues to shape Maine Football today. On behalf of our entire program, congratulations to Coach Cosgrove on this well-deserved honor."

Cosgrove was named head coach at his alma mater on Feb. 22, 1993. His 129 wins in 23 years are more than any other coach in program history. He coached a school-record 264 games and guided the Black Bears to three conference championships and five NCAA postseason appearances. Under his direction, the Black Bears earned their first-ever victories over Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) competition with wins at Mississippi State (2004) and at UMass (2013). 

Cosgrove mentored 20 All-Americans, three National Football League (NFL) draft picks, a trio of Buck Buchanan Award finalists (presented to the top defensive player at the FCS level) and was a three-time Eddie Robinson National Coach of the Year finalist.

In 2013, Cosgrove was awarded the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Coach of the Year honor after leading the Black Bears to the league regular-season title and hosting the school's first-ever NCAA playoff game at Alfond Stadium. 

He served at the helm of Maine's back-to-back Atlantic-10 championship runs in 2001 and 2002 and, in 2001, was named the American Football Monthly I-AA National Coach of the Year after leading Maine to a 9-3 mark and advancing to the second round of the NCAA FCS Playoffs.

The two-time Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year and New England Football Writers FCS Coach of the Year was inducted into the Maine Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. In 2011 and 2013, Cosgrove was rewarded as the New England Football Writers' FCS Coach of the Year. 

In addition to developing student-athletes on the field, Cosgrove was focused on promoting success in the classroom.

During his last decade as head coach, the program achieved NCAA Academic Progress Rates above 950, including a 980 mark in 2008-09. The Black Bears earned numerous CAA All-Academic honors, CAA Student-Athlete of the Year selections in 2008 and 2013 and "M" Club Dean Smith honorees in 2001, 2008 and 2013.

Cosgrove, a native of Sharon, Massachusetts, earned his bachelor's degree and master's in educational administration from UMaine in 1978 and 1981, respectively. During his time at UMaine, Cosgrove was a two-time second-team All-Yankee Conference quarterback and an ECAC All-Star.

-UMaine-