John Huard, a small linebacker was the first Mainer to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. The former University of Maine star died Wednesday. Photo provided by the University of Maine
Maine’s only member of the College Football Hall of Fame has died.
John Huard, who had a standout football career at the University of Maine before becoming a successful head coach in Canada and in Maine, died on Wednesday. He was 80.
Huard, a Waterville native, played three seasons at Maine, beginning in 1963. Twice he was named a first-team All-American, in 1965 and 66. In 2014, he became the first-ever Mainer to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
“He never talked about himself, he was very humble in that regard,” said Huard’s grandson, Matt Michaud. “I think he always attributed his success to his teammates. He never made it about himself. Whenever he gained some recognition or award, it was always about his team, the players that he played with. He always made note of how he grew up, his family. He always said he grew up with parents who instilled in him to do things the right way.”
He was a defensive captain for the Black Bears in the 1965 Tangerine Bowl in Orlando, Florida. The game marked the program’s only appearance in a Division 1 bowl game.
In 1967, the Denver Broncos selected Huard in the fifth round of the American Football League draft. Huard played three seasons with the Broncos. After sitting out the 1970 season, he returned to the National Football League with the New Orleans Saints. The NFL and AFL officially merged in 1970.
Sports Illustrated in 1999 named Huard one of the top 20 athletes in Maine’s history.
Huard earned All-New England and All-Yankee Conference honors during his time in Orono.
He returned to Orono as a Maine assistant coach in 1974. From 1979-81, he was the head football coach at Acadia University in Canada, guiding the program to two national titles. He also went on to serve as head coach at Maine Maritime Academy. He also coached the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League for one season, in 2000.
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