Mantor Library, University of Maine Farmington

The earliest mention of athletics at Farmington State Normal School (FSNS) was in the Farmington Normal of 1901. It described the school building as having a basement room set up as a gymnasium with a piano, wands, hoops and dumb-bells. Each class was required to devote two periods a week to gymnastics. Women's basketball teams, organized under the direction of Miss Carolyn Stone and Miss Ella Merrill, played outside of school hours twice a week.

By Winter Term of 1902, there were ten women’s intramural teams and two men’s teams at the Normal School. The first athletic exhibition was held at the Music Hall on February 21, 1902 and included an exhibition game by the boys of the Model School, coached by the Normal School men’s team.

The 1914 men’s team consisted of five students -- two had never played before and one was a local high school student. With no formal college leagues at the time, they played area high schools and town teams. Although limited to intramurals, basketball remained popular with the Normal women. There were inter-class games arranged by Miss Stone and the women’s B team played the local girls’ team in 1916.

The school’s first competitive men’s basketball team was established in 1922, coached by Errol Dearborn. He continued to lead the men’s teams until 1929 when L. Joseph Roy took over coaching duties. Under Roy, Farmington Normal won the New England Normal School championship in 1929 and the Maine Normal School championship five times.

Interest in sports for women grew in the 1920s. The Normal women could play field hockey and volleyball and there was a Hiking Club and a Tennis Club. However, basketball remained very popular with intramural competition between dormitory and class teams.

Increased interest in the early 1930s meant enough male players for Varsity and Reserve teams. They began playing in the Alumni Gymnasium, which opened in 1931. The varsity schedule included Maine high schools and normal schools, as well as Ricker Classical Institute (Houlton), Woodstock (Canada), House of David and Bucksport Seminary. The men continued their winning ways, securing consecutive Normal School titles, and their schedule expanded to include teachers’ institutions in New Hampshire and Massachusetts. The first reference to a team nickname -- the “Blue and Gold Avalanche” -- was in the campus newspaper in 1933.

The women's First Year, Second Year and Home Economics teams played interclass games. There were also interdormitory games between teams from Purington, The Willows, South Hall (now known as Mallett Hall) and an “Outsiders” team. The annual tradition of a “Bloomer boys” game – with the men’s team dressed in bloomers and spats competing against the women’s team -- was a highlight of the season.

The 1934 men's squad was considered by local sports writers as “the greatest team in Maine and New England, and the cream of Maine amateur basketball.” They set school records for most games played (26) and won (23) in a season, which still stood as of 1982. New adversaries included Maine School of Commerce, Portland YMCA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Rhode Island State, Montpelier Seminary (VT), Philadelphia Colored Giants, and Keene Normal (NH). Interest in the sport was so high there was also a men’s Reserve team, which played a season of regular scheduled games against local teams for the first time.

The women continued to play intramurals with a Dormitory Basketball Tournament. They also had a record year in 1934 – defeating the “Bloomer Boys” by a score of 22-21! By the following year, the teams were the largest to date, with 35 players on the Second Year team and 25 on the First Year. High participation was likely due to the increase in basketball teams for women at the high school level.

Over forty men tried out in 1937, so a Varsity team and two Junior Varsity teams were formed. The varsity team played in the New England Teachers College Conference and against a few additional out-of-state colleges. The JV teams competed against local high schools. Women’s intramural basketball also had large teams: an Upper-Class Squad and a Freshman Squad, plus a Home Economics team.

The 1940s was a challenging period for men’s sports. In 1942, the men’s team -- referred to as “Big Red” for the first time -- got off to a good start, but many players went to war rather then return to school after Christmas break. The next year, six of the seven men at the Kappa House fraternity formed a team, but most had no experience playing the game. Faculty member Gwil Roberts coached and filled in when the team was short a player due to members being called up or injured. There were no men’s sports in 1944 and 1945.

In contrast, the 1940s brought a significant expansion of athletics opportunities for Normal women. The college adopted the wartime Federal Physical Fitness Program, designed to help students meet established standards for endurance, strength, flexibility, relaxation, body control and morale. Over the decade, options grew to include soccer, softball, newcomb, badminton, tenekoit and volleyball. The women could also participate in tennis, hiking, cheerleading and archery. Basketball remained very popular. In addition to Home Economics, Freshman, Sophomore and Junior teams, there were sorority teams (Phi Mu Sigma, Lambda Epsilon, and Phi Nu Omega). Nine court basketball for inexperienced freshman was also added as a minor sport. Once men’s sports resumed at the college, the Bloomer Game tradition – with men wearing gym bloomers, mittens, and eye patches – was reinstated.

By late 1940s, men’s basketball had an excess of interested players and the school formed varsity, junior varsity and freshman teams. The Men’s Athletics Association dropped cross-country and baseball from its schedule to concentrate its support on basketball. In 1949, the men’s team, led by star athlete Fred Rogers and coached by alumnus John Wenckus, won the New England Teacher’s College Atlantic Conference championship. Wenckus remained coach until Albert Doran succeeded him in 1951. The women continued to play interclass basketball tournaments and a variety of other sports. The students in physical education department took the local officials test and officiated the women’s games.

Farmington State Teachers College teams had varying degrees of success in the 1950s as college basketball became more prominent across the nation and the skills of competing teams increased. The first reference to the “Beavers” came in 1951. The varsity team continued to play colleges and teachers colleges from Maine and other New England states, with home games played in the Community Center to accommodate larger crowds. The junior varsity teams (referred to as the Beaver “pups”) still played mostly local high school and town teams. Women in the 1950s were still restricted to intramurals and “playdays” with local high schools and Gorham Teachers College, but a new point system was introduced that allowed them to earn a letter for the first time. The “Bloomer” game tradition continued.

The 1960s brought big changes in basketball at the college. Dearborn Gym opened in 1964 and the following year the varsity team included freshman Richard “Dick” Meader, who later became a long time UMF coach. In 1966, the men had their best season in 31 years, ending with a season record 17-4 under Coach Len MacPhee. Two years later, the men’s team set 10 team records and 5 individual ones and was so large it included a “B” squad. Outstanding players included Dick Meader and Truman Libby, who both made the career 1,000 point club. Truman Libby also set records for rebounds: most in a game (30), season (369) and career (1,021), which still stand as of 2020. The following year, Ernie Metivier ended his basketball career with a total of 1,196 points. Forward Steve Williams became second player to score more than 400 points in a season in the school’s history and was elected to All Maine Small College All Star team.

The FSTC women continued to compete in intramurals and a limited number of social "sports days" at other state normal schools. While they had the opportunity to compete in these intercollegiate contests (which included basketball), the games remained informal and were "played for fun."

Sources: The Farmington Normal; Effesseness, Effesteco, UMF Yearbooks; Mirror; newspaper articles; UMF Basketball Sports Guides, 1968 - 1990; University of Maine at Farmington: A Study in Educational Change (1864-1974), Richard P. Mallett, © 1974; History of Modern Sports at UMF, Estella McLean, McLean Collection.