The 2003 Maryland Terrapins football team represented the

University of Maryland The University of Maryland, College Park (University of Maryland, UMD, or simply Maryland) is a public land-grant research university in College Park, Maryland. Founded in 1856, UMD is the flagship institution of the University System of M ...

in the 2003 NCAA Division I FBS football season. It was the Terrapins' 51st season as a member of the

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

(ACC).

Ralph Friedgen Ralph Harry Friedgen (born April 4, 1947) is a former American football coach. He was most recently the special assistant coach for Rutgers in 2015 after serving as their offensive coordinator in the 2014 season. He was the head coach at the U ...

led the team for his third season as head coach, while

Charlie Taaffe Charlie Taaffe (April 20, 1950 – October 29, 2019) was an American gridiron football coach. After retiring in 2014, he was hired by a company called Quarterback Country to run a year-round quarterback training and development program. He serve ...

served as the third-year

offensive coordinator An offensive coordinator is a member of the coaching staff of an American football or Canadian football team who is in charge of the team's offense. Generally, along with the defensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator, this coach re ...

and

Gary Blackney Gary Blackney (born December 12, 1944) is an American retired college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Bowling Green State University from 1991 to 2000. Blackney also worked as an assistant football coach at Ohio State Univ ...

as the third-year

defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator is a coach responsible for a gridiron football (American football) team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, the offensive coordinator and the special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's c ...

. Maryland finished the season with a 10–3 record. The Terrapins received an invitation to the

Gator Bowl The Gator Bowl is an annual college football bowl game held in Jacksonville, Florida, operated by Gator Bowl Sports. It has been held continuously since 1946, making it the sixth oldest college bowl, as well as the first one ever televised natio ...

, where they defeated

West Virginia West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian, Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States.The Census Bureau and the Association of American Geographers classify West Virginia as part of the Southern United States while the Bur ...

, 41–7, in what was a rematch of a regular season game.

Schedule

2003 Terrapins in professional football

The following players were selected in the 2004 NFL Draft. This squad would be loaded with future NFL players on top of the prior names whom were drafted including *DE

Shawne Merriman Shawne DeAndre Merriman (born May 25, 1984), nicknamed "Lights Out", is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins and was s ...

*LB

Jon Condo Jonathan Condo (born August 26, 1981) is an American former professional football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. He played college footb ...

*LB

D'Qwell Jackson D'Qwell Jackson (; born September 26, 1983) is a former American football inside linebacker who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the ...

*CB

Domonique Foxworth Domonique Foxworth (born March 27, 1983) is a former American football cornerback who played in the National Football League (NFL). Foxworth played college football for the University of Maryland. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third ...

*PK

Nick Novak Nicholas Ryan Novak (born August 21, 1981) is a former American football placekicker. He was signed by the Chicago Bears as an undrafted free agent in 2005. He played college football at Maryland. Novak has played for the Washington Redskins, A ...

Adam Podlesh Adam Podlesh (born August 11, 1983) is a former American football punter. He played college football for the Maryland Terrapins, and is the only player in school history to be on the All- Atlantic Coast Conference team for four years. His punti ...

*TE

Vernon Davis Vernon Davis (born January 31, 1984) is a former American football tight end. He played college football at Maryland, and was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers sixth overall in the 2006 NFL Draft. In 2009, Davis co-led the NFL in touchdown rec ...

*CB

Josh Wilson (American football) Joshua Wilson (born March 11, 1985) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Maryland. Wilson has also played f ...

References

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

Maryland Terrapins football seasons Gator Bowl champion seasons

Maryland Terrapins football The Maryland Terrapins football team represents the University of Maryland, College Park in the sport of American football. The Terrapins compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) and the Big Ten Conference. The Terrapins jo ...

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