(NEW YORK, N.Y.) - Acadia Football coaching legend John Huard was honoured by the American National Football Foundation at the 57th annual NNF Awards Dinner at the fabled Waldorf Astoria Grand Ballroom in New York City this past Tuesday evening.
A star-studded College Football Hall of Fame class headlined the event including Coach Huard who was inducted into the Hall of Fame along with Dre Bly (North Carolina), Tony Boselli (Southern California), Dave Butz (Purdue), Shane Conlan (Penn State), Joe Hamilton (Georgia Tech), Darrin Nelson (Stanford), Willie Roaf (Louisiana Tech), John Sciarra (UCLA), Sterling Sharpe (South Carolina.), Leonard Smith (McNeese State), the late Derrick Thomas (Alabama), LaDainian Tomlinson (TCU), Wesley Walls (Mississippi), and coaches Mike Bellotti (Chico State [Calif.], Oregon) and Jerry Moore (North Texas, Texas Tech, Appalachian State).
Huard, a two-time first team All-American, guided Maine to the Tangerine Bowl in 1965. A two-time first team All-Yankee Conference selection, Huard recorded 22 tackles in his first game in 1964. Named one of the top 20 athletes in the history of the state of Maine by Sports Illustrated, Huard was the first football player inducted into the Maine Athletic Hall of Fame ('86) and the first member of Alfond Stadium's Ring of Honor.
Huard's claim to fame at Acadia was his guidance of the Axemen football program to two CIAU College Bowl (now referred to as the CIS Vanier Cup) in 1979 and 1981.
A native of Waterville, Maine, John Huard played four years of football at the University of Maine, and was a three-time Maine Athlete-of-the-Year. John played professionally with Denver and New Orleans in the NFL and Montreal and Toronto in the CFL before retiring due to injury.
His coaching career began at the University of Maine, and through the intervention of long-time friend and mentor J.I. Albrecht, he arrived at Acadia to take up the head coaching duties in the fall of 1979. In his first season with Acadia, Huard's Axemen won the conference title (18-0 over St. FX), the Atlantic Bowl (23-7 over Alberta) and Acadia's first Vanier Cup (34-12 over Western).
After losing their season opener in 1980, the Axemen won eight straight games, including the conference championship, to once again advance to the Atlantic Bowl, where they unfortunately lost 28-8 to Ottawa. Huard was named the AUAA Coach of The Year.
The 1981 Axemen won a third straight conference title (34-11 over Mount A), a second Atlantic Bowl (40-14 over Queen's), and capped their season with Acadia's second Vanier Cup in three years - a 18-12 win over Alberta. Huard won the Frank Tindall Trophy as CIAU Coach of the Year.
After leaving Acadia after the 1983 season, John was hired to coach the Atlantic Schooners, a conditional CFL expansion team based in Halifax. Unfortunately, the Schooners folded before playing a game.
John served as head coach of the Maine Military Academy from 1987-1994, and briefly as head coach of the CFL's expansion Shreveport Pirates. He coached at Kent Hills High School in Maine, and spent part of the 2000 season as head coach of the CFL's Toronto Argonauts. In 2003, John was the first inductee into the University of Maine's Ring of Honour.
John is currently CEO of Northeast Turf in South Portland, Maine, and Northeast representative for FieldTurf. His generous donation of almost $1 million made possible the installation of FieldTurf on Acadia's Raymond Field, heralding the start of a new era for Acadia football.
Source: Acadia Sports Information, the Acadia Sports Hall of Fame and the University of Maine – Orono, Maine