Team History
The Southern Maine Raging Bulls are a football team based on community involvement, personal betterment as well as a high level of full contact football. Each of the players understands that this team is more than simply scoring touchdowns. Coach Bates brings his 4 “F’s” philosophy to the men and they buy into the program or move on. Your FAITH, FAMILY, FINANCE then FOOTBALL are the order of importance. This enables the men to be on the same page and to strive towards a common goal.
The Southern Maine Raging Bulls started as a football club in 1998. They were 1 of 6 teams that played in a newly formed league call the Maine State Football League or the M.S.F.L. The team enjoyed immediate success fielding approximately 30 players ranging from 18 to 40 years of age. The players came from many different football backgrounds. Many of the players had played on the high school level however just as many had little to no football experience. The Bulls first season saw them finish in the championship game eventually losing to a team laden with players with college experience. The year 2000 saw the Bulls team split into 2 teams both of which jumped onto the national stage one entering the Eastern Football League and calling themselves “The Maine Pride” and the other joining the New England Football League retaining the name of the Bulls. Both teams fared very well in their respective leagues but the diminished talent left both teams short of their goals. In 2001 the 2 merged together to form a team in the New England Football League that many consider the greatest “A” team ever to be assembled. The 2001 teams record was unblemished including the league championship. In the league championship the Bulls met a team from Vermont that was also steamrolling the competition. The Bulls ended the championship with a 46-7 victory. This same team still holds many national semi-pro football records today. The Bulls were a complete team and were successful in scoring over 30 points a game. The defense was equally as lethal as the defense averaged scoring more points per game then they gave up. The “A” 2001 Bulls found themselves invited to play on the national stage where they defeated teams from Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Maryland before losing a controversial semi-final game against a very powerful “AAA” team. The 2002 Bulls moved up to play at the New England Football Leagues highest level. 2002 was a very successful year for the Bulls who found themselves falling just short of the league championship.
The Southern Maine Raging Bulls pride themselves in fair play and are known as the most tenacious hard hitting program in the league. They recognize that their competition is the best in the country and there is not time to take a play off.
The Bulls of 2010 are proud to announce that they have retooled their arsenal of weapons and will return to glory showing the rest of the country what MAINE football is all about.
The Southern Maine Raging Bulls are a registered 501c3 organization. Giving back to the community has always been a very high point on their agenda. Charities such as The Ronald McDonald House, Make a Wish Foundation, Toys for Tots, Coats for Kids and many others have been the recipients of the Bulls time and efforts.
