His return to Maryland was far less successful than his first stint. The Terrapins amassed a 3–6 record in 1946. In November, he claimed a "Washington Post" story misquoted him as calling some of his ex-servicemen players "bums". The same article reported he would be fired at the end of the season. "The Post" ran another quote that Shaughnessy admitted was accurate: "There are some boys on this team who would have been fired a long time ago by another coach for their personal conduct."