UMass Minutemen football

UMass Minutemen football
UMass Minutemen
Current season
UMass Minutemen.svg UMass Minutemen football helmet.gif
First season 1879
Athletic director John McCutcheon
Head coach Kevin Morris
3rd year, 13–13  (.500)
Home stadium Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium
Stadium capacity 17,000
Stadium surface FieldTurf
Location Amherst, Massachusetts
Conference Colonial Athletic Association
All-time record 553–522–51 (.514)
Postseason bowl record 1–2
Claimed national titles 1
Conference titles 22
Heisman winners 0
Consensus All-Americans 67
Colors Maroon and White            
Fight song Fight Mass
Mascot Sam the Minuteman
Marching band UMass Marching Band
Rivals New Hampshire Wildcats
Rhode Island Rams
Website UMass Football

The UMass Minutemen football team is a collegiate football team that competes in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision and the Colonial Athletic Association. UMass began play in 1879 and have since appeared in three National Championship games, winning the title in 1998. The Minutemen will begin a two-year Football Bowl Subdivision transition period in 2011. UMass is scheduled to become a full-fledged FBS team in 2013, joining the Mid-American Conference.

Contents

Team history

Early years

UMass began playing football in 1879 when the school was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College, and the team was known as the "Aggies." They were first organized the previous fall by Francis Codman, but did not play their first game until November 22, 1879, defeating the Amherst College freshman team 4–0. As this was their only game that year, 1879 is noted as their first undefeated season, matched only by the 1889 season (2–0) and the 1963 season (8–0–1). Massachusetts later teamed up with Storrs Agricultural College (now the University of Connecticut) and Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now the University of Rhode Island) to form the Athletic League of New England State Colleges for the purpose of scheduling football matchups between the schools. The first meeting between the Aggies and each of the other schools resulted in a shutout win for Massachusetts, as they defeated Connecticut, 36–0, in 1897 and Rhode Island, 46–0, in 1903. Massachusetts won their 100th game on October 2, 1920, topping rival Connecticut in a 28–0 shutout. The team played their 1000th game on November 11, 2000, losing to conference foe Delaware, 19-31.

The team's nickname has endured several changes throughout the years. Though the official nickname remained "Aggies," "Statesmen" was also used interchangeably beginning when the school was renamed to Massachusetts State College in 1931. The nickname was officially changed to the "Redmen" when the name of the college became the University of Massachusetts in 1947. In a response to changing attitudes regarding the use of Native American-themed mascots, they changed their mascot in 1972 to the Minuteman, based on the historical "minuteman" relationship with Massachusetts; women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen.

UMass has enjoyed various levels of success over the years. As a founding member of the Yankee Conference, Massachusetts won 17 Yankee Conference Championships, appearing in one National Championship game during that timespan. They fell to Florida A&M in this inaugural Division 1-AA Championship, 35–28. UMass' success continued as they began competition in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 1997. They went on to win four more conference titles while playing in the A-10 and make two more appearances in the National Championship game, winning it all in 1998. In 2006 the Minutemen took home the last A-10 title (the conference discontinued football after the season) and made their most recent Championship game appearance. Their most recent conference championship came in 2007, the inaugural season of the CAA.

Transition to the Football Bowl Subdivision

On April 20, 2011, after decades of studies and speculation, the UMass Minutemen formally announced they will be elevating their football program to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and will become a member of the Mid-American Conference. The announcement was made at Gillette Stadium, where the Minutemen will play their home games beginning in 2012. UMass will play a full FBS and MAC schedule beginning with the 2012 football season and by 2013 be eligible for the MAC championship and bowl participation. In 2011, UMass will continue to participate in the Colonial Athletic Association but will not be eligible NCAA postseason play.[1]

UMass will go through two years as a transitional member of FBS, the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The NCAA would make a formal announcement of UMass' admission to FBS in the Summer of 2013 after the program successfully meets the specified measures over its two transitioning years. The primary criteria center around average attendance, an increase in scholarships from 63 to 85 and specific scheduling requirements. Along with joining the Mid-American Conference the men's and women's basketball teams will play four non conference games against MAC teams.[2]

Postseason appearances

Division I-AA playoffs

Season Date Round Opponent Result Location
1978 December 9 Semifinal Nevada W 44–21 Reno, NV
December 16 Championship Florida A&M L 28–35 Wichita Falls, TX
1988 November 26 First Round Eastern Kentucky L 17–28 Richmond, KY
1990 November 24 First Round William & Mary L 0–38 Williamsburg, VA
1998 November 28 First Round McNeese State W 21–19 Lake Charles, LA
December 5 Quarterfinal Lehigh W 27–21 Amherst, MA
December 12 Semifinal Northwestern State W 41–31 Natchitoches, LA
December 19 Championship Georgia Southern W 55–43 Chattanooga, TN
1999 November 27 First Round Furman W 30–23 (OT) Greensville, SC
December 4 Quarterfinal Georgia Southern L 21–38 Statesboro, GA
2003 November 29 First Round Colgate L 7–19 Hamilton, NY
2006 November 25 First Round Lafayette W 35–14 Amherst, MA
December 2 Quarterfinal New Hampshire W 24–17 Amherst, MA
December 12 Semifinal Montana W 19–17 Missoula, MT
December 15 Championship Appalachian State L 17–28 Chattanooga, TN
2007 November 24 First Round Fordham W 49–35 Amherst, MA
December 1 Quarterfinal Southern Illinois L 27–34 Carbondale, IL

Bowl games

Season Date Bowl Game Opponent Result Location
1964 December 12 Tangerine Bowl East Carolina L 13–14 Orlando, FL
1972 December 9 Boardwalk Bowl UC Davis W 35–14 Atlantic City, NJ
1978 December 16 Pioneer Bowl Florida A&M L 28–35 Wichita Falls, TX

† The 1978 Pioneer Bowl was also used as the inaugural Division 1-AA National Championship.

Conference championships

UMass has won a total of 22 conference championships. Following is a list of the years, affiliations, and records for those Championship seasons.

Conference affiliations:

UMass will begin play in the Mid-American Conference in 2012

Year Conference Overall Record Conf. Record
1960 Yankee Conference 7–2 3–1
1963 Yankee Conference 8–0–1 5–0
1964 Yankee Conference 8–2 5–0
1966 Yankee Conference 6–3 5–0
1967 Yankee Conference 7–2 5–0
1969 Yankee Conference 6–3 5–0
1971 Yankee Conference 4–4–1 3–1–1
1972 Yankee Conference 9–2 5–0
1974 Yankee Conference 5–6 4–2
1977 Yankee Conference 8–3 5–0
1978 Yankee Conference 9–4 5–0
1979 Yankee Conference 6–4 4–1
1981 Yankee Conference 6–3 4–1
1982 Yankee Conference 5–6 3–2
1986 Yankee Conference 8–3 5–2
1988 Yankee Conference 8–4 6–2
1990 Yankee Conference 8–2–1 7–1
1998 Atlantic 10 Conference 12–3 6–2
1999 Atlantic 10 Conference 9–4 7–1
2003 Atlantic 10 Conference 10–3 8–1
2006 Atlantic 10 Conference 13–2 8–0
2007 Colonial Athletic Association 10–3 7–1

Facilities

McGuirk Alumni Stadium

The Minutemen play their home football games at McGuirk Alumni Stadium, a 17,000 seat stadium on the UMass Amherst campus. The stadium itself sits just over the town line in neighboring Hadley, Massachusetts. The inaugural game took place on September 25, 1965 when UMass defeated the AIC Yellow Jackets, 41–0. Since the opening, UMass has enjoyed a decided home field advantage, posting a 177––-2 record when playing at McGuirk. The attendance record at McGuirk was set during a UMass football game against Boston College on November 25, 1972; 20,000 fans were in attendance.

Gillette Stadium

UMass first played at Gillette Stadium in the "Colonial Clash" against the University of New Hampshire on October 23, 2010. This game was renewed for the 2011 season as UMass will again play New Hampshire there. Beginning in 2012 Gillette Stadium will become the home of the UMass Minutemen football team continuing through at least 2013. After that, UMass will play a minimum of four home games at Gillette Stadium through the 2016 season. Following that five-year agreement, there will be an option for additional home games to be played at Gillette.[3]

Coaching history

Years Coach Games W L T Pct.
1879–1897 No coach 94 30 58 6 .351
1898 Doctor Weeks 6 1 4 1 .250
1899–1900 Fred Murphy Brown 20 12 8 0 .600
1901–1903 James Halligan 26 16 8 2 .653
1904, 1907–1908 Matthew Bullock 26 13 8 5 .596
1905 Walter Craig 10 3 7 0 .300
1906 George E. O'Hearn 9 1 7 1 .167
1909 J. W. Gage 9 1 6 2 .222
1910 Willard Gildersleeve 9 1 6 2 .222
1911 Jack Hubbard 9 2 7 0 .222
1912–1915 Arthur Brides 21 12 15 4 .452
1916 George Melican 8 2 4 2 .375
1919–1927 Harold Gore 70 33 32 5 .507
1928–1930 Charles McGeoch 25 6 17 2 .280
1931–1935 Mel Taube 44 29 13 2 .682
1936–1940 Elbert Carraway 44 9 32 3 .239
1941–1942, 1946 Walter Hargesheimer 23 11 11 1 .500
1945, 1947–1951 Thomas Eck 44 17 23 4 .432
1952–1959 Charlie O'Rourke 64 21 39 4 .359
1960 Chuck Studley 9 7 2 0 .778
1961–1970 Vic Fusia 93 59 32 2 .645
1971–1977 Dick MacPherson 73 45 27 1 .623
1978–1983 Bob Pickett 64 36 28 0 .563
1984–1985 Bob Stull 22 10 12 0 .455
1986–1991 Jim Reid 67 36 29 2 .552
1992–1997 Mike Hodges 65 35 30 0 .538
1998–2003 Mark Whipple 75 49 26 0 .629
2004–2008 Don Brown 62 43 19 0 .693
2009–present Kevin Morris 22 11 11 0 .500
1879–present Totals 1122 551 520 51 .514

Notable alumni

Current NFL players

Other alumni

Individual awards

UMass has had 63 players named to various All-American teams since Tony Chambers garnered the first selection for the Minutemen (then called the Redmen) in 1952. Following is a list of UMass football players and coaches who have been named either Offensive, Defensive, or Special Teams Player of the Year or Coach of the Year for their respective conference.

Year Winner Position
1988 John McKeown LB
1988 Jim Reid HC
1990 Gary Wilkos QB
1990 Jim Reid HC
1994 Brian Corcoran DL
1998 Khari Samuel LB
2003 Mark Whipple HC
2004 Shannon James DB
2005 Christian Koegel P
2006 Steve Baylark RB
2006 Don Brown HC

Future schedules

2012

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Attendance
August 30 at Connecticut* Rentschler Field • East Hartford, CT    
September 8 Indiana* Gillette Stadium • Foxborough, MA    
September 15 at Michigan* Michigan Stadium • Ann Arbor, MI    
October 27 at Vanderbilt* Vanderbilt Stadium • Nashville, TN    
*Non-conference game. daggerHomecoming. #Rankings from Coaches Poll released prior to game. All times are in Eastern Time. All dates, times, and TV are tentative and subject to change.

See also

  • UConn–UMass football rivalry

References

External links


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