The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst; strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only — women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen compete in NCAA Division I sports competition primarily as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. UMass is one of only 16 universities in the nation that plays Division I FBS football and Division I men's ice hockey. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure.
The UMass Minutemen basketball team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Amherst, Massachusetts, in NCAA Division I men's college basketball. They play their home games in the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. The Minutemen currently compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
The UMass Minutemen football team represents the University of Massachusetts in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS). The Minutemen compete as an FBS independent. Since 1965, their home games have been played at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium on the university's campus in Hadley, Massachusetts.
Don Brown is an American college football coach and former player. He is the head football coach at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass), a position he held from 2004 to 2008 and resumed prior to the 2022 season. In between his two stints as UMass, Brown was the defensive coordinator at the University of Maryland, College Park, the University of Connecticut, Boston College, the University of Michigan, and the University of Arizona. He served as the head football coach at Plymouth State University from 1993 to 1995 and Northeastern University from 2000 to 2003. Brown was also the interim head baseball coach at Yale University in 1992, tallying a mark of 26–10.
The 2008 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2008 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Colonial Athletic Association. The team was coached by Don Brown and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 2008 season was Brown's last as head coach of the Minutemen. He left the position the following season to become the defensive coordinator at Maryland. The Minutemen finished the season with a record of 7–5, missing the playoffs for the first time since 2005.
The 2006 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2006 NCAA Division I FCS football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Don Brown and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The Minutemen won their first conference title since 2003, and advanced all the way to the NCAA Division I Championship before falling to Appalachian State. 2006 was the last season of A-10 football, as all member programs would move over to the Colonial Athletic Association in the offseason. UMass finished the season with a record of 13–2.
The 2002 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2002 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 2002 season saw UMass return to the top half of the conference, as they finished the season with a record of 8–4 overall and 6–3 in conference play.
The 2001 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2001 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 2001 season was a difficult one for the Minutemen, as they collected their first losing record since the 1997 season. UMass finished the season with a record of 3–8 overall and 3–6 in conference play.
The 1999 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1999 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The Minutemen entered the season with high expectations as defending National Champions, but struggled out of the gate as they lost three of their first four games. UMass turned their fortune around after that as they used a 77–0 thrashing of Northeastern to propel them on an eight-game winning streak. The Minutemen did not lose again until the second round of the NCAA Playoffs against the eventual champions, Georgia Southern. UMass finished the season with a record of 9–4 overall and 8–1 in conference play.
The 1998 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mark Whipple and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. 1998 was the most successful season in Minutemen history, as UMass won their first national championship in the NCAA DI-AA playoffs in Whipple's first year with the team. UMass entered the postseason as champions of the A-10, but were not expected to make a serious run for the title. They reached the final game ranked 12th in the nation, and were matched up with perennial powerhouse Georgia Southern, the top ranked team in the country. The Minutemen rushed out of the gates, scoring three touchdowns in the opening quarter, and won the shootout by a final score of 55–43. UMass finished the season with a record of 12–3 overall and 6–2 in conference play.
The 1997 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1997 NCAA Division I-AA football season, as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mike Hodges and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. It was Hodges' last as head coach, as he would take the position of assistant athletic director at the university in the offseason. The 1997 season was a tough one for the Minutemen as they stumbled to their worst record since 1953. UMass finished the season with a record of 2–9 overall and 1–7 in conference play.
The 1996 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1996 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The team was coached by Mike Hodges and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. UMass finished the season with a record of 6–5 overall and 4–4 in conference play.
The 1990 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1990 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Jim Reid and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The Minutemen made their second playoff appearance in three years, but would lose in the first round to future conference foe William & Mary. It would be the last playoff appearance for UMass until the 1998 National Championship season. UMass finished the season with a record of 8–2–1 overall and 7–1 in conference play.
The 1986 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1986 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Jim Reid and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1986 season was notable as it was Jim Reid's first as coach of the Minutemen. Reid led UMass to their first conference championship since 1982. UMass finished the season with a record of 8–3 overall and 5–2 in conference play.
The 1985 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1985 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Stull and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1985 season was notable as it was Bob Stull's last as coach of the Minutemen, as Stull left after the season to become the head coach at UTEP. UMass finished the season with a record of 7–4 overall and 4–1 in conference play.
The 1981 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1981 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1981 season saw the Minutemen win their thirteenth Yankee Conference title. UMass finished the season with a record of 6–3 overall and 4–1 in conference play.
The 1979 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1979 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The Minutemen came into the 1979 season on the heels of an appearance in the inaugural I-AA National Championship Game. Despite the high expectations, the team was still able to repeat as Yankee Conference Champions, though they did not earn a postseason berth. UMass finished the season with a record of 6–4 overall and 4–1 in conference play.
The 1978 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1978 season was the first after the NCAA split Division I football into two subdivisions, and the first that featured a postseason playoff for Division I-AA. The Minutemen reached this inaugural championship game, losing to Florida A&M, 35–28. UMass finished the season with a record of 9–4 overall and 5–0 in conference play.
The 1972 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1972 NCAA College Division football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Dick MacPherson and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1972 season was the first in which Massachusetts was named the "Minutemen," as the university had changed their nickname from the "Redmen" due to changing attitudes regarding the use of Native American-themed mascots in sports. It was also the last season of the NCAA's University and College Division setup, as they would split athletics into three numbered divisions in 1973, with UMass moving into Division II. Massachusetts performed strongly enough in the regular season to earn a spot in the 1972 Boardwalk Bowl, which at the time served as the NCAA College Division East championship game. The team defeated UC Davis by a score of 35–14 and finished the season with a record of 9–2 overall and 5–0 in conference play.
The 1971 UMass Redmen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1971 NCAA College Division football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Dick MacPherson and played its home games at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1971 season was the last in which Massachusetts was named the "Redmen," as the university would change the nickname of all athletic teams to the "Minutemen" due to changing attitudes regarding the use of Native American-themed mascots in sports. It was also the first season of Dick MacPherson's tenure as head coach. UMass finished the season with a record of 4–4–1 overall and 3–1–1 in conference play.
