Sports in Massachusetts

Alumni Stadium, home of the Boston College Eagles

Fall River, Massachusetts native, Bert Patenaude (front row, center), scored the first hat-trick in FIFA World Cup history in 1930 for the United States.

Sports in Massachusetts have a long history with both amateur athletics and professional teams. Most of the major professional teams have won multiple championships in their respective leagues. Massachusetts teams have won 6 Stanley Cups (Boston Bruins), ^[1] 18 NBA Championships (Boston Celtics), ^[2] 6 Super Bowls (New England Patriots), ^[3] and 10 World Series (9 Boston Red Sox, 1 Boston Braves). ^[4] The New England Revolution won the MLS Supporter's Shield in 2021 (the club's only major trophy to date). ^[5] Early basketball and volleyball was created in Massachusetts, which homes the Basketball Hall of Fame (Springfield), ^[6] and the Volleyball Hall of Fame (Holyoke). ^[6] Massachusetts also houses the Cape Cod Baseball League. It is also home to prestigious sports events such as the Boston Marathon and the Head of the Charles Regatta. The Falmouth Road Race in running and the Fitchburg Longsjo Classic in bicycle racing are also very popular events with long histories.

The Greater Boston region is the only city/surrounding area in American professional sports in which all facilities are privately owned and operated. The Patriots and Revolution both own Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts, the Red Sox own Fenway Park, and TD Garden is owned by Delaware North, owner of the Bruins. The Celtics rent TD Garden from Delaware North.

The PGA Tour Deutsche Bank Championship is a regular professional golf tour stop in the state. Massachusetts has played host to nine U.S. Opens, four U.S. Women's Opens, two Ryder Cups, and one U.S. Senior Open.

Many colleges and universities in Massachusetts are active in college athletics. There are a number of NCAA Division I members in the state for multiple sports: Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern University, Harvard University, College of the Holy Cross, the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Massachusetts Lowell, Merrimack College, and Stonehill College.

Notable athletes from Massachusetts

Massachusetts has produced several successful Olympians including Thomas Burke, James Connolly, and John Thomas (track & field); Butch Johnson (archery); Nancy Kerrigan (figure skating); Todd Richards (snowboarding); Albina Osipowich (swimming); Aly Raisman (gymnastics); Patrick Ewing (basketball); as well as Jim Craig, Mike Eruzione, Bill Cleary, and Keith Tkachuk (ice hockey). ^{[7] [8]}

Notable soccer (or association football) players from Massachusetts include Bert Patenaude, Billy Gonsalves, Geoff Cameron, Miles Robinson, Sam Mewis, and Kristie Mewis. Patenaude and Gonsalves, both inductees of the National Soccer Hall of Fame and natives of Fall River, Massachusetts, ^{[9] [10]} played for the U.S. men's national team at the inaugural FIFA World Cup in 1930 (hosted in Uruguay). Patenaude scored the first hat-trick in World Cup history. ^[11] The USMNT finished in third place. ^[12]

Sports Illustrated's 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Massachusetts

In 1999, Sports Illustrated published the fifty (50) greatest 19th and 20th century sports figures from each U.S. state. The criteria used was "not necessarily to where [the athletes] were born, but to where they first showed flashes of the greatness to come." The ten highest ranked Massachusetts athletes were as follows: ^[13]

Rank	Name	Sport	Hometown	Notes
1.	Rocky Marciano	Boxing	Brockton, MA	Held the world heavyweight title from 1952 to 1956
2.	Doug Flutie	American football	Natick, MA	Played at Boston College; won the Heisman Trophy in 1984
3.	Patrick Ewing	Basketball	Cambridge, MA	Played at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School; 2× Olympic gold medalist (1984, 1992); selected as one of the 75 Greatest Players in NBA History in 2021; Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
4.	Bobby Carpenter	Ice hockey	Beverly, MA	First U.S. player to jump from high school to NHL (in 1981)
5.	Rebecca Lobo	Basketball	Southwick, MA	Massachusetts' all-time leading high school basketball scorer (boys and girls); Basketball Hall of Fame inductee
6.	Alberto Salazar	Track & field	Wayland, MA	3× New York Marathon winner (1980–82); Boston Marathon winner (1982)
7.	Tom Glavine	Baseball	Billerica, MA	2× NL Cy Young Award (1991, 1998); 1995 World Series MVP; Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
8.	Pie Traynor	Baseball	Somerville, MA	Posted a career batting average of .320; Baseball Hall of Fame inductee
9.	Harry Agganis	Baseball American football	Lynn, MA	Played at Boston University; Boston Red Sox (1954–55); College Football Hall of Fame inductee
10.	Johnny Kelley	Track & field	Arlington, MA	Olympian; competed in the Boston Marathon over 50 times (winning twice)

Major League Professional Teams

Current teams

Club	League	Sport	Venue (capacity)	Founded	Championships
Boston Red Sox	MLB	Baseball	Fenway Park (37,500)	1901	9 World Series
Boston Bruins	NHL	Ice Hockey	TD Garden (17,565)	1924	6 Stanley Cups
Boston Celtics	NBA	Basketball	TD Garden (18,625)	1946	18 NBA titles
New England Patriots	NFL	Football	Gillette Stadium (68,750)	1960	6 Super Bowls
New England Revolution	MLS	Soccer		1995	0 MLS Cups; 1 Supporters' Shield
Boston Fleet	PWHL	Ice Hockey	Tsongas Center (6,500)	2023	0 Walter Cup s
Boston Cannons	PLL	Lacrosse	"Barnstorming"	2001	2 Steinfeld Trophies (MLL) 2 PLL Championship Trophies
Boston Guard	WLL	Lacrosse	"Barnstorming"	2025	1 WLL Championship Trophy
BOS Nation FC	NWSL	Soccer	White Stadium (10,519)	2026	0 NWSL Championship Trophy

Former teams

Club	League	Sport	Venue (capacity)	Founded	Dissolved	Championships
Boston Braves	MLB	Baseball	Braves Field (40,000)	1871	1952	1 World Series
Worcester Brown Stockings			Worcester Agricultural Fairgrounds	1880	1882
Boston Reds			Congress Street Grounds	1890	1891
Boston Bulldogs	NFL	Football	Braves Field (40,000)	1929	1929
Boston Redskins			Fenway Park (35,000)	1932	1936
Boston Yanks				1944	1948
Boston Breakers	USFL		Nickerson Field (15,000)	1983	1984
Boston Rovers	NASL	Soccer	Manning Bowl (21,000)	1967	1967
Boston Beacons			Fenway Park (33,375)	1968	1968
Boston Minutemen			Alumni Stadium (30,000) Nickerson Field (15,000)	1974	1976
New England Tea Men			Foxboro Stadium (60,000)	1978	1980
New England Whalers	WHA	Ice Hockey	Boston Garden (14,448)	1972	1974	1 Avco World Trophy

Major league professional championships

Boston Red Sox (MLB) 9 World Series titles 1903 1912 1915 1916 1918 2004 2007 2013 2018 Boston Braves (MLB) 1 World Series title 1914 New England Patriots (NFL) 6 Super Bowl titles 2001 (XXXVI) 2003 (XXXVIII) 2004 (XXXIX) 2014 (XLIX) 2016 (LI) 2018 (LIII)

Boston Celtics (NBA) 18 NBA Finals titles 1957 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1968 1969 1974 1976 1981 1984 1986 2008 2024 Boston Bruins (NHL) 6 Stanley Cup titles 1929 1939 1941 1970 1972 2011 New England Whalers (WHA) 1 Avco World Trophy 1973

Minor League or Semi-Professional Clubs

The Fall River Rovers soccer club (a semi-professional club in the Southern New England Soccer League) after winning the 1917 U.S. Open Cup

Club	League	Conference / Division	Sport	Venue (Capacity)	Founded	Championships
Worcester Red Sox	International	East	Baseball	Polar Park (9,508)	2021	4 Governors' Cup (As PawSox)
Worcester Railers	ECHL	Eastern / North	Ice Hockey	DCU Center (12,135)	2017	0 Kelly Cup
Springfield Thunderbirds	AHL	Eastern / Atlantic	Ice Hockey	MassMutual Center (6,800)	1975	0 Calder Cup

College sports

Holy Cross takes on Boston College in 1916 at Fenway Park. BC won the game, 17–14.

Julius "Dr. J." Erving at UMass

The Holy Cross Crusaders won the NCAA basketball championship in 1947 def. Oklahoma. Bob Cousy (All-American and NBA Hall-of-Famer) is in the front row, second from left

NCAA: Divisions I and II

School	Nickname	Division	Conference
Boston College	Eagles	I	Atlantic Coast Conference/Hockey East
Boston University	Terriers	I	Patriot League/Hockey East
Northeastern University	Huskies	I	Coastal Athletic Association/Hockey East
Harvard University	Crimson	I	Ivy League/ECAC Hockey
College of the Holy Cross	Crusaders	I	Patriot League/Atlantic Hockey America/Hockey East
University of Massachusetts Amherst	Minutemen/ Minutewomen	I	Atlantic 10 Conference [a] /FBS independent [b] /Hockey East
University of Massachusetts Lowell	River Hawks	I	America East Conference/Hockey East [14]
Merrimack College	Warriors	I	Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference/FCS independent (football)/Hockey East
Stonehill College	Skyhawks	I	Northeast Conference/Independent (men's ice hockey)/New England Women's Hockey Alliance
American International College	Yellow Jackets	I/II	Atlantic Hockey America/Northeast-10 Conference
Bentley University	Falcons	I/II	Atlantic Hockey America/Northeast-10 Conference
Assumption University	Greyhounds	I/II	Northeast-10 Conference/New England Women's Hockey Alliance

In addition to the schools listed here, Franklin Pierce University, a full Division II member located near the state border in Rindge, New Hampshire, plays its men's and women's ice hockey home games in Massachusetts on the campus of The Winchendon School. FPU plays men's hockey in the Northeast-10 and women's hockey as a D-I program in the New England Women's Hockey Alliance.

1. Joining the Mid-American Conference in July 2025; will remain an A-10 member in men's lacrosse.
2. UMass' tenure as an FBS independent will end when the school joins the Mid-American Conference.

NCAA: Division III

School	Nickname	Division	Conference
Amherst College	Mammoths	III	Eastern College Athletic Conference/New England Small College Athletic Conference
Anna Maria College	Amcats	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference/Eastern Collegiate Football Conference
Babson College	Beavers	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Brandeis University	Judges	III	University Athletic Association/Intercollegiate Fencing Association
Bridgewater State University	Bears	III	Eastern College Athletic Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference/ Little East Conference
Clark University	Cougars	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Curry College	Colonels	III	Conference of New England
Dean College	Bulldogs	III	New England Collegiate Conference
Eastern Nazarene College	Lions	III	New England Collegiate Conference
Elms College	Blazers	III	New England Collegiate Conference
Emerson College	Lions	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference/Eastern College Athletic Conference
Emmanuel College	Saints	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Endicott College	Gulls	III	Conference of New England/New England Collegiate Conference
Fitchburg State University	Falcons	III	Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference
Framingham State University	Rams	III	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Gordon College	Fighting Scots	III	Conference of New England
Lasell University	Lasers	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Lesley University	Lynx	III	New England Collegiate Conference
Mount Holyoke College	Lyons	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Trailblazers	III	Eastern College Athletic Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Massachusetts Maritime Academy	Buccaneers	III	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference/New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Massachusetts Institute of Technology	Engineers	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Nichols College	Bison	III	Conference of New England/New England Collegiate Conference
Regis College	Pride	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Salem State University	Vikings	III	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Simmons University	Sharks	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference/North Atlantic Conference
Smith College	Pioneers	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Springfield College	Pride	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Suffolk University	Rams	III	Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Tufts University	Jumbos	III	New England Small College Athletic Conference
University of Massachusetts Boston	Beacons	III	Little East Conference/New England Hockey Conference
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth	Corsairs	III	Little East Conference/Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Wellesley College	Blues	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Wentworth Institute of Technology	Panthers	III	Conference of New England/Great Northeast Athletic Conference
Western New England University	Golden Bears	III	Conference of New England/Commonwealth Coast Football
Westfield State University	Owls	III	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference
Wheaton College, Massachusetts	Lyons	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Williams College	Ephs	III / I	New England Small College Athletic Conference
Worcester Polytechnic Institute	Engineers	III	New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
Worcester State University	Lancers	III	Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference

NAIA

School	Nickname	Conference
Fisher College	Falcons	Independent

USCAA

School	Nickname	Conference
Bay Path University	Wildcats	Independent
Hampshire College	Black Sheep	Yankee Small College Conference

NJCAA Division II

School	Nickname	Region
Massasoit Community College	Warriors	21

NJCAA Division III

School	Nickname	Region
Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology	Shockers	21
Bristol Community College	Bayhawks	21
Bunker Hill Community College	Bulldogs	21
Holyoke Community College	Cougars	21
Mass Bay Community College	Buccaneers	21
Northern Essex Community College	Knights	21
Quinsigamond Community College	Chiefs	21
Roxbury Community College	Tigers	21
Springfield Technical Community College	Rams	21

High school

Matt Hasselbeck (Pro-Bowl NFL quarterback) playing at Xaverian Brothers High School in Westwood, Massachusetts

Main article: Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) is an organization that sponsors activities in thirty-three sports, comprising 374 public and private high schools in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. The MIAA is a member of the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS), which writes the rules for most U.S. high school sports and activities. The MIAA was founded in 1978, and was preceded by both the Massachusetts Secondary School Principals' Association (MSSPA) (1942–78) and the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Council (MIAC) (1950–78).

Rugby is the MIAA's 35th sport in 2016, following a 2015 MIAA vote that passed by a wide majority. ^[15] As of 2015, there are 19 boys’ teams and 5 girls’ teams across the state, with the majority of the Catholic Conference schools fielding rugby teams. ^[15]

References

1. "Stanley Cup Winners". Hockey Hall of Fame . Retrieved October 19, 2009.
2. Rosenstein, Greg (June 17, 2024). "NBA Finals: Celtics defeat Mavericks for record-setting 18th championship". NBC News . Retrieved June 18, 2024.
3. "Super Bowl History". National Football League . Retrieved October 19, 2009.
4. "World Series Winners, Records, and Results and Postseason Series" . Retrieved October 30, 2014.
5. Le Miere, Jason (October 23, 2021). "New England Revolution win 2021 MLS Supporters' Shield". MLSsoccer.com. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
6. "Volleyball pushed as official team sport of Mass". Boston Herald . October 4, 2009. Retrieved October 19, 2009.
7. "25 Olympians from Massachusetts". GoLocalWorcester. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
8. "Ranking the Top 50 Athletes from Massachusetts". May 30, 2017.
9. Jose, Colin (1998). The American Soccer League: The Golden Years of American Soccer 1921–1931. Scarecrow Press. pp. 11, 477.
10. Foulds, Alan E. (2005). Boston's Ballparks & Arenas. University Press of New England. p. 53.
11. Williams, Jack (July 19, 2015). "Bert Patenaude, the forgotten hero who scored the first ever World Cup hat-trick". The Guardian. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
12. "Timeline".
13. "The 50 Greatest Sports Figures from Massachusetts" Sports Illustrated (December 27, 1999)
14. "About America East - AmericaEast.com - The Official Website of the America East Conference". Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved December 21, 2024.
15. "Tuesday's school roundup: MIAA votes to add rugby for 2016–17", Boston Globe, Eric Russo, May 6, 2015.

External links

• Massachusetts Sports Teams List 2023