1977 UMass Minutemen football team

The 1977 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a member of the Yankee Conference during the 1977 NCAA Division II football season. Led by Dick MacPherson in his seventh and final season as head coach, the Minutemen compiled an overall record of 8–3 with a mark of 5–0 in conference play, winning the Yankee Conference title. UMass advanced to the NCAA Division II Football Championship playoffs, losing in the quarterfinals to the eventual national champion, Lehigh. The team played home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts.

1977 UMass Minutemen football
Yankee Conference champion
ConferenceYankee Conference
Record8–3 (5–0 Yankee)
Head coach
Home stadiumAlumni Stadium
Seasons
← 1976
1978 →
1977 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 2 UMass $ 5 0 0 8 3 0
Rhode Island 4 1 0 6 5 0
New Hampshire 3 2 0 8 2 0
Boston University 1 4 0 3 7 0
Maine 1 4 0 3 7 0
Connecticut 1 4 0 1 10 0
  • $ – Conference champion
Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1977 season was the last in which UMass competed at the NCAA Division II level, as the Yankee Conference moved to the NCAA's newly-formed Division I-AA—now known at the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS)—in 1978.

Schedule

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DateOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 10Army*L 10–3422,101
September 17MaineW 28–08,400
September 24at Harvard*W 17–09,000–10,116[1]
October 1Youngstown State*No. 10
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Hadley, MA
W 54–137,200
October 8Boston UniversityNo. 8
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Hadley, MA
W 41–164,700[2]
October 15Rhode IslandNo. 7
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Hadley, MA
W 37–610,500
October 28at ConnecticutNo. 6W 10–07,122
November 5Holy Cross*No. T–3
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Hadley, MA
W 28–68,100[3]
November 12at No. 5 New HampshireNo. 3W 19–620,000
November 19at Boston College*No. 2L 7–3430,846[4]
November 26No. 8 Lehigh*No. 2
L 23–304,964–5,700[5]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

[6]

References

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  1. ^ Concannon, Joe (September 25, 1977). "Fallon Resurfaces as UMass Stuns Harvard, 17-0". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 70 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ Harry Eisenberg (October 9, 1977). "UMass erupts late, crushes BU, 41-16". The Boston Globe. p. 77 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ Eisenberg, Harry (November 6, 1977). "UMass Toils, HC Tumbles; Defense Key, 28-6". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 70 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Boston College Routs Massachusetts, 34–7". Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel. November 20, 1977. p. 5C – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ Concannon, Joe (November 27, 1977). "Lehigh Flies High – UMass Shot Down, 30-23". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 64 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "Final 1977 Cumulative Football Statistics Report". National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved December 24, 2022.