1977 UMass Minutemen football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2023 1977 UMass Minutemen football Yankee Conference Yankee 8–3 5–0 Dick MacPherson 7th Alumni Stadium Yankee Conference champion NCAA Division II Quarterfinal L 23–30 vs. Lehigh 2 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. 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 1977 NCAA Division II AP September 10 l y Army Michie Stadium West Point, NY 10–34 22,101 September 17 w Maine Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA 28–0 8,400 September 24 w y y Harvard Harvard Stadium Boston, MA 17–0 9,000–10,116 Fallon Resurfaces as UMass Stuns Harvard, 17-0 Joe Concannon September 25, 1977 70 Boston Sunday Globe Boston, Mass. Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56250256/1977-ivies-9-24 October 1 w y 10 1977 Youngstown State Penguins Youngstown State Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA 54–13 7,200 October 8 w 8 Boston University Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA 41–16 4,700 UMass erupts late, crushes BU, 41-16 The Boston Globe Harry Eisenberg October 9, 1977 77 https://www.newspapers.com/clip/86057069/umass-erupts-late-crushes-bu-41-16/ Newspapers.com October 15 w 7 Rhode Island Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA 37–6 10,500 October 28 w y 6 Connecticut Memorial Stadium Storrs, CT rivalry 10–0 7,122 November 5 w y T–3 Holy Cross Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA 28–6 8,100 UMass Toils, HC Tumbles; Defense Key, 28-6 Harry Eisenberg November 6, 1977 70 Boston Sunday Globe Boston, Mass. Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/56259887/1977-holy-cross-umass November 12 w y 3 New Hampshire 5 Cowell Stadium Durham, NH rivalry 19–6 20,000 November 19 l y y 2 Boston College Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA rivalry 7–34 30,846 Boston College Routs Massachusetts, 34–7 Fort Lauderdale News and Sun Sentinel November 20, 1977 5C https://www.newspapers.com/clip/17537913/boston_college_routs_massachusetts_347/ Newspapers.com November 26 l y 2 Lehigh 8 Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA NCAA Division II Quarterfinal 23–30 4,964–5,700 Lehigh Flies High – UMass Shot Down, 30-23 Joe Concannon November 27, 1977 64 Boston Sunday Globe Boston, Mass. Newspapers.com https://www.newspapers.com/clip/71924271/1977-lehigh-umass/ Final 1977 Cumulative Football Statistics Report (UMass) https://stats.ncaa.org/team/400/stats/12867 National Collegiate Athletic Association December 24, 2022 References UMass Category:UMass Minutemen football seasons Category:Yankee Conference football champion seasons Umass Minutemen football