1978 UMass Minutemen football team

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.

1978 UMass Minutemen football
Yankee Conference champion Lambert Cup winner
NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game, L 28–35 vs. Florida A&M
Conference	Yankee Conference
Ranking
AP	No. T–4
Record	9–4 (5–0 Yankee)
Head coach	Bob Pickett (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jim Reid (1st season)
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium
Seasons ← 1977 1979 →

1978 Yankee Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. T–4 UMass $^	5	–	0	–	0			9	–	4	–	0
No. 7 Rhode Island	3	–	2	–	0			7	–	3	–	0
Connecticut	3	–	2	–	0			4	–	7	–	0
Boston University	2	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
New Hampshire	1	–	3	–	1			6	–	4	–	1
Maine	0	–	4	–	1			3	–	7	–	1
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from Associated Press poll

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 16	Villanova*		Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA		L 21–25	8,800	[1]
September 23	at Maine		Alumni Stadium Orono, ME		W 40–6	7,200	[2]
September 30	at Harvard*		Harvard Stadium Boston, MA		L 0–10	12,200	[3]
October 7	Morgan State*		Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA		W 38–6	6,700	[4]
October 14	at No. 5 Boston University		Nickerson Field Boston, MA		W 31–7	3,570	[5]
October 21	at No. 8 Rhode Island	No. 10	Meade Stadium Kingston, RI		W 19–17	7,995	[6]
October 28	Connecticut	No. 6	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		W 17–10	14,200	[7]
November 4	Rutgers*	No. 4	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA		L 11–21	9,800	[8]
November 11	at Holy Cross*		Fitton Field Worcester, MA		W 33–8	20,614	[9]
November 18	New Hampshire	No. 9	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		W 34–7	11,300	[10]
November 25	Boston College*	No. T–4	Alumni Stadium Hadley, MA (rivalry)		W 27–0	7,950	[11]
December 9	at No. 1 Nevada*	No. T–4	Mackay Stadium Reno, NV (NCAA Division I-AA Semifinal)		W 44–21	14,026	[12]
December 16	vs. No. 3 Florida A&M*	No. T–4	Memorial Stadium Wichita Falls, TX (NCAA Division I-AA Championship Game—Pioneer Bowl)	ABC	L 28–35	13,604	[13][14][15]
*Non-conference game Rankings from Associated Press Poll released prior to the game

References

1. "UMass falls in final seconds, 25–21". The Sunday Republican. September 17, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
2. "UMass crushes Maine, 40–6". The Boston Globe. September 24, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Roberts, Ernie (October 1, 1978). "Harvard Beats UMass at Own Game, 10–0". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "UM mauls Morgan State, 38–6". The Sunday Republican. October 8, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Boston U. loses first". The Patriot-News. October 15, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "UMass nips Rhody on deflected pass". The Hartford Courant. October 22, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
7. "UM subdues UConn, 17–10". The Sunday Republican. October 29, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Dorn scores twice to lead Rutgers past Massachusetts". Asbury Park Press. November 5, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. Concannon, Joe (November 12, 1978). "UMass' Tailback Attack Slaps Holy Cross". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 50 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Massachusetts rips New Hampshire, 34–7". The Sunday Home News. November 19, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Massachusetts 27, Boston College 0". Palm Beach Post-Times. November 26, 1978. p. E2 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Massachusetts keeps UNR at home". Nevada State Journal. December 10, 1978. Retrieved September 10, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU captures a national title". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 1A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
14. Cooper, Barry (December 17, 1978). "FAMU (cont'd)". Tallahassee Democrat. Tallahassee, Florida. p. 7A. Retrieved May 13, 2019 – via newspapers.com.
15. "Division I Championship" (PDF). NCAA. 2013. p. 14. Retrieved May 11, 2019 – via ncaa.org.