Early history (1879–1977) UMass began playing football on November 22, 1879, when the school was known as Massachusetts Agricultural College, and the team was known as the "Aggies." They were first organized the previous fall by Francis Codman, but did not play their first game until November 22, 1879, defeating the
Amherst College freshman team 4–0. As this was their only game that year, 1879 is noted as their first undefeated season, matched only by the 1889 season (2–0) and the 1963 season (8–0–1). Massachusetts later teamed up with Storrs Agricultural College (now the
University of Connecticut) and Rhode Island College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts (now the
University of Rhode Island) to form the
Athletic League of New England State Colleges for the purpose of scheduling football matchups between the schools. The first meeting between the Aggies and each of the other schools resulted in a shutout win for Massachusetts, as they defeated Connecticut, 36–0, in 1897 and Rhode Island, 46–0, in 1903. became the first African American football coach at an integrated college Massachusetts won their 100th game on October 2, 1920, topping
rival Connecticut in a 28–0 shutout. The team played their 1000th game on November 11, 2000, losing to conference foe
Delaware, 19–31. The team's nickname has endured several changes throughout the years. Though the official nickname remained "Aggies", "Statesmen" was also used interchangeably beginning when the school was renamed to Massachusetts State College in 1931. The nickname was officially changed to the "Redmen" when the name of the college became the University of Massachusetts in 1947.
Pittsburgh assistant coach
Vic Fusia took over the Redmen football program in 1961 and under his tutelage, UMass compiled a record of 59–32–2. The Fusia era included an undefeated 8–0–1 campaign in 1963 as well as records of 8–2, 7–2, 6–3 and 7–2 in the following years. However, two losing records in three seasons led to Fusia's dismissal after the 1970 season.
Denver Broncos linebackers and defensive backs coach
Dick MacPherson, a former UMass assistant from 1959 to 1960, took over after Fusia's firing. Under MacPherson, the Redmen compiled a record of 45–27–1. In response to changing attitudes regarding the use of Native American-themed mascots, they changed their mascot in 1972 to the Minuteman, based on the historical "
minuteman" relationship with Massachusetts; women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen.
Bob Pickett era (1978–1983) Bob Pickett was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach of the Minutemen football program in 1978. Under Pickett's tutelage, the Minutemen won four conference championships and compiled a record of 36–28.
Bob Stull era (1984–1985) Washington offensive coordinator
Bob Stull was the next head coach for UMass, and he led the Minutemen to a 10–12 record in two seasons before leaving the program to accept the head coaching position at
UTEP. Under Stull, the Minutemen struggled to a two-win campaign in 1984 but improved to seven wins in 1985. Reid and UMass parted ways after the 1991 season. Under Hodges, the Minutemen compiled a record of 35–30.
Mark Whipple era (1998–2003) In his first stint as coach of UMass from 1998 to 2003,
Mark Whipple won the
NCAA Division I-AA national championship. The 1998 national championship team posted school records in points scored (524), touchdowns (73), total yards (7,074), passing yards (4,050), completions (306), and first downs (354).
Don Brown era (2004–2008) In 2004,
Northeastern head coach
Don Brown returned to UMass, where he'd served as defensive coordinator from 1998–1999 to take over as head coach. During his tenure as head coach from 2004 to 2008, UMass posted the best five-year record in school history, 43–19. In his first year, he led the Minutemen to a 6–5 record, including victories over fourth-ranked
Colgate, seventh-ranked , and ninth-ranked . During 2005, Brown helped UMass to a 7–2 start and a final ranking of No. 19. That year, the Minutemen defeated fourth-ranked
James Madison and handed Delaware their worst home loss in two decades, 35–7. Brown left following the 2008 season to become defensive coordinator at Maryland.
Kevin Morris era (2009–2011) UMass promoted offensive coordinator
Kevin Morris to head coach following Brown's departure. Under Morris, the Minutemen compiled a record of 16–17. On April 20, 2011, after decades of studies and speculation, the UMass Minutemen formally announced they elevated their football program to the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision and became a member of the Mid-American Conference beginning with the 2012 season. The announcement was made at
Gillette Stadium, where the Minutemen play some of their home games. In 2011, UMass completed their last season in the Colonial Athletic Association, and were not eligible for NCAA postseason play. UMass played a full FBS and MAC schedule in 2013 and became eligible for the MAC championship and bowl participation. Morris was fired as UMass' head coach following a 5–6 season in 2011.
Charley Molnar era (2012–2013) Notre Dame offensive coordinator
Charley Molnar was hired as UMass' head coach in December 2011. The NCAA made a formal announcement of UMass' admission to FBS in the summer of 2013 after the program met specified benchmarks over its two transitioning years. The primary criteria centered around average attendance, an increase in scholarships from 63 to 85, and specific scheduling requirements. The NCAA did announce that the team must meet attendance requirements or face a 10-year probationary period. Along with joining the Mid-American Conference for football, the men's and women's basketball teams would play four non-conference games against MAC teams. UMass struggled mightily under Molnar's tutelage, compiling back-to-back 1–11 campaigns in 2012 and 2013, the first two seasons UMass was a member of the MAC and
FBS. Molnar was fired after two seasons as head coach.
Whipple's return (2014–2018) Mark Whipple was selected as Molnar's replacement, returning to UMass after eleven years and stints in the NFL and college football as an assistant coach. In March 2014, the MAC and UMass announced an agreement for the Minutemen to leave the conference after the 2015 season due to UMass declining an offer to become a full member of the conference. In the agreement between the MAC and the university, there was a contractual clause that had UMass playing in the MAC as a football-only member for two more seasons if UMass declined a full membership offer. UMass announced that it would look for a "more suitable conference" for the team. Possibilities included becoming independent or joining the
American Athletic Conference, In September 2014, UMass announced that they would become independent beginning with the 2016 season. In 2014 and 2015, the Minutemen finished with a 3–9 record. UMass finished 2–10 in 2016. The Minutemen kicked off the season on September 3 with a 24–7 loss to No. 25
Florida. After a 26–7 loss to archrival
Boston College, Whipple's team picked up its first win of the season by defeating
FIU by a margin of 21–13. The next week, they lost to
Mississippi State by a score of 47–35. On October 1, UMass lost to
Tulane by a margin of 31–24. That was followed by a 36–16 defeat at the hands of
Old Dominion. Next, Whipple's Minutemen were doubled up by
Louisiana Tech in a 56–28 loss. After a 34–28 loss to
South Carolina, Whipple's Minutemen defeated
FCS opponent
Wagner by a score of 34–10. On November 5, UMass lost to
Troy by a margin of 52–31. That was followed by a 51–9 blowout at the hands of
BYU. In the season finale, the Minutemen lost to
Hawaii by a score of 46–40. The Minutemen finished 4–8 in 2017. They began the season on August 26 with a 38–35 loss to
Hawaii. In the season's second game, UMass lost to
Coastal Carolina by a score of 38–28. A third straight loss followed in the form of a 17–7 defeat at the hands of
Old Dominion on September 9. Next, Whipple's team lost to
Temple by a margin of 29–21. On September 23, the Minutemen played a hard-fought game but ultimately fell short against
Tennessee by a score of 17–13. After a 58–50 loss to
Ohio, UMass finally broke through with their first victory of the season, defeating
Georgia Southern by a margin of 55–20. They recorded a second straight win the following week with a 30–27 double overtime victory over
Appalachian State. After a 34–23 loss to No. 21
Mississippi State, Whipple's Minutemen defeated
FCS opponent
Maine by a margin of 44–31. They picked up their fourth win of the season a week later by virtue of a 16–10 victory over
BYU. UMass concluded the season with a 63–45 loss to
FIU on December 2. Coach Whipple stepped down on November 20, 2018.
Walt Bell era (2019–2021) On December 3, 2018,
Florida State offensive coordinator
Walt Bell was hired as UMass' newest head coach. UMass would finish their 2019 season 1–11, opening 0–4. They would secure their first and only win vs Akron 37–29 on September 28, then drop the next 7 games. On August 11, 2020, UMass announced the cancellation of the 2020 season. Athletic Director
Ryan Bamford explained, "The continuing challenges surrounding the
COVID-19 pandemic posed too great of a risk." On September 21, UMass announced its intention to play a limited number of fall football games. UMass finished their fall campaign 0–4. They returned to a 12-game format in 2021. The Minutemen opened their 2021 season with a 51–7 loss at Pitt, starting a 5-game losing streak. They picked up a 27–13 win against
UConn, however, to snap the streak. Bell was fired on November 7, 2021, following a 35–22 loss against FCS-ranked University of Rhode Island at homecoming on November 6, 2021, bringing his 2021 season record to 1–8. Offensive coordinator
Alex Miller was named his interim replacement. UMass would drop their final 3 games of the season, finishing 1–11.
Don Brown's return (2022–2024) in 2023 On November 22, 2021, Don Brown, then serving as
Arizona defensive coordinator, was officially rehired as the next coach of the UMass Minutemen. Brown would lead the Minutemen to a 1–11 season, beating FCS team
Stony Brook 20–3 on September 17 and dropping their final game 7–44 to
Army on November 26. Brown was dismissed with two games remaining in 2024. UMass' 2024 was the last season competing as an independent. The Minutemen rejoined the
Mid-American Conference (MAC) as a full member beginning in 2025.
Joe Harasymiak era (2025-) In 2025, the UMass Minutemen became the eighteenth team since the expansion to 12 game schedule to finish the season with a record of 0–12. ==Conference affiliations==