UMass Minutemen
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The UMass Minutemen are the athletic teams that represent the University of Massachusetts Amherst in NCAA Division I sports competition. The nickname is also applied to club teams that do not participate within the NCAA structure. Strictly speaking, the Minutemen nickname applies to men's teams and athletes only; women's teams and athletes are known as Minutewomen. The Minutemen and Minutewomen primarily compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Minutemen ice hockey team competes in Hockey East, while the Minutemen football team will in 2007 be a charter member of the football conference established by the Colonial Athletic Association.
The 2006 season was the final season under which the football team competed in the Atlantic 10, as the A-10 Football Conference disbanded after the season with all current teams moving to the CAA. They defeated Montana 19-17 to advance to the championship game (first since 1998). UMass fell to Appalachian State in the national championship game by a score of 28-17 and finished the season with a record of 13-2.
First played in 1905 and held annually since 1995, UMass' basketball rivalry with Boston College is called the "Commonwealth Classic." The UMass basketball team also competed annually with the University of Connecticut in a game that was formerly known as the "U-Game" until UConn Coach Jim Calhoun chose not to continue it after new Coach Travis Ford's arrival. This series included a stunning UMass upset of the then-defending national champion Huskies on December 9th, 2004 at the Mullins Center. Over the 10 games of the revived series, from 1996 to 2006, UMass went 1-9.
During the 1990's the men's basketball team was known as one of the finest in the nation, holding the number one ranking in national polls for extended periods. Under the leadership of then-head coach John Calipari and players such as 1996 National Player of the Year Marcus Camby, Harper Williams and Lou Roe, the Minutemen participated in the NCAA Tournament each year between 1992 and 1998, and reached the Final Four in 1996. However, a subsequent NCAA investigation found that Camby illegally accepted a total of $28,000 from sports agents, and the school was forced to vacate its Final Four appearance. Camby eventually repaid the school the $151,000 in lost Final Four revenue that came as a result of the NCAA's ruling. While a Final Four banner still hangs from the rafters of the Mullins Center in defiance of the NCAA's ruling, the appearance is marked with an asterisk in official record books.
Notable UMass basketball alumni include Julius Erving, Marcus Camby, Louisville head coach Rick Pitino, and Boston College head coach Al Skinner. The current coach of the Minutemen is Travis Ford.
UMass men's lacrosse reached the NCAA Championship Game in 2006, where they lost to the #1 ranked and undefeated University of Virginia. UMass, unseeded in the tournament, had to defeat three seeded teams (Cornell, Hofstra, Maryland) to make it to the championship game in Philadelphia. It was the first time any team had ever defeated the #4, #3, ad #2 seeded teams on its way to facing #1 Virginia in the championship.
UMass Men's Ice Hockey appeared in their first NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Tournament (16 Teams) in the 2006-07 season and won their first NCAA Tournament game against Clarkson (1-0 OT) before losing to Maine (3-1) in the Regional Final.
The Minutemen have won one NCAA national title, in Division I-AA (now FCS) football in 1998, and the Minutewomen have one national title of their own, in Division I women's lacrosse in 1982.
NCAA Division I Teams - Men's
Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football (Division I FCS), Ice Hockey, Lacrosse, Skiing, Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field
NCAA Division I Teams - Women's
Basketball, Cross Country, Field Hockey, Lacrosse, Rowing (Crew), Skiing, Soccer, Softball, Swimming & Diving, Tennis, Track & Field
Athletic "Club" Groups
Baseball Club, Bicycle Racing Club, Crew Club, Curling Team, Fencing Team, Figure Skating Club, Men's Lacrosse Club, Rugby Club, Tae Kwon Do Team, Tennis Club, Volleyball Club (Men's), Water Polo Club (Men's), Water Polo Club (Women's), Women's Ice Hockey, Women's Rugby Club, Women's Volleyball Club, Wrestling Club, Ultimate (Zoodisc)
| The Atlantic 10 |
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| Charlotte 49ers • Dayton Flyers • Duquesne Dukes • Fordham Rams • George Washington Colonials • La Salle Explorers • UMass Minutemen & Minutewomen • Rhode Island Rams • Richmond Spiders • St. Bonaventure Bonnies • Saint Joseph's Hawks • Saint Louis Billikens • Temple Owls • Xavier Musketeers |
| CAA Football Conference |
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| Northern Division: Hofstra • Maine • UMass • New Hampshire
• Northeastern • Rhode Island Southern Division: Delaware • James Madison • Old Dominion (effective 2009) • Richmond • Towson • Villanova • William & Mary |
| Hockey East | |
|---|---|
| Men's Division | BC · BU · Maine · Merrimack · Northeastern · Providence · UMass Amherst · UMass Lowell · UNH · Vermont |
| Women's Division | BC · BU · Maine · Northeastern · Providence · UConn · UNH · Vermont |
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