The Massachusetts Aggies football team (later known as the UMass Minutemen) represented Massachusetts Agricultural College (now known as the University of Massachusetts Amherst) in American football. The team played its home games at Alumni Field in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Highlights of the school's first 11 years of intercollegiate football include the following:

  • On November 22, 1879, the Aggies played and won their first game, defeating Amherst, 4–0.
  • On November 10, 1880, the Aggies sustained their first loss, falling to Wiliston Academy by a 10–8 score.

1879

1879 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     4 0 1
Yale     3 0 2
Massachusetts     1 0 0
Michigan     1 0 1
Haverford     1 0 1
Harvard     2 1 2
Penn     2 2 0
Amherst     1 1 0
Navy     0 0 1
McGill     0 0 1
Toronto     0 0 1
Stevens     1 2 5
Rutgers     1 2 3
Pennsylvania Military     0 1 1
NYU     0 2 1
Racine     0 1 0
Swarthmore     0 1 0
Columbia     0 3 2

The 1879 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1879 college football season. The team played its first football game and finished the season with a record of 1–0.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
November 22AmherstW 4–0

1880

1880 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     4 0 1
Yale     4 0 1
Kentucky University     2 0 0
Michigan     1 0 0
Harvard     2 2 2
Penn     2 2 0
Rutgers     2 2 0
Columbia     1 2 0
Amherst     0 1 1
Massachusetts     0 1 1
Stevens     1 4 0
Brown     0 1 0
CCNY     0 1 0
Philadelphia Crescent AC     0 1 0
Toronto     0 1 0
Centre     0 2 0

The 1880 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1880 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 0–1–1.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
November 10Williston AcademyL 8–10
November 13at AmherstAmherst, MAT 0–0

1881

1881 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
MIT     3 0 0
Richmond     2 0 0
Georgetown     1 0 0
Yale     5 0 1
Princeton     7 0 2
Penn State     1 0 0
Columbian University     1 0 1
Dartmouth     1 0 1
Harvard     6 1 1
Massachusetts     2 1 1
Kentucky University     2 1 0
Columbia     3 3 1
Rutgers     2 4 1
Stevens     1 2 1
Kentucky State College     1 2 0
CCNY     1 1 1
Amherst     0 3 2
Lewisburg     0 1 0
MIT     3 0 0
Wesleyan     0 1 0
Randolph–Macon     0 2 0
Michigan     0 3 0
Penn     0 5 0

The 1881 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1881 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 2–1–1.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 15at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAW NA
October 22AmherstAmherst, MAT 0–0
October 31at Wesleyan
W 36–0
November 12MITL 0–8

1882

1882 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale     8 0 0
Colorado College     1 0 0
Navy     1 0 0
Richmond     1 0 0
Harvard     7 1 0
Fordham     7 1 0
Princeton     7 2 0
Wesleyan     3 1 0
Rutgers     6 4 0
Columbian University     0 0 1
Dartmouth     1 1 0
Lake Forest     1 1 0
Minnesota     1 1 0
Northwestern     1 1 0
Stevens     1 1 1
Amherst     2 3 0
Penn     2 4 0
CCNY     1 2 0
MIT     1 4 0
Randolph–Macon     0 1 0
Clifton AC     0 1 0
Lafayette     0 2 0
McGill     0 2 0
NYU     0 2 0
Massachusetts     0 3 0
Columbia     0 5 0

The 1882 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1882 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 0–2.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
November 2AmherstL 4–12
November 9at Wesleyan
L 0–60

1883

1883 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale     9 0 0
Gallaudet     2 0 0
Carleton     1 0 0
Johns Hopkins     1 0 0
NYU     1 0 0
Harvard     8 2 0
Princeton     7 1 0
Penn     6 2 1
Stevens     6 4 1
Massachusetts     1 1 0
Minnesota     1 1 0
Wesleyan     3 3 0
Williams     1 1 0
Fordham     4 5 0
Michigan     2 3 0
Lafayette     2 4 0
Johns Hopkins     1 2 0
Columbia     1 3 0
Rutgers     1 6 0
Amherst     0 1 0
Dartmouth     0 1 0
Hamline     0 1 0
Lewisburg     0 1 0
Navy     0 1 0
CCNY     0 2 0
Columbian University     0 2 0
Georgetown     0 2 0

The 1883 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1883 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 1–1.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
November 7at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAL 0–14
November 21at AmherstW 9–8

1884

1884 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     9 0 1
Yale     8 0 1
Michigan     2 0 0
Williams     2 0 0
Navy     1 0 0
Wabash     1 0 0
Penn     5 1 1
Fordham     5 1 0
Harvard     7 4 0
Wesleyan     3 2 0
Butler     1 1 0
Columbia     1 1 0
Rutgers     3 4 0
Stevens     4 5 0
Dartmouth     1 2 1
Tufts     2 4 1
Massachusetts     1 2 0
Lafayette     2 5 0
Johns Hopkins     1 3 0
Albion     0 1 0
CCNY     0 1 0
Denver     0 1 0
DePauw     0 1 0
Olivet     0 2 0
Amherst     0 3 0
Lehigh     0 4 0

The 1884 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1884 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 1–2.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 11at Wilbraham AcademyWilbraham, MAW 8–0
October 18at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAL NA
October 29at AmherstAmherst, MAL 0–13

1885

1885 college football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     9 0 0
Michigan     3 0 0
Colorado College     1 0 0
Yale     7 1 0
Cincinnati     1 0 1
Penn     8 5 0
Lafayette     3 2 1
Massachusetts     3 2 1
Johns Hopkins     2 2 0
Richmond     1 1 0
Wesleyan     3 4 0
Navy     1 2 0
Lehigh     1 5 1
Rutgers     0 1 0
Fordham     0 3 0

The 1885 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1885 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 3–2–1.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 3AmherstW 4–0
October 5at AmherstAmherst, MAT 0–0
October 7Amherst
  • Alumni Field
  • Amherst, MA
W 12–0
October 13at Wesleyan
L 0–80
October 31at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAW 42–12
November 4at AmherstAmherst, MAL 0–8

1886

1886 Eastern college football independents records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale     9 0 1
Princeton     7 0 1
Harvard     12 2 0
Lafayette     10 2 0
Williams     5 1 1
Massachusetts     2 1 0
Penn     9 7 1
Lehigh     4 3 1
Dartmouth     2 2 0
Amherst     3 4 0
Rutgers     1 3 0
Wesleyan     2 6 0
MIT     2 6 1
Vermont     0 1 0
Stevens     0 7 1
Tufts     0 8 0
NYU     0 3 0
Swarthmore        
Trinity (CT)        

The 1886 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1886 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 2–1.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 13AmherstL 5–15
October 20at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAW 7–6
November 8at Tufts
W 6–5

1887

1887 Eastern college football independents records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale     9 0 0
Penn State     2 0 0
Harvard     10 1 0
Lafayette     7 2 0
Princeton     7 2 0
Lehigh     4 3 0
Williams     3 3 0
Penn     6 7 0
Wesleyan     4 5 0
Tufts     4 6 0
Massachusetts     2 3 0
Rutgers     2 6 0
Bucknell     0 2 0
Cornell     0 2 0
Franklin & Marshall     0 2 0
Vermont     0 2 0

The 1887 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1887 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 2–3.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResult
October 8Williston AcademyW 17–10
October 15at Trinity (CT)Hartford, CTL 4–32
October 25at AmherstAmherst, MAL 0–10
October 26at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAW 26–0
November 5at Worcester TechWorcester, MAL 0–10

1888

1888 Eastern college football independents records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Yale     13 0 0
Harvard     12 1 0
Princeton     11 1 0
Lehigh     10 2 0
Trinity (CT)     5 1 1
Lafayette     6 3 0
Cornell     4 2 0
Penn     9 7 0
Bucknell     2 3 0
Fordham     1 2 0
Massachusetts     2 4 0
Wesleyan     2 7 0
Worcester Tech     1 4 0
Rutgers     1 6 1
Penn State     0 2 1
Swarthmore     0 5 0

The 1888 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1888 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 2–4.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultSource
October 6Trinity (CT)L 0–34[1]
October 13Williston Academy
  • Alumni Field
  • Amherst, MA
W 27–0
October 17Williston Academy
  • Alumni Field
  • Amherst, MA
W 17–9
October 17Yale freshmen
  • Alumni Field
  • Amherst, MA
L 0–32
October 18at AmherstAmherst, MAL 0–58[2]
October 30Amherst
  • Alumni Field
  • Amherst, MA
L 4–45

1889

1889 Eastern college football independents records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
Princeton     10 0 0
Massachusetts     2 0 0
Yale     15 1 0
Harvard     9 2 0
Franklin & Marshall     5 1 1
Dickinson     4 1 1
Navy     4 1 1
Tufts     3 1 0
Lehigh     8 3 2
Cornell     8 4 0
Penn     7 6 0
Brown     2 2 0
Penn State     2 2 0
Wesleyan     5 7 1
Bucknell     2 3 1
Lafayette     3 4 2
Columbia     2 7 2
Fordham     1 3 0
Rutgers     1 4 0
NYU     0 2 0

The 1889 Massachusetts Aggies football team represented Massachusetts Agricultural College in the 1889 college football season. Massachusetts finished the season with a record of 2–0.

Schedule

DateOpponentSiteResultSource
November 2Williston AcademyW 12–8[3]
November 16at Williston AcademyEasthampton, MAW 18–6[4]

References

  1. ^ "Good work by the Trinity team – Bulkeley's fine playing". The Hartford Daily Courant. October 8, 1889. Retrieved March 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  2. ^ "Amherst, 58; "Aggies, 0". The Boston Daily Globe. Boston, Massachusetts. October 19, 1888. p. 3. Retrieved March 21, 2022 – via Newspapers.com Open access icon.
  3. ^ "Aggies whip the Willistons". Springfield Republican. November 3, 1889. Retrieved March 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Aggies beat the Willistons". Springfield Republican. November 17, 1889. Retrieved March 8, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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