University of Richmond Athletics
AlOng Came the Spiders
July 17, 2001
Location: Amherst, MA 01003
Founded: 1863
Enrollment: 24,000 (public)
Nickname: Minutemen
School Colors: Maroon and White
Director of Athletics: Bob Marcum (Marshall University, 1959)
Dept. of Athletics Address:
University of Massachusetts, Department of Athletics
308 Mullins Center
Amherst, Massachusetts 01003
Most Recent A10 Championships: 2000 Field Hockey, 2001 Women's Rowing, 2001 Softball, 2001 Men's and Women's Swimming, 2001 Women's Tennis, and 2001 Women's Outdoor Track & Field
Year joined the A10: 1977
Driving Distance from Richmond: 499.0 miles
Official Athletics Website: www.umassathletics.com
Sports:
Men's: Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Gymnastics, Hockey, Lacrosse, Skiing, Swimming, Soccer, Swimming, Tennis, Track & Field, Waterpolo
Women's: Basketball, Crew , Cross Country, Field Hockey, Gymnastics, Lacrosse, Skiing, Soccer, Swimming, Softball, Tennis, Track & Field, Volleyball, Waterpolo
A-10 Item List About UMass
1) What a Site ... Amherst is a beautiful New England town nestled near the Berkshire Mountains and located between four major East Coast cities. The beautiful haven of Amherst is a half hour drive from Springfield, Mass., home of the Basketball Hall of Fame, an hour from Hartford, Conn., two hours from the bustle of Boston and just over two and a half hours to the Big Apple, New York City. Commonly called the Pioneer Valley, Amherst offers tree-lined streets filled with more than 50 stores, shops and restaurants. Edward B. Fiske, of the New York Times, called Amherst one of the nation's "ten best college towns."
2) Winning it all ... The Commissioner's Cup is rewarded annually to an Atlantic 10 school for overall athletic excellence in league play. Massachusetts won its fifth Cup this past season. The league has awarded the Commissioner's Cup since 1993, with UMass previously taking top honors from 1995-98. This year (2001) was the first time the school had won the men's Cup. En route to the win, UMass won eight team titles. This year's margin of victory, 151 to 110.5 points for Rhode Island, was the largest margin of victory since the Commissioner's Cup was created.
The top teams in the A-10 for football and men's basketball are well known thanks to the prominence of those sports.
Who are consistently some of the top teams that the Spiders will face in other sports, particularly women's athletics, that we many not be as familiar with? Question from: Joshua M. Ilgen, Richmond, Va. Last season, UMass women's teams won five championship titles, field hockey, rowing, softball, swimming & diving, and tennis. The Minutemen have won every women's Commissioner's Cup since it began in 1997.
3) Top of the World ... In the last six years, three UMass coaches have been honored as National Coach of the Year. In the past 10 years, three student-athletes have been honored as National Players of the Year.
4) Connections, connections ... University of Richmond Football has several connections to UMass. Spiders head football coach Jim Reid spent 19 years on the UMass staff serving as head coach from 1986-1991. Many of Richmond's assistants, both past and present, have Minutemen ties. Current assistant coaches Bill Durkin (running backs) and Rich Cavanaugh (defensive line) played collegiately at UMass. Durkin (OL) is a member of the Yankee Conference 50th Anniversary Team honoring the top players from 1947-96. Meanwhile, former assistants Joe Cullen and Ben Albert, both played and coached at the Amherst, Mass. school.
5) Good grub ... Having spent 19 years on the UMass sidelines, it is safe to say Richmond head football coach Jim Reid knows a thing or two about where to eat and go in and around the Amherst area. His recommendations, The Pub in Amherst Center, Pinocchio Rostocceria, Rafter's Sports Bar. In nearby Northampton, there is the Del Raye (French-American flavor) and East Side Grill. Of course, there is always Bub's Barbeque in Sunderland that features ribs on "paper plates with all the traditional fixin's."
6) Treasures... Looking for an outing on a Sunday morning? You can check out the Olde Hadley Flea Market for some of the best finds around. The market, on Route 47, begins at the crack of dawn, 6 a.m.
7) All bases covered ... From actor Richard Gere and singer Natalie Cole to the president of General Motors, Jack Smith, UMass alumni cover virtually every field. Other alums include actor Bill Pullman (Twister), entertainer Bill Cosby (graduate school), University of Louisville coach Rick Pitino, Jack Welsh, president of General Electric Co. and Olympic goalkeeper Briana Scurry.
8) What's in a name ... The University of Massachusetts was not the school's given name nor was the Minutemen the recognized nickname. In November of 1879, the Massachusetts Agricultural College, the Aggies, played its first football game defeating cross-town rival Amherst College, 4-0. Massachusetts Agricultural College became Massachusetts State College on March 26, 1931. The school would again change names in 1947, when University of Massachusetts was adopted. The nickname was changed a year later when the Aggies became the Redmen. It was not until the spring of 1972 when the nickname would become its current one, the Minutemen.
9) A League of its Own ... UMass participates in the Five College Consortium, which links the school with Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, and Smith College in Northampton. The agreement lets students take up to three courses per semester at any of the other campuses.
10) Home court advantage ... UMass basketball plays its home games at the William D. Mullins Memorial Center. Opened in 1993, the Minutemen won their first 27 games at the arena and 38 of the first 39 contests. In addition, the Minutemen have won nearly 80 percent of their games at the Mullins Center. The 9,000-seat state-of-the-art facility contains an Olympic-size practice ice skating rink available to students for FREE skating. The largest crowd on hand for a Mullins Center event, a Phish concert that drew 10,661 people.
11) The Doctor is In ... Julius Erving, one of the NBA's 50 greatest players of all-time, soared on the hardcourt for the Minutemen. Erving played two seasons at UMass (1969-70, 1970-71), before leaving for the bright lights of professional basketball. Erving in two seasons, amassed 1,370 points (26.3 ppg) and 1,049 rebounds (20.2 rpg). Overall, the Minutemen have had 14 players selected in the NBA Draft, including National Player of the Year Marcus Camby (1997).
12) Read me a prose ... Some notable literary figures lives have centered on the town of Amherst. Emily Dickinson was born in Amherst and never strayed far from the town. Noah Webster, yes as in Webster's Dictionary, lived in Amherst (1812-1822) and was one of the founders of Amherst College. Poet-novelist Helen Hunt Jackson, and poets Robert Frost and Robert Francis all called Amherst home at some point in their lives.
Next week... The Rhode Island Rams
Photos:
Valley: www.amherstcommons.com
Scurry: www.womensoccer.com/biogs/scurry.html
Dr. J: www.netaxs.com