UMass Redmen (1960-62)

This was what UMass wore when it became UMASS, Yankee Conference/A-10/CAA uber-juggernaut for the next 50 years or so. The uniform here was part of a pattern already established in which the road jerseys had a different look from the homes, aside from the color, of course. The roads have shoulder stripes, gold trim and a different number font, which leads one to believe UMass used a different manufacturer. 

This portrait of total awesomeness appeared in the 1962 Index yearbook,
in the intro to the athletics chapter. I wonder if the original is hanging proudly somewhere,
or hanging out with the mice in someone's dusty attic?

William F. Henderson's Game Worn Guide to MLB Jerseys (and if you don't have this, stop reading this and buy it now; it's worth every penny and then some) points out several examples when baseball teams simultaneously used different jersey manufacturers. Wonder why they did that? 

Anyway, UMass won its first Yankee Conference title in 1960, then won five more before the decade was out after Vic Fusia became coach in '61. Overall the Red/Minutemen won 21 YC/A-10/CAA titles, the most of any team in conference history. (Ironically, they didn't win the league title in '98, when they won the I-AA/FCS national championship.) I'm kind surprised they didn't bolt for FBS earlier than 2012. 

UMass switched to maroon helmets in '63 and returned to white in '69.

UMass at home against Rhode Island in '61.
All the pictures here are from the '62 Index.

A nice close-up of UMass QB John McCormick in the road uniform.
McCormick was all-Yankee Conference in 1960.

Much, much more from the Minutemen: 2014, 2013, 2000-02, 1986-87, 1978-84, 1974, 1972, 1966-68, 1938-39.

I love running into stuff like this.
The only thing as rare than a married player was a field-goal kicker;
field goals were scarce in the college game then. Basically, there were
no specialists then and some coaches, such as Bear Bryant, simply thought field goals were for sissies.