UMass Redmen (1963)

OK, so it’s not easy being a UMass football fan these days. An ill-advised move from the FCS Colonial Athletic Association to the FBS Mid-America Conference — with a long-term goal of joining what was then called the Big East (now American Athletic Conference) — blew up in the Minutemen’s faces like a faulty musket. Now UMass now wanders the lonely streets of FBS independence, suffering blowouts at the hands of FBS wannabes like Liberty, Charlotte and Southern Illinois in front of meager crowds. (What, you mean the Salukis are still FCS? Oops.) 

Even worse, the Minutemen are so bad the likes of Dan Shaughnessy, who feasts off failure like a hungry defense feasts off bad QBs, are breathing down their necks. (Do a Google search if you want to read what he said; like hell I’m going to link Shank here.) 

Needless to say, the move to FBS has been a disaster from day one. 

But the situation wasn’t always so gloomy in Amherst. From 1960 to about 2007, the University of Massachusetts had one of New England’s elite programs more often than not. Although I went to conference rival Maine, I enthusiastically cheered on the Minutemen when they steamrolled to the 1998 FCS (I-AA) title, the first national championship in the school’s history in any sport. Years earlier, UMass beat the likes of Boston College and Dartmouth (back when the Ivy League was considered to have some of New England’s finest team). At one point in the 1960s, UMass went 24-1 in Yankee Conference (the CAA’s predecessor) competition. 

Which brings us to 1963 — the most dominant season in UMass history — hell, one of the most dominant seasons anyone in New England ever had.

The dream team of 1963.

Keep in mind that college football as a whole was a very different game then, with a heavy emphasis on running, defense and not making mistakes — which made for some very conservative football. There were no 62-54 basketball-like scores then. That disclaimer out of the way, let’s break down the numbers for the ’63 Redmen (as they were called then):

UMass  Team Them

8 Wins 0 (one tie)

3,060 Total yds. 475

146 1st downs 85

12 TD passes 0

24 Def. INTs      5

265 Points 12

Check the last number on the bottom right. That’s not a misprint. That reads 12. 

T-W-E-L-V-E. All season. Even elite defensive teams today will surrender 12 points in a quarter. 

Don’t believe me? Here, check the scores, ripped straight from the UMass record book: 

UMass allowed one touchdown, one field goal and one safety all season. That’s all. 

Lest you think every team played like this in the olden days, the ’62 team, which went 6-2, allowed 111 points; the ’64 team. which went 8-2 and ran the table in the YC again, allowed a “whopping” 76. Even by 1960s standards, this was one amazing defense. On a “big-time” level, the only team from that era with an accomplishment similar to that of UMass would be the 1961 Alabama team that won the national title while allowing 25 points all year.

UMass was picked to win the Yankee Conference by Sports Illustrated on the strength of nearly 20 regulars returning, including quarterback Jerry Whelchel and ends Bob Meers and Milt Morin (who went on to a distinguished NFL career with the Cleveland Browns).

These photos are all from the 1964 UMass Index yearbook.
I'll step aside and let the captions do the talking.

The season began innocuously enough with a come-from-behind 14-7 win over Maine, a two-TD underdog. But no one dreamed that Maine QB Dick DeVarney’s TD run 10:25 into the first period would mark the only time all season a UMass foe entered the end zone. “The next 529 minutes, 35 seconds found the UMass goal line more difficult to cross than the Berlin Wall,” the Massachusetts Collegian wrote in its season wrap-up.

The next week brought a scoreless tie at Harvard, which went on to finish 5-2-2, 4-2-1 in Ivy League play. Next was a 21-0 win over Bucknell and a 21-3 decision over UConn (UMass, feeling generous, allowed the Huskies to make a field goal). Then the Redmen stopped pussyfooting and dealt four straight shutouts — Rhode Island (57-0), Boston University (21-0), Vermont (41-0) and American International (42-0) were no match for the UMass juggernaut. The season ended with a 48-2 demolition of New Hampshire, for years the traditional season-ending rivalry game. The only blemish was a UNH sack in the end zone for a safety and two points.

While there was talk about participating in a possible bowl game, the school’s athletic council declined any postseason invites, declaring that “an extension of the season for five weeks would be too much for them.” (UMass did go on to participate in the Tangerine Bowl after the 1964 season, where it lost to East Carolina.)

So who were these guys who allowed only a dozen points? Whelchel, the quarterback, threw for nine TDs and picked off three passes as a defensive back (remember, two-way play was still in vogue then) and kicked 34 extra points. Whelchel, Meers, Morin, tackle Paul Graham and guard Bob Teboldi were named all-Yankee Conference, occupying five of 11 slots (separate teams for offense and defense came later in the decade). Bernie Dallas was a force at linebacker. Another player, linebacker-defensive end Phil Vandersea, went on to play for the Green Bay Packers. Head coach Vic Fusia won the first of five YC titles in his 10-year stint (1961-70) in Amherst. 

Ah, yes, the uniforms. For the first time since the early 1940s, UMass wore red helmets after several seasons in either with or gold headgear. White helmets returned in 1969. The home jerseys resemble those of the St. Louis (football) Cardinals, while the road versions, with gold trim, have their own unique look … well, unique outside of Chestnut Hill. 

While UMass football may have hit the skids, it’s good to recall a time when its dominance was the talk of New England football back when fans’ interest went beyond the top 25 and the power conferences. And if the bad football continues … well, I hear that hockey team is halfway decent.