Taking over a program which finished 2-9 in 1997 and had won just 19 games in the pre v i o u s four seasons before his arrival, Mark Whipple enters his fifth season as head football coach at the University of Massachusetts looking to build on the unparalleled success the Minutemen have enjoyed under his leadership the past four years. Consider that in Whipple s first four seasons on the sideline, UMass football has captured its first national title, shared a conference championship and made consecutive NCAA I - A A P l a y o ff appearances for the first time ever. Introduced as the 26th coach in UMass history by then-athletic director Bob Marcum on Dec. 16, 1997, Whipple enters his 15th season as a collegiate head coach with a record of 103-52 (.665), which includes a four-year mark of 31-19 (.620) in Amherst. Whipple-coached teams have posted a.500 or better record 12 times, highlighted by three double-digit victory performances. No UMass football coach reached the 20-win plateau faster than Whipple, who also owns five of the school s seven all-time postseason victories. In Whipple s rookie season at UMass, the Minutemen won a schoolrecord 12 games (against three losses) en route to the 1998 NCAA Division I-AA championship. UMass posted a record six victories over ranked opponents in 1998, including a 55-43 triumph over top-ranked and previously unbeaten Georgia Southern in the NCAA Championship game. The Minutemen followed up Whipple s first campaign with another outstanding season in 1999. Armed with a lofty preseason ranking and the proverbial bullseye which is pinned to the back of defending national champions, UMass rebounded from a 1-3 start to post a 9-4 record and advance to the quarterfinals of the NCAA playoffs. Along the way, UMass tied the all-time school record for consecutive victories with eight, and also claimed a share of the 18th Atlantic 10 Conference title in school history. In 2000, UMass struggled with injuries to key players throughout the season, but was still able to post an overall record of 7-4, with three of the losses coming against teams which advanced to the Division I-AA playoffs. It marked the first time UMass had strung together three straight winning seasons since a five-year run from 1977-1981. In addition, the Minutemen finished in third place in the Atlantic 10 with a 5-3 league mark, and handed Whipple his 100th career win with UMass 29-21 season-ending victory at Rhode Island. A young and inexperienced team was hit hard by injuries in 2001, and finished 3-8. Whipple s Year-By-Year Record Year School Record Accomplishments 1988 New Haven 7-3 1989 New Haven 8-2 1990 New Haven 7-3 1991 New Haven 3-7 1992 New Haven 12-1 NCAA Div. II Semifinals 1993 New Haven 11-1 NCAA Div. II Second Round 1994 Brown 7-3 1995 Brown 5-5 1996 Brown 5-5 1997 Brown 7-3 1998 Massachusetts 12-3 NCAA Div. I-AA Champions 1999 Massachusetts 9-4 Atlantic 10 Champions / NCAA Div. I-AA Quarterfinals 2000 Massachusetts 7-4 2001 Massachusetts 3-8 UMass Four years Career 14 years 31-19.620 winning percentage 103-52.665 winning percentage At e v e ry stop, the trademark of a Whipple-coached team is high-powe red offensive play, and his UMass squads have rewritten the Minuteman re c o rdbook, setting 36 team re c o rds over the last four years. In 1998, UMass set new school single season marks for points scored (524), touchdowns (73), total yards (7,074), highest average yards per play (5.9), passing yards (4,050), completions (306) and first downs (354). The 1999 team finished with totals of 415 points, 55 touchdowns, 5,673 total yard s, 5.6 yards per play, 3,230 passing yards, 271 completions and 289 first downs, all of which rank as the second-highest single season totals in school history, behind the marks set a year earlier. In addition, 12 diff e r- ent UMass players have earned All-America honors during Whipple s four years as head coach. Following his first season as UMass head coach, Whipple received a number of awards. He was honored by the American Football Coaches Association as the GTE Division I-AA National Coach of the Year, while
also receiving National Coach of the Year honors from Don Hansen s Football Gazetteand finishing as the runner-up for the Eddie Robinson Award, presented by The Sports Network. In addition, Whipple was named the Scotty Whitelaw Division I-AA Coach of the Year by the New York Metropolitan Football Writers Association, earned AFCA / GTE Region I Coach of the Year honors, and was selected as the New England Division I Coach of the Year by both the New England Football Writers and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston. Whipple came to UMass following a four-year stint at his alma mater, Brown University. During his four years at Brown, Whipple compiled a 24-16 (.600) overall record without a losing season. His teams won more games in four years than the previous eight seasons at Brown combined. During his career at Brown, Whipple s teams were prolific on the o ffensive side of the ball. In 1997, his squad set Ivy League and school re c o rds for total offense (474.3 yards per game) and Brown re c o rds for single season first downs (233), passing yards (317.9 yards per game) and single game total offense (629 yards vs. Yale). Whipple led Bro w n to a 7-3 mark and a second-place finish in the Ivy League in his first season in 1994, posting the school s best re c o rd and first winning season since 1987. His squad capped the year with four consecutive victories, marking the first time since 1980 that Brown had accomplished t h a t feat. In 1995, the Brown offense set several single season school records, including most points (282), total offense (4,165 yards), passing offense (2,502 yards) and first downs (227). His 1996 team came within a play of the Ivy League title. Battling Dartmouth to the final minute of the game in the ninth week of the season, the Bears fell to the undefeated Big Green by three points. For the second straight year, Whipple s passing offense set a new school mark with 2,628 yards. Whipple vs. All Opponents Opponent W L PF PA American International College 4 3 255 150 Bloomsburg State 1 1 42 23 Bowie State 1 0 69 19 Buffalo 3 0 107 54 California, Pa. 4 0 140 70 Carson-Newman 2 0 76 31 Central Connecticut State 4 1 178 89 Central Florida 1 0 31 23 Clarion 4 0 152 119 Colgate 2 1 74 57 Columbia 3 1 161 83 Connecticut 2 2 144 105 Cornell 3 1 116 74 Dartmouth 1 3 65 64 Delaware 1 3 82 118 Edinboro (Pa.) State 2 1 91 88 Ferris State 1 0 35 13 Fordham 2 0 72 28 Furman 1 0 30 23 Georgia Southern 1 1 76 81 Harvard 3 1 111 59 Hofstra 1 3 96 149 Holy Cross 2 0 57 32 Indiana, Pa. 0 1 35 38 Jacksonville State 0 1 35 46 James Madison 2 0 71 46 Lafayette 1 0 35 27 Lehigh 1 0 27 21 Maine 3 1 133 98 Marshall 0 1 20 49 McNeese State 1 0 21 19 New Hampshire 2 2 101 104 New Haven 1 0 39 29 Northeastern 3 0 115 26 Northwestern (La.) State 1 0 41 31 Norwich 1 0 35 14 Pennsylvania * 2 2 58 134 Princeton 1 3 69 105 Rhode Island 7 1 206 150 Richmond 2 2 86 89 Shepherd 2 0 104 23 Shippensburg State 0 2 64 90 Southern Connecticut 5 1 294 163 Springfield 5 1 211 77 Toledo 0 1 3 24 Towson State 2 1 81 63 Villanova 2 2 108 116 Virginia Union 3 2 253 185 West Chester State 3 1 161 150 William & Mary 2 1 71 63 Wofford 1 1 62 55 Yale 1 3 106 113 Career Totals 103 52 4905 3700 Average Points 31.6 23.9 Whipple received the 1998 GTENational Coach of the Year award from American Football Coaches Association executive director Grant Teaff. Bold indicates 2002 opponents. * Record includes forfiet victory over Pennsylvania in 1997.
Before his tenure at Brown, Whipple spent six years at the University of New Haven, where he posted an impressive 48-17 (.738) overall re c o rd as head coach and offensive coord i n a t o r, including two straight NCAA Division II Playoff appearances in 1992 and 1993. In 1992, he led the Chargers to a 12-1 mark, advancing to the NCAA semifinals and finishing with a No. 5 ranking nationally. Whipple guided the 1993 squad to a second straight undefeated re g- ular season (10-0) and a No. 2 national ranking, before falling in the NCAA quart e rf i n a l s. His 1992 offense led all NCAA Divisions in scoring offense (50.5 points per game) and total offense (587.7 yards per game). Whipple s 1993 team, which was named Sports Illustrated s Best Offense in College Football, averaged 52.5 points and 557.6 yards of total offense per game. The Chargers were ranked in the top 20 nationally in five of his six seasons at New Haven. The Whipple Family Top Active Division I-AA Head Coaches Coach, School Years W L T Pct. 1. Mike Kelly, Dayton 21 195 40 1.828 2. Al Bagnoli, Pennsylvania 20 154 50 0.755 3. Greg Gattuso, Duquesne 9 71 24 0.747 4. Pete Richardson, Southern 14 120 41 1.744 5. Joe Walton, Robert Morris 8 58 21 1.731 6. Joe Gardi, Hofstra 12 99 36 2.730 7. Joe Glenn, Montana 17 146 57 1.718 8. Roy Kidd, Eastery Kentucky 38 307 119 8.717 9. Billy Joe, Florida A&M 28 221 89 4.710 10. Joe Taylor, Hampton 19 146 59 4.708 11. Walt Hameline, Wagner 21 150 67 2.690 12. Mark Whipple, UMass 14 103 52 0.665 13. Bill Hayes, North Carolina A&T 26 191 96 2.664 14. Dick Biddle, Colgate 6 45 23 0.662 15. Tim Stowers, Rhode Island 8 82 34 0.646 16. Jack Siedlecki, Yale 14 82 45 2.643 17. Rob Ash, Drake 22 140 79 5.636 18. Tom Gadd, Bucknell 7 48 28 0.632 19. Alvin Wyatt, Bethune-Cookman 5 34 20 0.630 20. Andy Talley, Villanova 22 141 87 2.617 21. Bob Benson, Georgetown 9 56 35 0.615 22. L.C. Cole, Alabama State 6 42 27 0.609 23. Jimmye Laycock, William & Mar y 22 148 100 2.596 24. Bob Ricca, St. John s 24 146 100 1.593 25. Randy Ball, Southwest Missouri State 12 80 58 1.579
Prior to his stint at New Haven, Whipple served as the offensive coordinator at the University of New Hampshire for two years. He was also a member of the coaching staff for the USFL s Arizona Wranglers under George Allen, assisting with the quarterbacks. Whipple was an assistant coach at Brown for one season (1983), working with the wide receivers. He began his coaching career as an assistant coach at St. Lawrence University (1980), before serving as the offensive coordinator at Union College for two years (1981-82). A 1979 graduate of Brown University with a bachelor s degree in political science, Whipple was the starting quarterback for the Bears in 1977 and 1978, leading Brown to a 13-5 re c o rd and a pair of secondplace Ivy League finishes. He was a member of the Bears 1976 Ivy League championship team, the first Ivy football championship in school h i s t o ry. During his three-year varsity care e r, he completed 175 of 340 passes for 2,365 yards and 13 touchdowns, while running for 518 yard s and 10 touchdowns. A two-time honorable mention All-Ivy pick in football, Whipple also earned four varsity letters on the baseball diamond as B rown s starting shortstop. He was inducted into the Brown Athletic Hall of Fame in 1996. The 45-year-old Whipple (born April 1, 1957) was born in Tarrytown, N.Y., before moving to Phoenix, Ariz., at the age of nine. He is a graduate of Camelback High School, where he was an All-State performer in both football and baseball. Whipple was named the Arizona Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 1975. He and his wife, Brenda, reside in South Hadley with their two sons, Spencer (born March 18, 1989) and Austin (born November 19, 1993). Whipple s Record Breakdown At UMass Overall W L Pct. W L Pct. All Games 31 19.620 103 52.665 Home Games 17 7.708 57 20.740 Away Games 13 12.520 43 31.581 Neutral Games 1 0 1.000 3 1.750 NCAA Playoffs 5 1.833 8 3.727 When Scoring 30 or mor e 18 3.857 71 10.877 When Scoring 29 or fewer 13 16.448 32 42.432 When Allowing 29 or fewer 27 5.844 89 16.848 When Allowing 30 or mor e 4 14.222 14 36.280 Games Decided by 8 or mor e 21 14.600 79 34.699 Games Decided by 7 or fewer 10 5.667 24 18.571 Note: Whipple-coached teams have won 52 of their last 58 games when scoring 30 or more points in a game. In 155 games as a head coach, Whipple s teams have scored in 153 games, including 69 straight, since Brown lost to Yale, 30-0, to open the 1996 season. Whipple-coached teams have recorded five shutouts in his 14 years as a head coach. All-Time UMass Coaching Records Name Years as Coach Games Won Lost Tied Pct. Championships No Coach 1879-1897 94 30 58 6.351 1. Doctor Weeks 1898 6 1 4 1.250 2. Fred W. Murphy Brown 1899-1900 20 12 8 0.600 3. James Halligan 1901-1903 26 16 8 2.653 4. Matthew Bullock 1904, 1907-1908 26 13 8 5.596 5. Walter Craig 1905 10 3 7 0.300 6. George O Hearn 1906 9 1 7 1.167 7. J.W. Gage 1909 9 1 6 2.222 8. W. Gildersleeve 1910 9 1 6 2.222 9. John Hubbard 1911 9 2 7 0.222 10. Dr. Arthur Brides 1912-1915 31 12 15 4.452 11. George Melican 1916 8 2 4 2.375 12. Harold Gore 1919-1927 70 33 32 5.507 13. Charles McGeoch 1928-1930 25 6 17 2.280 14. Mel Taube 1931-1935 44 29 13 2.682 15. Elbert Carraway 1936-1940 44 9 32 3.239 16. Walter Hargsheimer 1941-1942, 1946 23 11 11 1.500 17. Thomas Eck 1945, 1947-1951 44 17 23 4.432 18. Charlie O Rourke 1952-1959 64 21 39 4.359 19. Charles Studley 1960 9 7 2 0.778 One Yankee Conference 20. Vic Fusia 1961-1970 93 59 32 2.645 Five Yankee Conference 21. Dick MacPherson 1971-1977 73 45 27 1.623 Four Yankee Conference 22. Bob Pickett 1978-1983 64 36 28 0.563 Four Yankee Conference 23. Bob Stull 1984-1985 22 10 12 0.455 24. Jim Reid 1986-1991 67 36 29 2.552 Three Yankee Conference 25. Mike Hodges 1992-1997 65 35 30 0.538 26. Mark Whipple 1998-present 50 31 19 0.620 One NCAA, One Atlantic 10 Conference Totals 119 years 1014 479 484 51.498 One NCAA, 18 Conference
Whipple Era UMass Record Book Categor y High Low Points Scored 77 vs. Northeastern, 10/9/99 3 at Toledo, 9/25/99 Opponent 49 by Marshall, 9/8/01 0 by Northeastern, 10/9/99; by AIC, 10/21/00 Offensive Plays 96 vs. New Hampshire, 10/31/01 51 vs. Richmond, 11/23/01 Opponent 95 by Connecticut, 10/17/98 49 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 Total Yards 647 vs. Maine, 11/14/98 141 vs. William & Mar y, 9/1/01 Opponent 595 by Georgia Southern, 12/19/98 72 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 Rushing Attempts 61 vs. Northeastern, 10/9/99 20 vs. Richmond, 11/23/01 Opponent 68 by Richmond, 11/23/01 17 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 Net Rushing Yards 339 vs. Buffalo, 9/26/98 9 vs. Richmond, 11/23/01 Opponent 470 by Georgia Southern, 12/4/99-11 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 Pass Attempts 63 vs. New Hampshire, 10/13/01 23 at Maine, 10/16/99 Opponent 49 by Hofstra, 10/3/98; by Villanova, 10/24/98 6 by Georgia Southern, 12/4/99 Pass Completions 28 at Furman, 11/27/99; vs. New Hampshire, 10/13/01 11 vs. James Madison, 10/10/98 Opponent 30 by Buffalo, 9/26/98 2 by Georgia Southern, 12/4/99 Passing Yards 403 vs. New Hampshire, 10/13/01 79 vs. William & Mary, 9/1/01 Opponent 413 by Connecticut, 10/17/98 30 by Georgia Southern, 12/4/99 Interceptions Thrown 4 three times, last at Maine, 11/10/01 0 eight times, last at Marshall, 9/8/01 Opponent 6 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 0 thirteen times, last by Richmond, 11/23/01 Fumbles Lost 5 vs. Connecticut, 11/21/98 0 fifteen times, last vs. Rhode Island, 11/17/01 Opponent 6 by Georgia Southern, 12/19/98 0 fourteen times, last by Maine, 11/10/01 Turnovers 7 vs. Connecticut, 11/21/98 1 eight times, last vs. James Madison, 10/20/01 Opponent 8 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 0 four times, last by Maine, 11/10/01 Sacks by 10 vs. New Haven, 9/23/00 0 at Villanova, 10/27/01 Opponent 7 by Villanova, 9/18/99; by Villanova, 10/27/01 0 five times, last by Delaware, 9/22/01 Penalties 12 four times, last vs. Connecticut, 11/20/99 1 vs. Hofstra, 10/2/99 Opponent 19 by Hofstra, 10/3/98 2 by Buffalo, 9/26/98; by AIC, 10/21/00 Penalty Yards 111 vs. Connecticut, 11/21/98 16 vs. Maine, 11/14/98; vs. Hofstra, 10/2/99 Opponent 162 by Hofstra, 10/3/98 20 by AIC, 10/21/00 Time of Possession 38:56 vs. Northeastern, 10/9/99 17:56 vs. Richmond, 11/23/01 Opponent 42:04 by Richmond, 11/23/01 21:04 by Northeastern, 10/9/99 First Downs 29 vs. Buffalo, 9/26/98; at Connecticut, 10/17/98 9 vs. Richmond, 11/23/01 Opponent 29 by Buffalo, 9/26/98 6 by Northeastern, 10/9/99