1978 UMass Minutemen football team

1978 UMass Minutemen football
Yankee Conference champion
Lambert Cup winner
ConferenceYankee Conference
Ranking
APNo. T–4
Record9–4 (5–0 Yankee)
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorJim Reid (1st season)
Home stadiumAlumni Stadium
Seasons
← 1977
1979 →
1978 Yankee Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. T–4 UMass $^ 5 0 0 9 4 0
No. 7 Rhode Island 3 2 0 7 3 0
Connecticut 3 2 0 4 7 0
Boston University 2 3 0 6 4 0
New Hampshire 1 3 1 6 4 1
Maine 0 4 1 3 7 1
  • $ – Conference champion
  • ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant
Rankings from Associated Press poll

The 1978 UMass Minutemen football team represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 1978 NCAA Division I-AA football season as a member of the Yankee Conference. The team was coached by Bob Pickett and played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Hadley, Massachusetts. The 1978 season was the first after the NCAA split Division I football into two subdivisions, and the first that featured a postseason playoff for Division I-AA. The Minutemen reached this inaugural championship game, losing to Florida A&M, 35–28. UMass finished the season with a record of 9–4 overall and 5–0 in conference play.