Dick MacPherson passes

[TruBluMaroon]

RIP
https://www.boston.com/sports/new-engla ... dies-at-86

[Steve81]

Yup RIP. Hear he was a great guy.

Have to wonder if we decided on 1A instead of 1AA , would he have stayed and imagine the difference it all would have made..

[Rolling Ridge]

Dick was the coach from the time I was eight to about 14, growing up in Amherst and starting to seriously get into sports. He and my dad were good friends and I think Dick came over to watch a superbowl at our house some time in that period. He also got me into the locker room after a game so I could talk with my then favorite player, Dave Croasdale. My family was really sad to see him leave UMass, and I remember my dad saying at the time that UMass had made a poor decision they would live to regret about opting for 1AA. We're paying that price now.

RIP to a wonderful guy who gave me a ton of great memories.

Have to wonder if we decided on 1A instead of 1AA , would he have stayed and imagine the difference it all would have made..

I think in the short term, he definitely would have stayed. Longer term, who knows, better offers could (and surely would) have come his way, he was a fantastic coach. But his departure in 1978 was prompted by the 1AA decision. That and getting rid of hockey are two monumental blunders UMass has made with its sports.

[DrG]

Virtually every coach since 1978, including Whipple Part 1, would have stayed if we were 1A/FBS. However, my recollection is there was absolutely no consideration given to moving up to 1A back then. There was no eastern football conference (Big East was all hoops) and we would have had to go it as a football independent along with BC, Syracuse, etc. The talk of upgrading football didn't occur until we made our big splash on the national basketball scene in the 90's. That would have been the time to do it.

Coach Mac was a good guy. As straightforward and honest as you're ever going to see in this business.

[classof62-64]

He taught my PE course in tennis my first Sophomore year. I'm guessing that tennis wasn't exactly his thing, but he made it a fun class. Very engaging guy. I can see where he was really good on the recruiting trail.

[Old Cage]

^ Bingo! I'm sure most here don't know that he was a grad assistant at UMass long before he was football coach. He was my track and field instructor for a mandatory spring outdoor PE class. With my size, only the "field" part was plausible. I was the world's worst javelin tosser.

[DrG]

My only gripe with Coach Mac was he didn't run up the score on BC in 1972 when we led 24-0 at halftime.