University of Massachusets Athletics
Whipple Moves On
February 19, 2004 | Football
Feb. 19, 2004
The last six years have been the Golden Age of UMass Football. Ever since the hiring of Mark Whipple on December 16, 1997, the program has never settled for anything less than excellence. But the man who led UMass through that era will not longer be with the program, as Whipple announced last month that he has accepted a position as quarterbacks coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League.
"This is a great opportunity for me, and I am really looking forward to it," said Whipple. "The Steelers have tremendous history, and the NFL is the best league in the world. It will be a challenge for me, and I can not wait to get started."
As much as UMass fans must hate to see Whipple leave, no one can argue with him for taking a chance at coaching in the NFL. And it is not as if he is leaving the Minuteman program hanging, with little chance of future success. Whipple has developed UMass into one of the nation's top programs, and whoever replaces him as head coach will have all the ingredients necessary for immediate success.
This is not to say that Whipple will be an easy act to follow. Here are just a few of his accomplishments over the last six seasons:
* Led UMass to its first-ever national championship during the 1998 season, when the team posted a school-record 12 victories.
* Made back-to-back postseason appearances for only the second time in school history, as both the 1998 and 1999 teams advanced to the NCAA Division I-AA Playoffs.
* Led the 2003 Minutemen to a 10-2 mark during the regular season, to set a new school record for victories before the playoffs.
* Named National Coach of the Year by the American Football Coaches Association and Don Hansen's National Weekly Football Gazette in 1998.
* Earned Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year honors in 2003.
* Selected as the New England Coach of the Year by the New England Football Writers and the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston in both 1998 and 2003.
* Posting five winning seasons in only six years as head coach.
* Coached nine different players who won first team All-America honors.
* Guided his teams to a share of the Atlantic 10 Conference title in 1999 and 2003.
* Finished his career with a 49-26, to rank second behind only Vic Fusia (59-32-2 / 1961 1970) on the school list for all-time coaching victories.
The biggest change that Whipple will now face is learning to be an assistant coach again. For the last 16 years, he has always been the man in charge, whether it be at the University of New Haven (1988-1993), Brown University (1994-1997) or UMass. Now, he will give up the reins, while serving on head coach Bill Cowher's staff with the Steelers.
"As much as I love being a head coach, there are a number of elements involved that take up a lot of time," said Whipple. "Even though I have not been an assistant coach since 1987, I look forward to being able to concentrate all of my efforts on coaching, and becoming a better coach."
He will also be looked upon to mold a group of Steelers quarterbacks which may have a number of new faces. Although starting quarterback Tommy Maddox returns, he is coming off an average season (298 of 519 for 3414 yards with 18 touchdowns and 17 interceptions) and turns 33 in September. The other two quarterbacks on the roster, Charlie Batch and Brian St. Pierre, are not looked upon as starting material. The Steelers could use their first round draft pick (11th overall) on a quarterback for the future, then look to Whipple to develop that player.
Although the prospect of coaching in the NFL is something new to Whipple, it is not as if being a professional quarterbacks coach will be an entirely new experience. During the 1984 season, he coached the quarterbacks for the Arizona Wranglers of the now-defunct United States Football League, directing the career of former UMass star Greg Landry as he led the team to a league runner-up finish.
While Whipple is excited about his return to professional coaching and all of the challenges ahead of him with the Steelers, he will always hold a place for UMass in his heart. "It is not going to be easy for myself or my family to leave," said Whipple. "Western Massachusetts is a great place. I have lived here longer than I ever lived anywhere else in my life. I have made a number of good friends and worked with some tremendous people during my time here. We are definitely going to miss both the people and the area."
As tough as it will be for Whipple to say goodbye, it is just as tough for everyone close to the program to see him go. Still, everyone is happy for Whipple as he moves on to the next level.
"No one can blame coach Whipple for leaving," said offensive lineman Rob Kane, who will be a senior in the fall of 2004. "This is a great opportunity for him, and we understand that he has to do what is best for himself and his family."
"We are certainly sad to see coach Whipple go, but we wish him the best in his new endeavor in the National Football League," added Thorr Bjorn, who has served as UMass' interim athletic director since September. "We will be forever grateful for his contributions to the university and this athletic program. He brought us to new heights during his tenure here and the1998 national championship will always be one of the highlights of our athletic history." Chancellor John Lombardi also expressed his gratitude to Whipple for his contributions to the campus.
"All of us at the university appreciate coach Whipple's exceptional commitment and dedication to our program over the years," said Lombardi. "His ability to deliver a first rate program and the many recognitions for excellence he brought to our football enterprise helped the campus sustain its tradition of athletic excellence. We are proud of his accomplishments on our behalf and we look forward to following his professional career and celebrating his future triumphs."
And now that the program must look toward the future, there is no reason to think that the success established by Whipple can not continue. After all, the University of Massachusetts sponsored a varsity football team for 115 years before Mark Whipple came along, winning a Yankee Conference record 17 league titles. Even tough Whipple will be missed, the tradition of excellence in the Minuteman program should continue for many more years to come.
