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Whiplashed:

UMass' Goes From Unmentioned to Unforgettable In One Year
by: Gene Frenette,
Florida Times Union
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When Mark Whipple was on his way home last spring from the Atlantic-10 Conference meetings, the rookie head coach at the University of Massachusetts decided to buy one of those preseason football magazines to see where the so-called experts believed the Minutemen would finish in league play.

Much to his dismay, UMass was the only team among 11 conference schools not mentioned in this magazine's A-10 forecast. It was as if the program didn't even exist.

"We weren't in there, maybe because they had to eliminate somebody for space reasons," said Whipple. "That's where the program was at. That was the lowest."

It only seems appropriate that Whipple is coaching the Minutemen. Because just like the Revolutionary War soldiers, who got their nickname by being ready to enter battle on a minute's notice, UMass got its football team prepared faster than anyone could imagine.

Whipple and his Minutemen pulled off one of the greatest turnarounds in NCAA history. From the valley of a 2-9 season in 1997, the worst 11-game record by any UMass team, the Minutemen reached the mountaintop in Whipple's first season by defeating four-time champion Georgia Southern 55-43 to win the I-AA national title.

The 180-degree turn followed similar paths blazed by Montana State (1984), Boise State (1994) and McNeese State (1997), all of whom reached the I-AA title game after winning three games or less the previous season. But no coach in Division I-A or I-AA had ever inherited a team with a losing record and walked away with a national championship in the first year.

UMass meteoric rise from the ashes might qualify Whipple as a miracle worker, but this was anything but a fluke. It was more like a right-wing conspiracy. This historic turnaround was made possible by a myriad of factors, but it starts with a pass-oriented coach and a right-handed quarterback, Todd Bankhead, plotting together to make UMass football a force again in the A-10.

Whipple, who had already turned around down-trodden programs at New Haven and Brown, simply took his "Whiplash" system and invigorated a program that was going nowhere fast with the ground-orientated attack under predecessor Mike Hodges.

"We basically had the same team as the year before except for a few players," said senior tight end Kerry Taylor. "We've always known we had the talent to be contenders, but we never had the system to prove it. Coach Whipple and his staff brought that out."

The first major step was finding a quarterback who could quickly pick up the playbook and complement the formidable running provided by Marcell Shipp, who averaged 5.4 yards per carry as a freshman.

Whipple found his trigger man in Bankhead, a junior college transfer from Escondido, CA. And in SMU transfer Jimmy Moore, a senior, and 5-foot-7 freshman Adrian Zullo, he brought in a receiving corps that made certain Bankhead's talent would be maximized.

UMass only threw 1.5 more passes per game in 1998 than the previous season. It's just that Bankhead was a lot more accurate than Jeff Smith and Anthony Catterton, who split the duties in '97. Whipple reluctantly signed Bankhead without ever seeing him in person, the first of many reasons why this dream season came together so quickly.

Bankhead completed 57 percent of his passes, throwing for 3,006 yards, 28 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The year before, UMass quarterbacks had a 43 percent completion ratio, 1,338 passing yards, 9 touchdowns and 21 interceptions.

All across the board, the difference in offensive numbers was staggering. The Minutemen went from 284.9 yards per game in total offense (96th nationally) to 482.7 yards (3rd nationally). Getting Bankhead, who shared the quarterback duties at Palomar Junior College in San Marcos, CA, enabled UMass to jump from 13.6 points per game to 34.9.

"I think Bankhead splitting time in junior college scared people (from recruiting him)," said Whipple. "Early on, we just couldn't get any tape on him. We heard he visted Hofstra and he was going to go to Abilene Christian, a Division II school. I did some background checks with his juco and high school coach.

"When we finally got some tape, Todd made all the throws. I don't like to offer a scholarship to a kid I haven't met, but we were pressed for time. This was a program that had run the football, so we were starting from scratch. We wanted someone who understood the passing game, the five-step drops and quick reads. Todd picked it up faster than anybody I've ever coached."

Still, who could have envisioned that a new coach, a new quarterback and a new system turning a 2-9 team into a national champion in one year? As it turns out, Whipple wasn't just a big dreamer. He had the confidence and know-how to make it happen.

A Master Rebuilder

Whipple has tinkered with offenses since playing sandlot football as a kid in Phoenix. From his days in Pop Warner to being the starting quarterback for two years at Brown (1977-78), Whipple had become accustomed to calling his own plays.

Much of his coaching philosophy was formulated as an assistant coach with the USFL Arizona Wranglers in 1984 under the late George Allen. He worked with offensive coordinator Roman Gabriel, a former NFL quarterback, as a quality control coach. Whipple put the weekly game plan together, scripted the plays and got an insider's view of how to jump-start a team with an imaginative offense. The Wranglers went from 4-14 under another coach the previous year to reaching the USFL Championship game.

"They used the system of Sid Gillman, who is the father of pro passing," said Whipple. "To me, that was like going to graduate school. I just took that system to New Hampshire (as offensive coordinator) and adapted it."

Two years at New Hampshire led to a six-year term as the head coach at Division II New Haven, where Whipple began earning a deserved reputation as a rebuilding guru. The Chargers had never made a playoff appearance before Whipple's arrival. In his last two years (1992-93), the Chargers not only reached the post-season, they never lost a regular-season game and had the nation's highest scoring offense both years. New Haven reached the Division II semifinals in '92 before losing 46-35 to eventual national champion Jacksonville State.

When Brown called about its coaching vacancy, Whipple couldn't resist the allure of trying to resurrect his alma mater. The Bears went 7-33 in the four years before Whipple, and 24-16 during his four-year term.

The marriage might have lasted longer if not for the archaic tradition of the Ivy League, which limits its football teams to 10-game seasons and prohibits them from participating in the post-season. Whipple took the UMass job, in part, because he could no longer tolerate the league's restrictions on football.

"I just got fed up with it," said Whipple. "Those football players deserved a chance (to go to the playoffs). All they talk about is Title IX and equality. Women's basketball and softball can play on and on, yet football can only play 10 games. It's a bunch of bull. There's no rationale at all. When I was at Brown, our lacrosse team missed graduation because they were in the Final Four. The hockey team missed more classes than just about anybody.

How do you let Princeton go to the NCAA (basketball) tournament to beat UCLA and not let the Ivy League football champion go? It's going to take a lawsuit from some kid's parents to get it done. I fought it for four years. I didn't want to fight it anymore. I hope my comments puts the Ivy League in the 20th century by the year 2000."

There's not much question where Whipple has put UMass football on the national map. And he did it by implementing an aggressive offense, blending coaches and players who believed in each other despite a gut-wrenching 33-30 loss to Delaware in the season opener, and taking full advantage of the school's willingness to be competitive&-financially and on the field&-in one of the toughest I-AA leagues in the country.

"You don't want to slight your kids or insinuate that it's all great coaching," Whipple said. "Our kids just got ready to play every game. They were hungry. We had tremendous chemistry.

"I don't believe there was trust between players and coaches or the offense and defense when we got there. Without trust, I don't think you can have confidence. We told the kids that we'd put them in position to make plays. And when they saw that happen on the field, it helped to build that trust. They could see that this offense and defense works."

It was pretty clear to UMass athletic director Bob Marcum, who was given sole hiring authority on the football coach, that Whipple was the best candidate for the job. After watching what John Calipari did with UMass basketball&-bringing it to national prominence with only one NBA-proven player&-Marcum wanted a dynamic coach who could galvanize the football program.

There was little indecision after the interview process. Whipple blew away the field, which included former UMass quarterback Greg Landry, the school's most famous player, another UMass alumnus in Chicago Bears assistant Clarence Brooks, former Cornell head coach Jim Hofher and several Division I-A assistant coaches.

"I just looked at the places that coach Whipple had been, what he accomplished as a player and coach, and he always achieved," said Marcum. "Wherever he is, he takes the resources he has and does a great job. There wasn't much question in my mind about who the right man was."

After his hiring in December, 1997, Whipple signed 13 scholarship players, including key starters Bankhead, Moore and Zullo, a 145-pound receiver who ended up as A-10 Rookie of the Year. Just before fall practice began, the defensive line also got a boost when Paul Bolden transferred in from Mississippi.

But the critical question was how the new players and new coaches would mix in with the holdovers. Whipple retained two assistants under Hodges, who willingly resigned and was moved to an administrative position, and had 16 starters back from a 2-9 team that got progressively worse as the '97 season wore on.

"I think probably after spring practice, we started to buy into everything," said Taylor. "Our practices were longer, but they were more fun. You could see the chemistry had changed because after losing that close game at Delaware, we knew we could play with anybody."

Defensive coordinator Don Brown, one of four assistants Whipple brought with him from Brown, had no reservations that his boss could orchestrate an immediate turnaround. He just wasn't counting on winning it all the first year.

"There weren't any drawbacks except for the fact we were 2-9," said Brown. "We had to get the guys thinking in a positive direction and go. Those things don't scare you.

"One thing Mark does is carefully assess each situation. I have tremendous faith in his decision-making. We just had to change some attitudes."

Striking a Balance

The closer it got to the season, the more Whipple had this suspicion that his offense was going to have to carry too heavy a burden. Unfortunately, he was right.

UMass lost three regular-season games by a combined seven points. It scored 98 points in those three defeats, but it wasn't enough to overcome a defense that was run on too easily by Delaware and twice failed to put away Connecticut, blowing a 14-point, fourth quarter lead in a 44-41 overtime loss and dropping a 28-27 decision in the regular season finale.

"Our offense made a third-and-20 situation look like third-and-2," Whipple never shied away from running a reverse or having a tailback option pass. We'd even onside kick start a game. It was excitement all the way around."

But the defense's shortcomings also made for a lot of anxious moments. Seven of 11 regular-season games were decided by five points or less because it took time for the defense to adjust to Brown's 4-3 scheme. Four returning starters were moved to new positions.

The Minutemen allowed 30.3 points through the first six games, but reduced it to 24.6 points over the next eight games leading up to the I-AA championship. UConn had over 500 yards of total offense in their first meeting, and even though UMass lost the rematch, Brown was encouraged that his defense only surrendered 230 yards. UMass blitzed on 41 of 63 snaps in that last game.

"I really think the first UConn game was a benchmark for us," said Brown. "From then on, we developed an identity on defense that we could support our offense and stand on our own two feet."

Whipple felt the turning point in the season came in the seventh game against Villanova, which had established itself as a I-AA playoff participant under Andy Talley, who was Whipple's college coach. UMass showed its resiliency by knocking off Villanova 36-26, then holding on for a 27-26 win the following week at New Hampshire.

"Our guys played to the level of their competition is what it comes down to," said Whipple. "After we beat Villanova, Andy Talley told me that we could not only make the playoffs, but do some real damage if we had our head on straight."

But first, the Minutemen had to get to the playoffs. With three loses, there was no guarantee they'd receive an invitation. When UMass learned it made the 16-team field, the odds were as a No. 11 seed that Whipple's team would make an early exit.

The first game was at McNeese State, which had 14 games of playoff experience in the 1990's under Bobby Keasler and was the 1997 runner-up. Even after UMass hung on for a 21-19 upset and knocked off Lehigh at home 27-21 in the second round, the perception was UMass had taken this Cinderella ride about as far as it could go.

"A lot of other teams probably said, 'Well, we'll beat UMass, then get ready for the next one,'" Brown said. "We were always playing the cream of the crop, just trying to prove that we belonged."

No team seeded 11th or lower had ever won a I-AA national championship and the final two hurdles were the most imposing. The semifinal was against No. 2 seeded Northwestern State in Natchitoches, LA, followed by No.1 Georgia Southern in the not-so-neutral setting of Chattanooga, TN.

"Certainly I didn't think we could win a national title our first year, and it may never happen again," Whipple said. "But the joy is in trying. I loved playing those playoff games. That's pressure. That's fun."

UMass, which already saw nine of it's first 13 games decided by less than a touchdown, ended up defying the odds by showing greater poise in the fourth quarter. Trailing 24-21 at Northwestern State, it scored 20 consecutive points to rally for a 41-31 victory.

The Minutemen got into the biggest shootout in I-AA championship game history against Georgia Southern, but were able to overcome GSU's 595 yards of total offense by forcing seven turnovers and Shipp running for 244 yards. UMass' 55 points was a title game record.

How's this for a quick fix? A year earlier, UMass lost its last four games by a combined record of 46-4 entering each contest.

Whipple, who publicly started at his introductory press conference that his goal was to win a national title, was more than just a I-AA version of Steve Spurrier. Besides his X's and O's wizardry, he proved to be a prophet as well. His biggest asset is when he says something, it's usually backed up and that breeds confidence," said Taylor. "I remember before we left for Chattanooga, he was talking to us about these two walls on our field. One has Atlantic 10 (formally Yankee Conference) championships from the past and the other had nothing on it. He said the reason the wall was blank is he wanted to put 1998 national champions on it."

Staying the Course

Now that Whipple has taken a UMass team that hadn't won a playoff game in 20 years to the Promised Land, where does he go from there? The coach who has resurrected three programs minces no words about his long-term goals.

"I want to be a head coach of a Division I-A national champion and be inducted in the College Football Hall of Fame," Whipple said. "Other people have told me that I haven't taken the proper path. I haven't set any kind of timetable.

"There's a lot of things that go into it. My family (wife, Brenda, and sons Austin, 5, and Spencer, 10) is happy here. I'm not looking to leave, but I wasn't looking to leave Brown either." Marcum hopes to sweeten Whipple's current contract by loading it with incentives, including a tie-in linked to an anticipated increase in ticket sales. UMass had less than 1200 season-ticket holders last season and averaged 11,000 spectators in 17,500-seat McGuirk Alumni Stadium. A national championship should help, as well as talk of moving to I-A football like arch-rival Connecticut.

"If all goes well, I hope Mark is one of the highest paid I-AA coaches next year," said Marcum. "I told him, 'I really don't expect you to grow old here.' He's basically got three options. He can go after any I-A job, go after a good I-A job or turn UMass into a I-A job."

For now, Whipple is focused on how he can keep UMass on the I-AA mountaintop. With Bankhead and 14 other starters returning, the biggest obstacle facing Whipple may be keeping the players from getting complacent.

"Mark will come up with another theme to motivate the players," said Brown. "It's always tougher to repeat. There'll be no crawling up on anybody."

Whipple, 41, and his staff anticipate having a better team. The challenge is making sure that the desire and chemistry of the '98 team will carry over into the next season.

"There were a lot of great games, but nobody will convince me we played a great game the entire year," said Whipple. "That's probably what I'll try to impress on the kids when we come back. Last year's team just found a way to win. They just wanted to prove to everybody that they had the makeup of a champion."

UMass and the "Whiplash" system just might prove it again in '99. If nothing else, the message has been sent to every preseason football magazine that the Minutemen can no longer be ignored.

As long as Whipple is around, don't look for UMass to be a one-year wonder.



Outhouse To Penthouse

The University of Massachusetts' dramatic jump from 2-9 record in 1997 to 12-3 and the I-AA national championship this past season was one for the history books. It marked the first time in Division I history that a head coach, Mark Whipple, in his first year at the school, inherited a team with a losing record and won it all in his inaugural season.

Still, the eight-game improvement by no means puts the UMass Minutemen in exclusive company. Five other schools, including I-AA national finalists McNeese State in 1997 and Boise State in 1994, have also improved their record by eight games from one season to the next. McNeese State and Boise State each lost to Youngstown State in the I-AA championship game.

The most improved Division I team of all time is 1984 Montana State, which fared 9 1/2 games better than the previous season. The Bobcats were 1-10 in Dave Arnold's first season, then went 12-2 in '84 and claimed the I-AA national title in a 19-6 win over Louisiana Tech.

Among Division I-A programs, the school that came the closest to duplicating UMass' feat under Whipple was the 1940 Stanford team, coached by the legendary Clark Shaughnessy. The Cardinal finished 1-7-1 in 1939 and after Shaughnessy took over, it went 10-0 and defeated Nebraska 21-13 in the Rose Bowl. Unfortunately, Stanford finished No.2 in the final polls behind Minnesota, Shaughnessy's alma mater. Minnesota elected not to play in a bowl game and at that time, the national champion was declared at the conclusion of the regular season.

Here's a rundown on the most improved programs in Division I and I-AA NCAA history:

Year; School; Record; Previous Year; Games Improved; Coach;

1984; Montana State; 12-2; 1-10; 91/2; Dave Arnold;
1940; Stanford; 10-0; 1-7-1; 8; +Clark Shaughnessy;
1943; Purdue; 9-0; 1-8; 8; Elmer Burnham;
1993; Boston University; 12-1; 3-8; 8; Dan Allen;
1994; Boise State; 13-2; 3-8; 8; Pokey Allen;
1997; McNeese State; 13-2; 3-8; 8; Bobby Keasler;
1998; *Massachusetts; 12-3; 2-9; 8; +Mark Whipple;
1996; Nicholls State; 8-4; 0-11; 71/2; Darren Barbier;

+ - First year as head coach at that school
* - Won I-AA national title






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