WPI Engineers football explained

Teamname:WPI Engineers football
Headcoach:Chris Robertson
Headcoachyear:10th
Hcwins:52
Hclosses:50
Stadium:Alumni Stadium
Stadcapacity:2,000
Stadsurface:FieldTurf
Location:Worcester, Massachusetts
Ncaadivision:III
Conference:NEWMAC
Pastaffiliations:Independent (1887–1972)
DIII independent (1973–1991)
Freedom Football Conference (1992–2003)
Liberty League (2004–2016)
Firstyear:1887
Websitename:Athletics.WPI.edu
Websiteurl:http://athletics.wpi.edu/sports/fball/index
Atwins:371
Atlosses:542
Atties:29
Bowlwins:2
Bowllosses:2
Playoffapps:1992
Playoffs:0–1
Conftitles:1992, 1993, 2019
Fightsong:"E to the X"
Mascotdisplay:Gompei the Goat
Marchingband:WPI Pep Band
Rivalries:RPI Engineers
MIT Engineers

The WPI Engineers football team represents Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) in the sport of American football. The Engineers compete in Division III (DIII) of the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) and the NEWMAC.[1] WPI's football program is one of the oldest in the country. The team has been coached by Chris Robertson since the 2010 season.

WPI plays its home games at Alumni Stadium, located on the campus in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a capacity of 2,000.[2]

History

Prior to competing in collegiate football, WPI played association football (now known as the sport of soccer) from 1874 to 1876 and American rugby from 1877 to 1881. Starting in 1882, WPI attempted to play football as a sport.[3] It was not until 1885 that the football team was taken seriously.[4] The 1887 season was the first in which the team competed as a varsity sport.[5] Following their outstanding performance in the 1888 season, the Engineers were invited to join a football league of small New England colleges, but the faculty refused the idea and barred the team from playing any away games.[6] The Institute's opinion of football would improve by the turn of the century and give more support to the team.

Bowl games

WPI has appeared in four bowl games and has a 2–2 record.

L 17–23
L 6–24
Chris Robertson W 17–3
Chris Robertson W 35–6

Notes and References

  1. Web site: NCAA Members By Division . NCAA . July 27, 2015.
  2. Web site: Alumni Stadium . Worcester Polytechnic Institute . September 10, 2016.
  3. Book: Smith, Melvin I.. Evolvements of Early American Foot Ball: Through the 1890/91 Season. AuthorHouse. 2008. 978-1-43436-248-3. 586.
  4. Book: Taylor. Herbert Foster. Seventy Years of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 1937. Privately Published. 153. 21 September 2016.
  5. Web site: 2016 Media Guide (PDF). WPI Athletics. 21 September 2016.
  6. Book: Taylor. Herbert Foster. Seventy Years of the Worcester Polytechnic Institute. 1937. Privately Published. 154. 21 September 2016.