Football program representing Tufts University
The Tufts Jumbos football program represents Tufts University in the sport of American football . The team competes in Division III of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC).[ 3] Tufts plays its home game at Ellis Oval , located on the campus in Medford, Massachusetts . The team's head coach is Jay Civetti , who has led the Jumbos since 2011.[ 4]
History
1875 Tufts team
A Tufts football team has played since the 1874–75 season .[ 5] [ 6] [ 7] The Tufts football team played its first game on June 4, 1875, against Harvard , which Tufts won by a score of 1–0. This game is considered the first game of American football between two American colleges, with each team fielding 11 men, the ball being advanced by kicking or carrying it, and tackles of the ball carrier stopping play.[ 8] During the 1875–76 season , Tufts played Bates on the Bates campus in Lewiston, Maine , for the first organized intercollegiate football game played in Maine.[ 9]
In one of the largest shutout wins in team history, Tufts defeated the 1914 New Hampshire football team by a score of 83–0.[ 10]
One Tufts player, William Grinnell (1909–1997), a varsity member during the 1930s, has been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame .[ 11]
The 1,000th game in team history was played during the 2006 season.[ 12]
Seasons
Tufts vs. Harvard at College Hill, October 1875
Original ball from the Tufts–Brown game played in November 1892
Season
Head coach
Conference
Finished
Wins
Losses
Ties
1875
Luman Aldrich
Independent
—
2
1
0
1876–77
—
1
0
1
1877
Scott Campbell
—
0
3
0
1884
Dwight Griswold
—
2
4
1
1885
Fred P. Chapman
NIFA
2nd
2
3[ a]
0
1886
James Gallety
2nd
0
8
0
1887
Frank W. Durkee
Independent
—
4
6
0
1889
Martin
—
3
1
0
1890
Charles Stover
—
2
3
0
1891
Wilfred Russ
—
7
1
0
1892
A. G. Baillet
—
8
2
0
1893
Haskell
—
4
7
0
1894
H. W. Hamlin
—
6
5
0
1895
Marshall Newell
—
8
5
0
1896
—
2
6
1
1897
Joshua Damon Upton
—
6
7
0
1898
—
1
9
0
1899
E. A. Locke
—
7
4
0
1900
Hopkins
—
3
6
1
1901
J. C. Pearson
—
6
6
1
1902
—
4
6
1
1903
Charles Whelan
—
5
8
0
1904
—
2
9
1
1905
—
5
3
0
1906
—
6
2
0
1907
—
3
4
1
1908
Nate Pulsifer
—
1
6
1
1909
Edward N. Robinson [ 13]
—
2
6
0
1910
Vin H. Sheehy
—
1
7
1
1911
Clark Tobin
—
3
4
0
1912
Charles Whelan
—
5
4
0
1913
—
7
1
0
1914
—
5
3
0
1915
—
5
1
2
1916
—
5
3
0
1917
—
3
3
0
1918
Al Pierotti [ 14]
—
2
3
0
1919
Charles Whelan
—
2
5
0
1920
William Parks
—
2
6
0
1921
—
1
5
2
1922
Eddie Casey
—
5
4
0
1923
—
6
2
0
1924
—
3
4
2
1925
—
1
6
0
1926
Arthur Sampson
—
4
4
0
1927
—
8
0
0
1928
—
5
2
1
1929
—
5
1
2
1930
Lewis Manly
—
5
2
0
1931
—
3
2
2
1932
—
5
1
2
1933
—
6
2
0
1934
—
8
0
0
1935
—
1
5
2
1936
—
3
3
1
1937
—
3
4
1
1938
—
1
6
1
1939
—
3
4
1
1940
—
4
4
0
1941
—
5
3
0
1942
—
2
5
1
1943
—
6
2
0
1944
—
1
4
1
1945
—
4
1
0
1946
Frederick M. Ellis
—
1
6
0
1947
—
5
3
0
1948
—
3
4
1
1949
—
5
3
1
1950
—
4
4
1
1951
—
0
7
2
1952
—
3
4
1
1953
—
4
3
0
1954
Harry Arlanson
—
6
2
0
1955
—
5
2
0
1956
—
6
1
0
1957
—
6
1
1
1958
—
6
2
0
1959
—
5
2
1
1960
—
7
1
0
1961
—
5
3
0
1962
—
5
3
0
1963
—
2
6
0
1964
—
3
5
0
1965
—
1
7
0
1966
Rocco J. Carzo
—
1
7
0
1967
—
1
6
1
1968
—
5
3
0
1969
—
6
2
0
1970
—
1
7
0
1971
NESCAC
—
3
5
0
1972
—
4
4
0
1973
—
1
7
0
1974
Paul Pawlak
—
3
5
0
1975
—
2
6
0
1976
—
6
2
0
1977
—
3
5
0
1978
Vic Gatto
—
5
3
0
1979
—
8
0
0
1980
—
6
2
0
1981
—
5
2
1
1982
—
6
2
0
1983
—
4
3
1
1984
—
0
7
1
1985
Duane Ford
—
3
4
1
1986
—
7
1
0
1987
—
4
4
0
1988
—
4
3
1
1989
—
6
2
0
1990
—
6
2
0
1991
—
5
3
0
1992
—
3
4
1
1993
—
1
7
0
1994
Bill Samko
—
2
6
0
1995
—
4
4
0
1996
—
1
7
0
1997
—
3
5
0
1998
—
7
1
0
1999
—
4
4
0
2000
T–7th
2
6
0
2001
3rd
6
2
0
2002
T-6th
3
5
0
2003
T–3rd
5
3
0
2004
T–7th
2
6
0
2005
T–7th
2
6
0
2006
5th
4
4
0
2007
4th
5
3
0
2008
T–5th
4
4
0
2009
T–8th
2
6
0
2010
T–9th
1
7
0
2011
Jay Civetti
10th
0
8
0
2012
10th
0
8
0
2013
T–9th
0
8
0
2014
6th
4
4
0
2015
3rd
6
2
0
2016
2nd
7
1
0
2017
6th
5
4
0
2018
3rd
7
2
0
2019
T–5th
4
5
0
2020
Season cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic
2021
6th
4
5
0
2022
T–3rd
6
3
0
2023
T–3rd
6
3
0
2024
T–2nd
7
2
0
[ 15] [ 16] [ 17]
Individual accomplishments
In 1951, the College Football Hall of Fame opened in South Bend, Indiana . Since then, Tufts has had 1 player inducted into the Hall of Fame.[ 18]
Notes
^ Alternative sources indicate a 2–4 record for the 1885 season.[ 1]
References
^ a b "Tufts Digital Library" . dl.tufts.edu .
^ Tufts University Visual Identity Standards Quick Guide (PDF) . Retrieved June 30, 2016 .
^ "NCAA Directory - Directory - Member Listing" . web3.ncaa.org . Retrieved November 2, 2021 .
^ "Jay Civetti" . Tufts . Retrieved November 2, 2021 .
^ "Tufts Journal: Features: Gridiron history" .
^ "The Tufts Daily" . 21 October 2004.
^ "Tufts" .
^ Dupont, Kevin Paul (September 23, 2004). "Gridiron gridlock: Citing research, Tufts claims football history is on its side" . The Boston Globe .
^ "Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History" . Archived from the original on 2014-12-20. Retrieved 2017-08-15 .
^ "New Hampshire is Outclassed" . The New Hampshire . Vol. 4, no. 2. Dover, New Hampshire . October 2, 1914. pp. 1, 2. Retrieved December 7, 2024 – via UNH.edu.
^ Sauer, Anne; Branco, Jessica; Bennett, John; Crowley, Zachary (2000). "Grinnell, William G. "Johnny", ca.1915-1997". Concise Encyclopedia of Tufts History . Medford, MA: Tufts University Press. Archived from the original on June 3, 2018.
^ "Jumbo Football to Play 1,000th Game at Trinity on Saturday" . Tufts University Athletics . October 9, 2006. Archived from the original on June 4, 2018.
^ "Going Back to Brown: Edward N. Robinson Again Appointed Football Coach There - With Tufts Last Year". The Boston Daily Globe . February 12, 1910.
^ "Pierotti 'Wises' Up Tufts On Harvard Formation" . The Boston Globe . November 7, 1918. p. 7. Retrieved August 31, 2024 – via newspapers.com.
^ "Tufts University Jumbos Football Program Records" . Tufts University . May 27, 2022. Retrieved October 27, 2023 .
^ "NCAA Division III football standings" . d3football.com . 2023. Retrieved December 10, 2024 .
^ "NCAA Division III football standings" . d3football.com . 2024. Retrieved December 10, 2024 .
^ "Hall of Fame: Select group by school" . College Football Hall of Fame . Football Foundation. Retrieved October 11, 2008 .
External links