University of Massachusetts Amherst Athletics

Book excerpt: The University of Massachusetts Amherst boasts over a century of both intercollegiate and intramural athletics. The story begins with the early recreational activities of a New England agricultural college and ends with a highly competitive Division I athletic schedule. From playing ice hockey on the campus pond in 1908 or dribbling basketballs in the Curry Hicks cage in 1931 to the construction of the state-of-the-art Mullins Center in 1993, the University of Massachusetts Amherst has produced some of the best athletes in American sports history. These stars include hockey great Jerry McCarthy, a 1924 Olympic silver medalist; softball pitcher Danielle Henderson, a 2000 Olympic gold medalist; and Julius Erving, legendary NBA star.