Pure Sport

The high spirits and camaraderie displayed in this 1951 yearbook photo are still a hallmark of intramural sports at UMass 75 years later. 

The 1951 ​I​ndex celebrates the Berkshire B intramural touch football squad, ​​​known as the Bombers, ​which “boasted a record of 20 straight games without a tie or a defeat” and won the championship. The team was one of 38 touch football teams in three leagues. Intramurals in 1951 included 30 softball teams, 5 basketball leagues, golf, fencing, skiing, and the nascent rod and gun club.  

These days, intramural sports remain incredibly popular. Samantha Lacey, coordinator for intramurals in the Recreation & Wellbeing department, reports that over 5,700 students participated in 2025​​​​​—almost a quarter of all undergraduate students. ​With 35 different activities​​​​—including flag football (touch football’s modernized cousin), soccer, volleyball, and badminton​​​​—spirited competition still rules the fields and courts. Intramurals provide ​another opportunity to meet people from different areas of campus outside students’ academic units and everyday routines​​, Lacey points out. ​ 

“The energy at something like flag football championship night is huge,” ​she​ says. ​​​“The sidelines are pumped up.’’ ​