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.[2] 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 Engineers football | |
|---|---|
 | |
| First season | 1887 |
| Head coach | Chris Robertson 10th season, 52–50 (.510) |
| Stadium | Alumni Stadium (capacity: 2,000) |
| Field surface | FieldTurf |
| Location | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| NCAA division | Division III |
| Conference | NEWMAC |
| Past conferences | Independent (1887–1972) DIII independent (1973–1991) Freedom Football Conference (1992–2003) Liberty League (2004–2016) |
| All-time record | 371–542–29 (.409) |
| Bowl record | 2–2 (.500) |
| Playoff appearances | 1992 |
| Playoff record | 0–1 |
| Conference titles | 1992, 1993, 2019 |
| Rivalries | RPI Engineers MIT Engineers |
| Colors | Crimson and gray[1] |
| Fight song | "E to the X" |
| Mascot | Gompei the Goat |
| Marching band | WPI Pep Band |
| Website | Athletics.WPI.edu |
WPI plays its home games at Alumni Stadium, located on the campus in Worcester, Massachusetts, with a capacity of 2,000.[3]
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.[4] It was not until 1885 that the football team was taken seriously.[5] The 1887 season was the first in which the team competed as a varsity sport.[6] 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.[7] 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.
| Year | Bowl | Coach | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | ECAC Northeast Bowl | Jack Siedlecki | Buffalo State | L 17–23 |
| 2015 | ECAC Presidents Bowl | Chris Robertson | Kean | L 6–24 |
| 2017 | New England Bowl Series Game | Chris Robertson | SUNY Maritime | W 17–3 |
| 2019 | New England Bowl Series Game | Chris Robertson | Western Connecticut State | W 35–6 |