2015 Amherst Lord Jeffs football team

The 2015 Amherst Lord Jeffs football team was an American football team that represented Amherst College as a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) during the 2015 NCAA Division III football season. In their 19th year under head coach E. J. Mills, the Lord Jeffs compiled an 8–0 record, won the NESCAC championship, and outscored opponents by a total of 221 to 79.

2015 Amherst Lord Jeffs football
NESCAC champion
Conference	New England Small College Athletic Conference
Record	8–0 (8–0 NESCAC)
Head coach	E. J. Mills (19th season)
Home stadium	Pratt Field
Seasons ← 2014 2016 →

2015 New England Small College Athletic Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Amherst $		8	–	0					8	–	0
Trinity (CT)		7	–	1					7	–	1
Tufts		6	–	2					6	–	2
Middlebury		5	–	3					5	–	3
Wesleyan		5	–	3					5	–	3
Bates		2	–	6					2	–	6
Bowdoin		2	–	6					2	–	6
Hamilton		2	–	6					2	–	6
Williams		2	–	6					2	–	6
Colby		1	–	7					1	–	7
$ – Conference champion

Key players included Anthony Bongiorno and Jaymie Spears.^[1][2] Jimmy Fairfield-Sonn received the 20th annual Joseph P. Zabilski Award, recognizing the top odffensive and defensive players in New England for Divisions II and III.^[3]

The 2015 season was one of seven perfect seasons in the history of Amherst's football program, the others coming in 1942, 1964, 1984, 2009, 2011, and 2014.

During the 2015 football season, the Amherst faculty and student body voted to remove "Lord Jeff" as the school's mascot.^[4][5] The school's trustees affirmed the decision in January 2016. The decision was based on the historical namesake (Jeffery Amherst, 1st Baron Amherst) actions against indigenous people in the 18th century. The school's athletic teams became known as the "Amherst Mammoths" starting with the 2016 football season.^[6]

The team played its home games at Pratt Field in Amherst, Massachusetts.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 26	1:00 p.m.	at Bates	Garcelon Field Lewiston, ME	W 37–14	1,800	^[7]
October 3	1:00 p.m.	Bowdoin	Pratt Field Amherst, MA	W 37–6	760
October 10	2:00 p.m.	Middlebury	Pratt Field Amherst, MA	W 24–7	712
October 17	1:00 p.m.	at Colby	Harold Alfond Stadium Waterville, ME	W 31–13	1,200	^[8]
October 24	1:00 p.m.	Wesleyan	Pratt Field Amherst, MA	W 27–18	2,127
October 31	1:00 p.m.	at Tufts	Ellis Oval Somerville, MA	W 32–7	2,500	^[9]
November 7	1:00 p.m.	Trinity (CT)	Pratt Field Amherst, MA	W 16–7	2,271	^[10]^[11]
November 14	12:00 p.m.	at Williams	Farley-Lamb Field Williamstown, MA (The Biggest Little Game in America)	W 17–7	3,218	^[12]
All times are in Eastern time

^[13]

References

1. "Bongiorno helps backbone Amherst football to second straight unbeaten season". The Salem News. December 12, 2015.
2. "Haverhill's Jaymie Spears a big-time talent for Amherst football". The Eagle-Tribune. August 30, 2015.
3. "Football". Daily Hampshire Gazette. November 25, 2015. p. D2 – via Newspapers.com.
4. Jingwen Zhang (November 18, 2015). "Students Vote On College Mascot". The Amherst Student.
5. "College revisits the legacy of Lord Jeffery Amherst: Editorial". Masslive.com. November 16, 2015.
6. Jess Bidgood (January 26, 2016). "Amherst College Drops 'Lord Jeff' as Mascot". The New York Times.
7. "Defending champion Amherst wins 37-14 in football opener at Garcelon". Bates College. September 26, 2015.
8. "Amherst College stays unbeaten, sacks Colby 31-13". Daily Hampshire Gazette. October 13, 2015.
9. "Amherst Football Remains Unbeaten with 32-7 Victory at Tufts". Tufts University. October 31, 2015.
10. Mike Anthony (November 8, 2015). "Bantams Show They're Not Perfect". The Hartford Courant. p. E5 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Trinity Football Loses At Amherst In Battle Of NESCAC Unbeatens". Trinity Bantams Sports. November 7, 2015.
12. "Amherst Downs Williams 17-7". Williams College. November 14, 2015.
13. "2015 Football". Amherst College. Retrieved May 28, 2023.