Lowell Tech vs. Lowell State: the local rivalry that dominated the Merrimack Valley prior to their merger 50 years ago. A STEM college in Tech located on what is now UMass Lowell's North Campus and a liberal arts college in State situated on today's South Campus; their differences were plentiful but always respected, as both schools hold decades of athletics history.
 
Before learning what the past 50 years of a cohesive university have given us all, it is important to reflect on how we got here. What laid the foundation for UMass Lowell, the school we know today?
 
Lowell Technical Institute (LTI) was a school primarily focused on engineering principles and other STEM concentrations. Sports were not a focal point for the faculty and staff of Tech.
 
"There were some key faculty that really supported athletics and personally helped out, but for the most part, the faculty thought we should really just be there for academics," recalled Hank Brown, a 1967 graduate of Lowell Tech and an athletics Hall of Famer.  
 
Even with a strong academic mindset, the male-dominated student population of Lowell Tech did not relinquish the opportunity to enjoy college athletics as part of a Terriers' squad, competing as an NCAA independent. In the sport of basketball, Brown says the program featured athletes from around the New England area, not just local talent like State. Brown described a good amount of fierce competition and that hard work was needed to remain a member of a Terriers' roster, much like collegiate athletics today.
 
"There was a bit of turnover on the team," added Brown in regard to LTI teams maintaining their players due to pressure to excel in the classroom. "About a third of freshmen would be left on the team by their senior year."
 
Less than a mile from Tech on the other side of the river, stood Lowell State (LSC). The liberal arts and teaching college was home to the Indians, also an NCAA institution that rivaled the nearby Terriers, but competed in the Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference. Unlike Tech, Lowell State had a strong presence of women on campus, several of whom were standout athletes that wanted the opportunity to continue their athletic careers at the college level.
 
To this end, physical education professors and Hall of Famers Claire Chamberlain and Denise Legault worked tirelessly to co-found women's college athletics at Lowell State.
 
"We always wanted to help the athletes where we could," Legault explained about creating multiple women's programs at LSC. "We wanted them to feel like they could come to us to get things done."
 
Sharon Peck Torrey, captain of the 1975 Hall of Fame Lowell State softball team, reflected on her appreciation for the college's athletic opportunities for women.
 
"The community was involved, and it was fun," said Torrey. "I met new people on the team outside of the Merrimack Valley and saw talent from outside my high school."
 
Another Lowell State Hall of Famer, Jim McGuirk '69, adds that the camaraderie on campus and especially among teams was something that perhaps set LSC apart from LTI.
 
"Wrestlers would come to basketball games, basketball players would go to baseball games," he shared. "We enjoyed being athletes and there was a commonality where we really supported the other teams."
 
Size of the schools seemed to be a contributing factor to the differing atmospheres on these two campus communities.
 
"Lowell State was a smaller school and it was pretty much condensed in an area," stated Torrey. "It was a smaller community that you could acclimate to very easily."
 
"Tech seemed to be twice the size of State," countered Brown. 
 
Despite the colleges' vast differences, sports were something that brought Lowell State and Lowell Tech together at least once a season.
 
"It was huge," McGuirk said of the rivalry. "The local media definitely played it up very well. There was an interest among the younger kids, the high school kids and the articles in the Lowell Sun were amazing."
 
Differences in venue did nothing but fuel the fire for each matchup. For example, Lowell State basketball made its home in the basement of Mahoney Hall, while Lowell Tech played in the upper reaches of Southwick before the creation of Costello Athletic Center, now Kennedy Family Athletic Complex.
 
"Our court had a very homey, comfortable feeling," McGuirk said of State's Mahoney. "It sat maybe 250 people, but there would be 400 in there for the big games. It would be packed to the rafters, and the crowd noise was incredible. The gym was always hot, but we were a fast team without much size, so it was good for us."
 
"We played on the fourth floor of Southwick, but the locker rooms were four stories down, half a building over, and then another whole building in the back to the ground floor, so it was a physical test for the visitors just to get to the court," reminisced Brown about Tech's home court advantage.
 
In 1975, Lowell State and Lowell Tech merged to become the University of Lowell, setting the stage for what we know today as UMass Lowell. With the merger, each institution brought a proud and beloved history, both in academics and athletics. Just like many generations of Lowell State Indians and Lowell Tech Terriers, Brown, McGuirk and Torrey each hold extreme pride in their individual alma maters. However, 50 years later, they recognize the importance of that event to lay the foundation for the successes to come.
 
"The merger would give a lot of visibility to athletics, which I thought was good," commented Torrey. "More of the sports got recognitions for women and more women had opportunities, so I was happy for that to happen for women's sports and for the school. It was the opportunity for expansion. It was great."
 
From divisional to national championships, the promotion to Division I and a greater reach for the local community, the merger between Lowell State and Lowell Tech was not an end, but rather a beginning of something very special.
 
"I still think they should have named it Lowell Tech," joked Brown. "But, I thought it was a great idea even though a lot of people didn't at the time. I thought that the dynamics of having a full university really was important to the area and to us."
 
"To walk around or drive around the campus and see what it is now, it's absolutely incredible," echoed McGuirk. "Not only in athletics, but all the buildings. I'm amazed."
 
"I'm thrilled for the school and the city. I can't express it more than that," concluded Torrey. "I'm looking forward to seeing how they progress even further. I love how the city and school have connected in growth together. People are working together for common goals and I'm thrilled."