He served as a National Football League (NFL) head coach for the New England Patriots from 1991 to 1992, tallying a mark of 8–24.

[1] Named head coach at UMass in 1971, MacPherson led the Minutemen to four Yankee Conference titles in seven years.

Syracuse had made just one bowl appearance in the previous 14 years when Crouthamel turned to MacPherson, who he had worked against while the head coach at Dartmouth.

[1] MacPherson's record at Syracuse was 66–46–4 and included an undefeated season in 1987, when his team finished 11–0–1 and tied Auburn in the 1988 Sugar Bowl.

After the 1990 season he left Syracuse to become head coach of the New England Patriots and was replaced by assistant Paul Pasqualoni.

He employed and mentored future college head coaches Gary Blackney (Bowling Green), Randy Edsall (Connecticut, Maryland), Jim Hofher (Cornell, Buffalo), Bill Maxwell (Hobart), George O’Leary (Georgia Tech, Central Florida), Paul Pasqualoni (Syracuse, Connecticut) and Hall of Famer Jim Tressel (Youngstown State, Ohio State).

[1] MacPherson coached two Hall of Famers at Syracuse: defensive tackle Tim Green (1982–85) and quarterback Don McPherson (1983–87).

This pantry was funded with a lead gift from longtime sportscaster Sean McDonough, who met MacPherson in 1980 and worked for him for three and a half years as a work-study assistant.