Boston College Eagles football

NCAAFootballSchool
TeamName = Boston College Eagles football


ImageSize =
HeadCoachDisplay = Jeff Jagodzinski
HeadCoachLink = Jeff Jagodzinski
HeadCoachYear = 1st
HCWins = 11
HCLosses = 3
HCTies = 0
Stadium = Alumni Stadium
StadCapacity = 44,500
Location = Chestnut Hill, MA
StadSurface = FieldTurf
ConferenceDisplay= ACC
ConferenceLink = Atlantic Coast Conference
ConfDivision = Atlantic
FirstYear = 1892
AthlDirectorDisp = Gene DeFilippo
AthlDirectorLink = Gene DeFilippo
WebsiteName = BCeagles.com
WebsiteURL = http://bceagles.cstv.com/
ATWins = 601
ATLosses = 419
ATTies = 36
ATPercentage = .589
BowlWins = 13
BowlLosses = 6
BowlTies =
NatlTitles = 1940 (disputed) [cite web|url=http://www.cfbdatawarehouse.com/data/div_ia/acc/boston_college/all_national_champs.php|title=Boston College Total National Championships|accessdate=2008-02-18|publisher=College Football Data Warehouse]
ConfTitles = 2004 (Big East)
Heismans = 1 (Doug Flutie)
AllAmericans =
Color1 = Maroon
Color1Hex = 8B0000
Color2 = Gold
Color2Hex = F0E68C
FightSong = For Boston
MascotDisplay = Baldwin the Eagle
MascotLink = Baldwin the Eagle
MarchingBand = The "Screaming Eagles" Marching Band
PagFreeLabel = Rivals
PagFreeValue = Miami
Notre Dame ("Holy War")
Virginia Tech

The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision (formerly known as Division I-A) league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division. Begun in 1892, Boston College was one of six "Major College" football programs in New England as designated by NCAA classifications, starting in 1938. [The NCAA classified Brown, Dartmouth, Harvard and Yale as NCAA University Division (Major College) in 1937. Boston College and Holy Cross were added in 1938.] By 1981, and for the remainder of the twentieth century, BC was New England's sole Division I-A program. [In 1980, the Ivy League schools were reclassified as Division I-AA. Holy Cross followed suit in 1981.] It has amassed a 601-419-36 record and is 71-30-0 since the turn of the century. In 2007, the Eagles captured the ACC's Atlantic Division Championship and finished the season ranked in the AP Top 10 [cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankings?pollId=1&seasonYear=2007|title=Associated Press 2007 NCAA Football Rankings - Final|accessdate=2008-08-03|publisher=ESPN] for the first time since 1984. They also achieved a mid-season #2 ranking [cite web|url=http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/rankingsindex?seasonYear=2007&weekNumber=9&seasonType=2|title=2007 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 8|accessdate=2008-08-03|publisher=ESPN] , their highest since being ranked #1 in 1942 [cite web|url=http://www.boston.com/sports/colleges/football/articles/2007/10/15/eagles_still_are_on_rise/|title=Eagles still are on rise|accessdate=2008-08-03|publisher=Boston Globe] . In addition, the program holds the record for the longest current bowl winning streak with 8 consecutive victories.

The team is currently coached by Jeff Jagodzinski and its home games are played at Alumni Stadium on the Boston College campus in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. In addition to success on the gridiron, Boston College football teams are consistently ranked among the nation's best for academic achievement [cite web|url=http://bceagles.cstv.com/genrel/081307aac.html|title=Duke, BC Lead Academic Honor Roll|accessdate=2008-02-18|publisher=Boston College Athletics] and graduation [cite web|url=http://bceagles.cstv.com/genrel/100307aaa.html|title=Eagles Among Nation's Elite in Graduation Success Rate: Football rated third-best in the country; 16 BC teams receive 100% GSR score|accessdate=2008-02-18|publisher=Boston College Athletics] . In 2005, 2006 and 2007, the football team's Academic Progress Rate was the highest of any school that finished the season ranked in the AP or ESPN/USA Today Coaches' polls.

Conference Affiliations

*1892-1972: Independent
*1973-1977: Division I Independent
*1978-1990: Division I-A Independent
*1991-2004: Big East Conference
*2005-present: Atlantic Coast Conference

History

Early History

In 1892, Boston College President Edward Ignatius Devitt, SJ, grudgingly agreed to the requests of two undergraduates, Joseph F. O'Connell of the class of 1893 and Joseph Drum of the class of 1894, to start a varsity football team. Drum would become the first head coach, albeit an unpaid position and O'Connell was captain. On October 26, 1893, BC played its first official game against the St. John's Literary Institute of Cambridge followed by its first intercollegiate game against MIT. BC won the first game 4-0, but lost 6-0 to MIT. Two of the original team's alumni had particularly significant careers: Lineman John Douglass became the first BC graduate to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and running back James Carlin became president of the College of the Holy Cross.

.

Holy Cross rivalry

In 1896, Boston College and Holy Cross began what was to become one of the most storied rivalries in college football.Fact|date=February 2007 For much of the early to mid 20th century, BC and The Cross drew some of New England's largest sports crowds. In 1913, BC began playing home games at Alumni Field.

To accommodate larger crowds, the Holy Cross game was routinely held at larger venues off campus, with the 1916 matchup taking place at the newly constructed Fenway Park. A record 54,000 attended the 1922 game at Braves Field, home of the Boston Braves baseball team. On November 28, 1942, BC lost in a huge upset to Holy Cross by a score of 55-12. This led to the BC players not attending their scheduled victory celebration at the Cocoanut Grove nightclub, which burned down that night. By the late 1970s the Holy Cross game had become more of a tradition than a rivalry, as Holy Cross football had long since ceased being a major power. By 1980, the game was no longer part of the student ticket package, and was mostly attended by alumni. In 1986 Holy Cross changed the direction of its football program, joining the Division 1-AA Patriot League, and terminated the series. BC had won 17 of the last 20 games.

1940 - "Team of Destiny"

The 1940 season can arguably be called the greatest year in the history of Boston College football. BC's undefeated (11-0) and untied team captured the 1941 Sugar Bowl championship and earned the nickname "Team of Destiny."cite web|url=http://bceagles.cstv.com/genrel/071000aac.html|title=1940 Football 'Team of Destiny' - National Champions |accessdate=2008-02-18|publisher=Boston College Athletics] [cite web|url=http://www.bc.edu/bc_org/avp/ulib/Burns/1940team.html|title=1940 Team of Destiny|date=Fall 2001|accessdate=2008-02-18|publisher=John J. Burns Library] Five members of that storied team have been inducted into the National Football Foundation’s College Football Hall of Fame: end Eugene Goodreault (50); guard George Kerr (47); center Chet Gladchuk, Sr. (45); fullback Michael Holovak (12); and halfback Charles O’Rourke (13). It included a 19-18 victory over Georgetown before 41,700 fans at sold-out Fenway Park, that was called one of the greatest games ever by famed sportswriter Grantland Rice. Going into the game, the Hoyas had twenty-two consecutive victories spanning three seasons. BC trailed until the third quarter, when a 43 yard touchdown pass from Charlie O'Rourke to Monk Maznicki put the Eagles ahead. With just seconds remaining, BC had the ball on their own nine, fourth down and 18 to go. Georgetown set up to return the Eagles’ punt. Instead of punting, O’Rourke scrambled in his own end zone for 45 seconds then took a safety. BC used the free kick to boot the ball far downfield and dashed the Hoyas' three-season unbeaten record. Legendary Coach Frank Leahy took his undefeated Eagles on to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where they beat Tennessee. The Sugar Bowl victory also gave BC a claim to the 1940 National Championship in a three-way tie with Stanford and Minnesota. However absent a playoff, this claim is disputed and can be described as a mythical national championship. The NCAA does not recognize Boston College's claim to a national championship.

The Flutie years

The early 1980s are sometimes referred to as "The Flutie Era", and are often credited with putting BC football firmly into the big time. Quarterback Doug Flutie played for Boston College from 1981 to 1984, and won the Heisman Trophy in his senior year. He gained national attention on November 23, 1984, when he led the Eagles to victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game against incumbent national champion Miami Hurricanes (led by star QB Bernie Kosar). The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving, and had a huge audience. Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45-41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at their own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only six seconds remained on the clock. On the last play of the game, Flutie rolled out right away from the defense and threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by senior wideout Gerard Phelan, giving BC a miraculous 47-45 win. A persistent urban legend holds that this play essentially clinched the Heisman Trophy, the award given to the best player in college football that year, for Flutie; in fact, the Heisman voting was already complete by the day of the game. It has been called "the greatest moment in college football.""College football's best of the last 20 years." "USA Today". November 19, 2002. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/2002-11-19-memorable-moments_x.htm]

The Holy War

In recent years, Notre Dame has become one of BC's football rivals. Today, ND is the only other Catholic university playing NCAA Division I-A football. The match up was dubbed the "Holy War" in 1975, and has acquired a number of other nicknames over the years. The two teams battle for the Ireland Trophy. The series produced one of the top moments in college football history when in 1993, David Gordon kicked a wobbly 41-yard field goal as time expired to beat top-ranked and undefeated Notre Dame 41-39, ending Irish hopes for a national championship. During the 2002 matchup in South Bend, Indiana, Notre Dame came into the game undefeated at 8-0, wearing their celebrated green jerseys (which since 1981 had only been worn against archrival USC or in bowl games). BC won the game 14-7, putting an end -- again -- to Notre Dame's dreams of an undefeated season. The series was played annually from 1992 to 2004 and resumed in 2007, though its future after 2010 is uncertain. [The rivalry is scheduled to resume in 2007 under a contract that ran through 2013. However, the series may be a victim of acrimony stemming from BC's move to the Atlantic Coast Conference. On November 2, 2005, Notre Dame announced that because the Irish have agreed to play three Big East Conference teams each season, they will stop playing Boston College following the 2010 season. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said the conference made the request after Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech withdrew from the Big East to join the ACC. Notre Dame senior associate athletic director John Heisler said the Irish simply don't have room for Boston College — the only other Catholic university playing Division I football — on their schedule after adding the three Big East opponents. Heisler said that had the Eagles stayed in the Big East, they would have been one of those three. “They made a business decision to go to the ACC,” Heisler said. Notre Dame has a unique and unusual relationship with the Big East Conference, in which it is a member institution but its celebrated football program remains independent and has a separate television contract with NBC.] On November 2, 2005, Notre Dame announced that because it had agreed to a request from the Big East to play teams from that conference each season, it would suspend the Boston College series following the 2010 season. Big East Commissioner Mike Tranghese said the conference made the request after Boston College, Miami, and Virginia Tech withdrew from the Big East to join the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, on February 6 2007, BC Director of Athletics Gene DeFilippo stated “The Notre Dame contract calls for two games in South Bend, in 2007 and 2009, and two games in Boston, in 2008 and 2010. We have been in discussions with Notre Dame concerning additional games, and I am very hopeful that we will be able to announce something in the near future.”

Memorable moments in the BC-ND rivalry

Since their first meeting in 1975, the Fighting Irish and the Eagles have generated some memorable moments in only 32 years. The teams played each season from 1992 until 2004. Over the course of 17 games, here are some of the more memorable ones:

;Freedom fight (1983-12-29)Meeting at the 1983 Liberty Bowl in Memphis Notre Dame and the Eagles engaged in a tight and taut contest — a harbinger of things to come. Despite Doug Flutie throwing for 287 yards and three touchdowns, BC found itself on the short-end of a 19-18 loss. The Eagles were down 19-12 at halftime and, after a Flutie TD pass to Scott Gieselman in the third quarter and a missed extra-point, BC had an opportunity to win late in the game. On fourth down with 1:08 remaining, a Flutie pass fell incomplete for an Irish win.

;Run Out of the Stadium (1992-11-07)In the first game of the revived series, a highly ranked BC team entered the game with high expectations and the goal of reaching a major bowl game. The Irish ended this hope with a crushing 54-7 victory, still the largest in the series. The game was punctuated -- and the rivalry fueled -- by a successful fake punt called by Notre Dame head coach Lou Holtz, late in the game with his team already ahead by several touchdowns.

;Tough-luck losers (1993-11-20)The Eagles knocked off the No. 1 Irish in 1993 in South Bend on a last second, 41-yard David Gordon field goal — crushing any hopes of a Notre Dame national championship. Boston College held a 38-17 lead with 11:13 left in the game, but the Irish fought back. The Stadium rocked as the Irish completed a 21-point comeback. But in the end, Gordon kicked a knuckle ball field goal for the winning score. It was BC's first-ever win over the Irish. For its effort, the Eagles made [http://i.cnn.net/si/si_online/covers/images/1993/1129_large.jpgthe November 29, 1993, Sports Illustrated cover] .

;Pouring it on (1994-10-08)Following its upset over the top-ranked team from South Bend, Boston College knocked off another top 10 Irish team — who stood at 4-1 coming in — with a 30-11 win at Alumni Stadium over then-No. 8 Notre Dame. Eagles running back Justice Smith rushed for 144 yards and two touchdowns.

;Off of my Cloud (1998-11-07)Although the Eagles stood at a paltry 3-5 coming in, BC fans dared hope their team could still knock off then-No. 13 ranked Notre Dame. Down 31-20 with 9:23 left in the game, Eagles senior quarterback Scott Mutryn threw a 6-yard touchdown pass to Anthony DiCosmo. After a failed two-point conversion, the BC defense prevented a Notre Dame score. The Eagle offense then marched all the way to the Irish 4-yard line with only seconds remaining on the clock. Running back Mike Cloud was stuffed at the line of scrimmage on the first three downs (though replays indicated he actually crossed the plane into the end zone for a touchdown), and on fourth down Notre Dame safety Deke Cooper tackled Cloud in the backfield on fourth down to save a 31-26 victory for the Irish.

;Bowl season is cancelled (1999-11-20)The Irish came into the game in a must-win situation in order to avoid its first bowl-ineligible season since 1986, while the Eagles entered on a three-game winning streak and had its best mark after 9 games since the 1993 campaign. The Eagles came out firing and withstood an early pair of touchdowns by Tony Fisher and Julius Jones, countering with touchdown passes by Tim Hasselbeck as the game was tied at 17 at the break. Hasselbeck would put the Eagles ahead for good with a 1 yard sneak in the third quarter and another touchdown toss early in the fourth. But the Irish showed no quit with their season on the line, as Jarious Jackson hit Fisher for a nine-yard score. However, a missed extra-point by Jim Sanson proved to be crucial. After Jones' 67-yard punt return for a score, the Irish were forced to go for the two-point conversation -- and failed. The Irish would get the ball back once more with 2:18 left on the clock, but on the second play of the drive, Jackson's pass was intercepted by Pedro Cirino, sealing the 31-29 victory and assuring the Irish of staying home for the holidays.

;Back for more (2002-11-02)BC went to Notre Dame Stadium to face No. 4-ranked Notre Dame, who were clad in their green jerseys for the first time in three years and for the first time at home in 17 seasons, and the team from Chestnut Hill brought back some ghosts of 1993 to South Bend. The Irish got a bad break when replays indicated a sure TD was called out-of-bounds, but BC had been victimized by a bad call in 1998. Notre Dame fumbled eight times and back-up quarterback Pat Dillingham threw two interceptions. BC walked out with a 14-7 win, its first over a top-5 team since beating the No. 1 Irish in 1993 on the very same field.

;Another kicker (2003-10-25)Notre Dame and BC staged another dramatic battle in 2003. As usual, the game came down to the final seconds. Holding a 24-6 lead, the Irish fought back in desperate need of a win to maintain some chance of a bowl bid. Notre Dame's Nate Schiccatano blocked a BC punt late in the game and Carlos Campbell ran it 25 yards for a touchdown with 3:34 left and a 25-24 Irish lead. On the ensuing Boston College possession, the Eagles marched down to the Irish 8-yard line where kicker Sandro Sciortino booted in a chip shot with 38 seconds remaining and a 27-25 BC win.

;Break your heart (2004-10-23)Boston College and Notre Dame played on the afternoon of Game 1 of the 2004 World Series, in which the Red Sox met the Cardinals. As the Red Sox would go on to shed their curse that year, Notre Dame's hex with regard to BC delivered more heartache for Irish fans. Trailing 20-7 at halftime, Boston College mounted a comeback led by quarterback Paul Peterson, who threw for 383 yards on the day. With 54 seconds left, Peterson hit Tony Gonzalez for a touchdown and a 24-23 win. A missed extra-point by ND kicker DJ Fitzpatrick in the first half would account for the difference in the game. It was Notre Dame's fourth straight loss to BC and its fifth in the previous six meetings.

;BC Remains Undefeated (2007-10-13)After a break from the rivalry in 2005 and 2006, the two Catholic schools battled it out at Notre Dame Stadium. Boston College opened up a twenty point lead early in the 3rd quarter, before the Fighting Irish responded with a touchdown pass by backup quarterback Evan Sharpley (Freshman starter Jimmy Clausen was benched for the second half). Boston College quarterback Matt Ryan (American football) threw his first interception of the day on the Eagles' next possession, with linebacker Brian Smith returning it for a 25-yard score. Notre Dame's inexperience ultimately led to an excessive celebration penalty, which helped the Eagles answer with a touchdown on the ensuing drive. The Eagles held off the Irish in the fourth quarter and finished with a 27-14 victory. The win made it five in a row for Boston College in the "Holy War" and moved them to 7-0 in the 2007 season.

Gambling scandal

Boston College earned some negative press in 1996 when news broke that some football players had bet against BC in a bad loss October 26 to Syracuse. After the 45-17 beating by the Orange, word leaked out to Head Coach Dan Henning that several players may have bet against the team in the game, and the coach subsequently told the university administration. Following an investigation by the university and law enforcement officials, 13 players would be suspended from the team for the season for placing illegal bets — six permanently from the football program.Fact|date=April 2008 As a result of the scandal and a mediocre 16-19-1 record as coach, Henning resigned at then end of the 1996 season.

Tom O'Brien era

In December 1996 BC hired a 1971 Navy graduate and the former Virginia offensive coordinator Tom O'Brien. O'Brien arrived at The Heights with plans to revive the program after the team had been tarnished in the wake of the scandal. With good recruiting skills and a strong coaching staff around him, notably offensive coordinator Dana Bible and defensive coordinator Frank Spaziani, O'Brien has turned the program into a consistent top-25 team. The team has also been helped by increased exposure on the national stage due to the move to the ACC and, more recently, improved facilities in the form of the Yawkey Center.

Following two mediocre seasons in 1997 (4-7) and 1998 (4-7), O'Brien's vision of a re-built football program began to take shape. In 1999, the Eagles finished the regular season 8-3 including a 31-29 win at Notre Dame Stadium on November 20. BC had earned itself its first bowl berth since being ensnarled in the 1996 gambling scandal. Despite the excitement of its first postseason game in five years, Boston College laid an egg at the Insight.com Bowl in Tucson, Arizona, getting squashed by the University of Colorado, 62-28. In 2000 BC finished the regular season at 6-5 with just enough wins to be bowl-eligible and found themselves in Honolulu for the Aloha Bowl where they downed Arizona State 31-17, giving O'Brien his first bowl victory as head coach.

The year 2001 saw Boston College end a 21-game losing streak to ranked opponents when, in the Music City Bowl, the Eagles beat No. 16 Georgia 20-16 to finish at 8-5. But the most memorable moment of the year came in another thrilling game against then-No. 1 Miami at Alumni Stadium. Trailing 12-7 BC stood at the Hurricanes 9-yard-line, poised to win with just over 20 seconds left in the contest, but a freak interception thrown by Eagles quarterback Brian St. Pierre cost BC the game. St. Pierre threw too low for BC receiver Ryan Read, and the pass ricocheted off a Miami defender's leg and fell into the hands of Ed Reed, who returned it 80 yards for a touchdown — preserving a win for the Hurricanes and keeping its hopes alive for a national championship, which they would eventually win. Despite the heartbreaking loss, the season had several highs including running back William Green rushing for 1,559 yards and being the top RB taken in the 2002 NFL Draft; eight wins for the first time since 1993; and the team finished the season ranked (No. 21) for the first time since 1994.

Over the next few years the team posted respectable win-loss records and continued to win bowl games. In 2002, BC went 9-4 and won the Motor City Bowl, in 2003 they were 8-5 with a victory in the San Francisco Bowl and finished 9-3 in 2004 with a win in the Continental Tire Bowl. The year 2004 would be the Eagles final campaign in the Big East, and it finished the season in a four-way tie atop the league — a year in which they closed the season ranked No. 21 in both major polls.

BC holds the active national record for consecutive bowl victories, having won a postseason bowl game in each of the past eight years. BC footballers routinely rank at or near the top in Division 1-A for best graduation rate and were ranked sixth nationally in Student-Athlete GPA for 2004-05. As of June 2005, 20 Boston College football players were on NFL rosters. Among the more notable: Marc Colombo '02 (Cowboys), Doug Flutie '85 (Patriots), William Green '02 (Browns), Matt Hasselbeck '98 (Seahawks), Chris Hovan '00 (Bucs), Dan Koppen '03 (Patriots), Tom Nalen '94 (Broncos) and Damien Woody '99 (Lions).

Mathias Kiwanuka, BC defensive end who earned Big East Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2004, was drafted by the New York Giants in the April 2006 NFL Draft. The Giants are coached by former BC Head Football Coach Tom Coughlin.

On December 6, 2006, O'Brien decided to leave the Eagles and replace Chuck Amato as head coach at NC State. He was replaced by then Green Bay Packers offensive coordinator Jeff Jagodzinski.

Recent seasons

2004

2007

The Eagles, under first year coach Jeff Jagodzinski, the Boston College Eagles started their season 8-0, featuring a dramatic last-minute win engineered by QB Matt Ryan against Virginia Tech. They rose to Number 2, a position not held by a BC football team since the 1940s. Florida State upset the Eagles in the 9th week, ending Boston College's hopes of contending for a National Championship. After a second consecutive loss, this time to Maryland, they beat Clemson to clinch a position in the ACC Championship Game. The next week they beat Miami for the first time since "Hail Flutie" in 1984, and sent Miami to their first bowl-ineligible season in 9 years. A loss to Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship Game, however, dashed Boston College's hopes of its first BCS bowl bid.

Despite their #2 conference ranking, #14 BCS ranking and 10-3 record the Eagles were the 4th overall bowl selection in their conference and were chosen by the Champs Sports Bowl. Due to loopholes in the ACC bowl selection process the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl used its #2 pick to select Clemson, a team BC had beaten on the road. With the third choice the Gator Bowl selected Virginia. Both Clemson and Virginia had 9-3 records and only 1 win each over ranked teams to BC's 3 wins (over ranked opponents). This made Boston College and its former conference rival Connecticut the only bowl-eligible teams in 2007 that received a bowl bid lower than its conference ranking.

"Note:" The year indicates the season, as some bowl games are played in early January of the following calendar year.

Individual Award Winners

*Heisman Trophy:Doug Flutie - 1984
*Maxwell Award:Doug Flutie - 1984
*Walter Camp Award:Doug Flutie - 1984
*Davey O'Brien Award:Doug Flutie - 1984
*Outland Trophy:Mike Ruth - 1985
*Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award:Matt Ryan - 2007
*Manning Award:Matt Ryan - 2007

References

External links

* [http://www.bceagles.com/ BC Athletics Home Page]
* [http://bceagles.collegesports.com/sports/m-footbl/bc-m-footbl-body.html BC Football Home Page]