Pretty good overview IMO (I live in the Boston area). My summary might be: BC is Notre Dame if it had Cal’s football program. In fact, athletically, a comparison to Cal isn’t bad. Extensive athletic program. Spotty football program. Big, pro-dominated metro area. Nice but overbuilt campus. Academics less of a draw to athletes than we think they should be. BC lost its traditional rival, Holy Cross, to one realignment (I-AA/FCS) and its regional conference (Big East) to another through league incompetence (in this case, rejecting Penn State). The bad news has been that ACC membership does not seem to have been successful in terms of public interest, recruitment, and on-field performance.
Small nits: 1) the lower campus, which contains the stadium, is technically inside the Boston City limits. But yeah, a suburban campus, definitely not urban like Boston University; 2) Jesuit schools provide an excellent education, but don't do WASPY.
Other items of note: 1) women's lacrosse is growing in popularity and has done well of recent - played in the last 6 national title games, winning a Natty in 2021; 2) BC's version of our Joe Roth game is the Red Bandanna game in remembrance of Welles Crowther, a varsity Lacrosse player who went down in the Towers while saving people on 9/11. (Back when men's lax was D1.) And bonus points for knowing that BC beat a ranked u$c in the first Red Bandanna game in 2014.
Things that could have been: After graduating from UC Berkeley, I was accepted into BC law, with a full scholarship. My wife and I realized we'd start having kids during my time in law school and with both our families in the West Coast, realized we would suffer without support network nearby. I ended up going to UC College of Law, SF (formerly Hastings).
There is a part of me that regrets not getting to experience Boston and the eastern seaboard as a resident of the area.
From the east coast, currently in the Boston area, I have some personal connections to BC and let's just say a little bit of animosity towards that school and its students... some bitter memories of drunk rich bros..
I've been waiting many years for this matchup, and badly wanted to see us throttle them in the Tedford era and maybe even the Dykes era. Wilcox basically has built BC West in Cal (Ott withstanding) so it should be a close slug fest when we play them in 2025.
Cant wait to see my beloved Bears on the East Coast close to home. It will be a little surreal.
Looking forward to getting to know the ACC. I think what would be interesting as well is to list the number of NCAA Team championships each school has won, the number of Varsity sports for men and women they sponsor, and their athletic department budgets and or profit or loss. How many of their members support 30 varsity programs?
I was at the 1986 game, as I was living & working as a sportscaster on Cape Cod back then. That was a total bummer of a result, especially after they lost their opener vs Rutgers (shudder) and our game was sandwiched between that and their anticipated match up vs #5 Penn State in Foxboro (then Sullivan Stadium). We thought maybe they'd be looking ahead? They were well-coached by Jack Bicknell & had plenty of talent. Three of their captains played in the NFL - RB Troy Stradford with Miami, WR Kelvin Martin with the Cowboys, and DT John Bosa with Miami. Name sounds familiar? Yep, the father of Nick & Joey Bosa!
Before you dismiss this team as a fluke, remember this was only two years after the Miracle in Miami. Beating us on that hot, sunny September 13th (unlucky?) gave them their only win in their first four. But they proceeded to win their final eight, capped by a Hall of Fame Bowl triumph over #17 Georgia in Tampa. The rest of our season? Well, you may remember it for the upset of Stunford in Joe Kapp's final game on the sideline. So there's that.
Good writeup, but a Catholic school can't be WASPy by definition.
Pretty good overview IMO (I live in the Boston area). My summary might be: BC is Notre Dame if it had Cal’s football program. In fact, athletically, a comparison to Cal isn’t bad. Extensive athletic program. Spotty football program. Big, pro-dominated metro area. Nice but overbuilt campus. Academics less of a draw to athletes than we think they should be. BC lost its traditional rival, Holy Cross, to one realignment (I-AA/FCS) and its regional conference (Big East) to another through league incompetence (in this case, rejecting Penn State). The bad news has been that ACC membership does not seem to have been successful in terms of public interest, recruitment, and on-field performance.
Change ACC to American Coast Conference.
U Make us Sound ratha Shty Nick! but in an insightful, & NICE way! Welcome! 4 Now!?
Fun write-up, Nick.
Small nits: 1) the lower campus, which contains the stadium, is technically inside the Boston City limits. But yeah, a suburban campus, definitely not urban like Boston University; 2) Jesuit schools provide an excellent education, but don't do WASPY.
Other items of note: 1) women's lacrosse is growing in popularity and has done well of recent - played in the last 6 national title games, winning a Natty in 2021; 2) BC's version of our Joe Roth game is the Red Bandanna game in remembrance of Welles Crowther, a varsity Lacrosse player who went down in the Towers while saving people on 9/11. (Back when men's lax was D1.) And bonus points for knowing that BC beat a ranked u$c in the first Red Bandanna game in 2014.
https://www.cbsnews.com/boston/news/boston-college-football-game-red-bandanna-welles-crowther/
Things that could have been: After graduating from UC Berkeley, I was accepted into BC law, with a full scholarship. My wife and I realized we'd start having kids during my time in law school and with both our families in the West Coast, realized we would suffer without support network nearby. I ended up going to UC College of Law, SF (formerly Hastings).
There is a part of me that regrets not getting to experience Boston and the eastern seaboard as a resident of the area.
From the east coast, currently in the Boston area, I have some personal connections to BC and let's just say a little bit of animosity towards that school and its students... some bitter memories of drunk rich bros..
I've been waiting many years for this matchup, and badly wanted to see us throttle them in the Tedford era and maybe even the Dykes era. Wilcox basically has built BC West in Cal (Ott withstanding) so it should be a close slug fest when we play them in 2025.
Cant wait to see my beloved Bears on the East Coast close to home. It will be a little surreal.
Looking forward to getting to know the ACC. I think what would be interesting as well is to list the number of NCAA Team championships each school has won, the number of Varsity sports for men and women they sponsor, and their athletic department budgets and or profit or loss. How many of their members support 30 varsity programs?
Very interesting post. It's amazing how much about the ACC (Clemson fan here) I'm learning from your posts.
I would be interested in your take on the latest in the ACC / Florida State / Clemson lawsuits. I believe the judge in NC ruled against Florida State.
I was at the 1986 game, as I was living & working as a sportscaster on Cape Cod back then. That was a total bummer of a result, especially after they lost their opener vs Rutgers (shudder) and our game was sandwiched between that and their anticipated match up vs #5 Penn State in Foxboro (then Sullivan Stadium). We thought maybe they'd be looking ahead? They were well-coached by Jack Bicknell & had plenty of talent. Three of their captains played in the NFL - RB Troy Stradford with Miami, WR Kelvin Martin with the Cowboys, and DT John Bosa with Miami. Name sounds familiar? Yep, the father of Nick & Joey Bosa!
Before you dismiss this team as a fluke, remember this was only two years after the Miracle in Miami. Beating us on that hot, sunny September 13th (unlucky?) gave them their only win in their first four. But they proceeded to win their final eight, capped by a Hall of Fame Bowl triumph over #17 Georgia in Tampa. The rest of our season? Well, you may remember it for the upset of Stunford in Joe Kapp's final game on the sideline. So there's that.
Cool mascot pix. Thanks for the write up Nick.
I have some relatives in southern Maine who might need a visit next year.
Go Bears!