page_title: Boston College Eagles football
section_title: Early history (1893–1961)
hierarchical_section_title: Boston College Eagles football / History / Early history (1893–1961)
caption_attribution_description: Clemson and Boston College line up in the 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic
context_page_description: The Boston College Eagles football team represents Boston College in the sport of American football. The Eagles compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. Formed in 1892, Boston College's football team was one of six "Major College" football programs in New England as designated by NCAA classifications, starting in 1938. By 1981, and for the remainder of the 20th century, BC was New England's sole Division I-A program. It has amassed a 632–454–37 record and is 99–54 since the turn of the 21st century.
  After Steve Addazio was fired as the team's head coach, they hired Ohio State co-defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on December 14, 2019. Boston College is one of only two Catholic universities that field a team in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the other being Notre Dame. The Eagles' 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 and graduation.
context_section_description: In 1892, Boston College President Edward Ignatius Devitt, S.J., 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. Some of the original team's alumni had particularly significant careers: captain Joseph Drum became the first BC graduate to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives,  Joseph F. O'Connell was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, and running back James Carlin became president of the College of the Holy Cross.
  In 1920, the Boston College football team adopted the nickname 'Eagles.' The season was capped by a stirring 14-0 victory over Holy Cross before 40,000 fans at Braves Field. The win gave the team a perfect 8-0 season and the school’s first 'Eastern Championship.'
  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". 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 Mike 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 22 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, who would go on to cement his legendary status during an eleven-year stint as head coach at Notre Dame, took his undefeated Eagles on to the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans where they beat Tennessee. A banner on BC's campus commemorating the team uses the phrase "national champions", but Boston College was not awarded a national championship by any of the national polls at the time of the 1940 season. Although BC's claim to a title is not recognized by the NCAA or college football historians in general, one website, the College Football Data Warehouse, claims that selectors named Cliff Morgan and Ray Bryne rated BC #1 in 1940. This web site states that BC's historic 1940 run resulted in a split championship with the University of Minnesota, but it's not clear whether the selectors awarded BC a title at the time of the 1940 season, or if they did so retroactively. The NCAA lists only Minnesota as the national champion in 1940, and does not credit BC with any national championships in football.
  Mike Holovak was named head coach of BC in 1951. During his tenure as head coach, the Eagles compiled a 49–29–3 record. Holovak won Coach of the Year honors in 1954 from New England football writers. Those efforts were good enough to earn him a new four-year contract on November 22, 1955, but even after four more winning seasons - he was fired on December 3, 1959, after a year in which Eagle fans had subjected him to constant verbal abuse.  Ernie Hefferle, an assistant coach for the NFL's Washington Redskins, was hired as head coach of the Eagles following Holovak's firing. Hefferle's Eagles compiled a record of 7–12–1 in two seasons. However, mounting pressure to win from the alumni and administration led to
caption: Clemson and Boston College line up in the 1940 Cotton Bowl
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