Boston College Eagles football The Boston College Eagles football team represents Boston College in the sport of American football . The Eagles compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision ( FBS ) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ( NCAA ) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . Begun 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 twentieth century , BC was New England ' s sole Division I - A program . It has amassed a 624 – 444 – 37 record and is 99 – 54 – 0 since the turn of the 21st century . The Eagles are coached by Frank Spaziani , commonly referred to as " Coach Spaz . " 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 . 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 . History . Early history . 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 . 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 " . 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 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 . 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 . 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 an insanely 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 . " In November 2008 , Doug Flutie was honored by Boston College with a statue of his famous “ Hail Mary ” pass to Gerard Phelan to beat Miami . Gambling scandal . Boston College ' s Cody Williams earned some negative press in 1996 when news broke that some football players had bet against BC in a bad loss on October 26 to Syracuse . After the 45 – 17 beating by the Orangemen , 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 — seven permanently from the football program . As a result of the scandal and a mediocre 16 – 19 – 1 record as coach , Henning resigned at the 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 turned the program into a consistent top - 25 team . The team was also helped by increased exposure on the national stage due to the move to the ACC and , later , 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 an interception thrown by Eagles quarterback Brian St . Pierre cost the game . St . Pierre threw too low for receiver Ryan Read , and the pass ricocheted off a Miami defender ' s leg and fell into the hands of defensive back 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 finishing 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 after losing the home finale to Syracuse ( thus costing the Eagles a coveted berth in a BCS bowl ) — a year in which they closed the season ranked No . 21 in both major polls . Rise in the ACC and recent history . 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 . In Jagodzinski ' s first year , the Eagles were picked to finish 2nd in the Atlantic in the ACC Preseason Poll . The Eagles raced out to a 7 – 0 start behind the arm of Matt Ryan and a stout , senior - laden defense . The Eagles climbed to # 2 in the BCS Standings before squaring off against # 8 Virginia Tech on a rainy night at Lane Stadium . The Eagles struggled on offense all night and trailed the Hokies 10 – 0 late in the 4th quarter . In a miraculous comeback , Ryan threw two touchdown passes in the final 2 : 11 of game to give BC the victory . Ryan ' s second touchdown pass , a 24 yard tear - drop pass to a wide open Andre Callender in the back of the end - zone , caused ESPN ' s Chris Fowler to exclaim " Lane Stadium goes silent ! " The come - back win vaulted Ryan into the Heisman discussion . BC clinched the ACC Atlantic Division with yet another dramatic win , this time over rival Clemson . Matt Ryan was once again the hero , finding a wide - open Rich Gunnell for a 43 - yard TD pass with 1 : 46 to go to give the Eagles the 20 – 17 lead . Clemson ' s 54 - yard FG attempt to tie the game fell short , clinching the victory for Boston College . The Eagles eventually lost the ACC Championship Game to the Hokies . BC played in the Champs Sports Bowl against the Michigan State Spartans , winning 24 – 21 . 2007 marked the second time in Eagle history that the team won 11 games , the other being the undefeated 1940 season . Matt Ryan won the Manning Award and the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award , becoming BC ' s first major award recipient since Mike Ruth won the Outland Trophy in 1985 . Ryan finished 7th in the Heisman race , garnering 9 first place votes . Jamie Silva was a Consensus All - American , BC ' s first since William Green in 2001 . The 2008 season saw the Eagles return to the ACC Championship Game , this time behind a defense that ranked 5th in Total Defense . The Eagles fell once again to the Hokies . In both 2007 and 2008 , the Eagles had defeated the Hokies in the regular season meeting only to lose in the ACC Championship Game . Following the 2008 season , Jagodzinski was fired for interviewing with the New York Jets . Frank Spaziani was hired and is the current head coach . Prior to the 2009 season , star LB and reigning ACC Defensive Player of the Year Mark Herzlich was diagnosed with Ewing ' s Sarcoma , a rare form of bone cancer . Herzlich was forced to miss the entirety of the 2009 season . Herzlich became an inspirational figure as he battled his way back , earning the Disney ' s Wide World of Sports Spirit Award , an award presented annually to college football ' s most inspirational player or team . Boston College created a chapter of Uplifting Athletes to benefit Ewing ' s Sarcoma research . The chapter participates in an annual " Lift for Life " ( where players compete in various physical challenges ) to raise money . On October 3 , 2009 , Herzlich publicly announced on College Gameday that he was cancer - free . Herzlich completed the comeback when he took the field once again on September 4 , 2010 , against Weber State . It was announced on December 1 , 2009 , that the Boston College football team , along with 29 other athletic programs on campus , would officially switch its athletic outfitter from Reebok to Under Armour . On July 1 , 2010 , BC became the tenth Football Bowl Subdivision team to wear uniforms from the Baltimore - based outfitter , joining Auburn , Hawaii , Maryland , North Texas , South Carolina , South Florida , Texas Tech and Utah . In 2011 , the Eagles finished 4 – 8 and failed to qualify for a bowl for the first time in 12 years . Following the 2011 season , junior LB Luke Kuechly won the Butkus Award , the Lombardi Award , the Lott Trophy , and the Bronko Nagurski Trophy . Kuechly is the first Eagle to win these awards . Alumni Stadium . Since 1957 , Alumni Stadium has been the home of the Eagles . Located on BC ' s Lower Campus , the stadium has a capacity of 44 , 500 . In 2005 , the Yawkey Athletics Center was constructed at the north end - zone side of the stadium . The Yawkey Center houses the football offices and weight room . A replica of Doug Flutie ' s 1984 Heisman Trophy is on display in the BC football museum on the first floor of the Center . Football rivalries . Holy Cross . In 1896 , Boston College and Holy Cross began what was to become one of the most storied rivalries in college football . 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 the Holy Cross Crusaders 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 . Notre Dame . 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 FBS 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 Frank Leahy Memorial Bowl and the Ireland Trophy . Notre Dame currently leads the all - time series 12 – 9 . The Eagles and the Fighting Irish have met once in the postseason ; Notre Dame defeated Boston College in the 1983 Liberty Bowl by a score of 19 – 18 . 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 [ sic ] , 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 . " While the BC - ND series was scheduled to end in 2010 , the schools agreed to extend the rivalry until at least 2019 . The Eagles and the Fighting Irish will face each other at Alumni Stadium in 2012 , 2015 , and 2019 , and in South Bend in 2016 and 2018 . Memorable moments in the BC - ND rivalry . 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 . Notre Dame has not been ranked # 1 since . During the 2002 matchup in Notre Dame , 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 from 2007 to present . Virginia Tech . BC and Virginia Tech first played in 1993 and have played every since , except for 2004 . Now both in the ACC , two schools are cross - division rivals , meaning they play each other every year despite not being in the same division . The schools played each other twice in one season in both 2007 and 2008 ; in both years , the Eagles won the regular season meeting while Hokies won the rematch in the ACC Championship Game . Virginia Tech is famed for its seeming invincibility in Thursday night games at Lane Stadium . Since 1994 , the Hokies are 11 – 3 at home on Thursday nights . The Eagles delivered 2 of those 3 losses and until 2009 were the only team to beat Virginia Tech at Lane Stadium on a Thursday night . The 2007 Thursday night meeting between the Eagles and the Hokies was undoubtedly the most exciting game of the rivalry . Matt Ryan led the # 2 Eagles to an improbable comeback , scoring 2 TDs in the final 2 : 11 of the game to give BC the 14 – 10 victory over # 8 Virginia Tech . Virginia Tech currently leads the all - time series 14 – 6 . Clemson . The Eagles and the Clemson Tigers first played each other in the Cotton Bowl at the end of the 1939 season , a game won by the Tigers . The schools played 11 more times until 1960 . When BC joined the ACC in 2005 , the games between the Eagles and the Tigers were especially memorable . Both the 2005 and 2006 games went to overtime and the 2007 game featured late - game heroics from Matt Ryan in a division - clinching victory . Starting in 2008 , the Boston College Gridiron Club created the O ' Rourke - McFadden Trophy to honor the friendly rivalry between the Eagles and the Tigers . The trophy is named after BC ' s Charlie O ' Rourke and Clemson ' s Banks McFadden , star players of their respective teams when the Eagles and Tigers first played in the 1940 Cotton Bowl . The MVP of the game receives a replica leather helmet . Montel Harris was named the MVP of the 2010 meeting . Clemson currently leads the all - time series 10 – 9 – 2 . Syracuse . With the exception of Holy Cross , no team has played Boston College more than the Syracuse Orange . The teams first played in 1924 and started playing an annual game in 1961 . In 2004 , the Eagles last year in the Big East , the Orange pulled off a surprising upset that kept the Eagles from going to their first BCS game . BC ' s departure from the Big East put the future of the rivalry in doubt . However , the Eagles and the Orange agreed to play an annual out - of - conference game through 2021 . In 2010 , the Eagles won the first meeting between the schools since 2004 by a score of 16 – 7 . In September 2011 , the ACC announced that they had accepted bids by Syracuse and Pitt to become the 13th and 14th members of the ACC . Syracuse ' s admission into the ACC , presumably to start the 2014 season , should reignite this storied rivalry . Syracuse currently leads the all - time series 18 – 28 . Bowl games . Boston College has been to 22 bowl games , currently holding a 13 – 9 record . The Eagles posted an 8 - game bowl winning streak from 2000 to 2007 and went to 12 consecutive bowl games from 1999 to 2010 . BC ' s 8 - game bowl win streak was the nation ' s longest active streak before it was snapped in 2008 . The 12 - year streak was tied with Oklahoma for the 6th longest active streak in country . Awards and honors . Consensus All - Americans . Boston College has had 12 consensus All - Americans . Retired jerseys . The Eagles have retired nine jerseys . Doug Flutie and Mike Ruth are the only two players to have their numbers retired . College Football Hall of Fame . Six former BC Players and three former Coaches have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame . Five players from the 1940 " Team of Destiny " , as well as the Coach , are among the inductees . ( Year Inducted ) Eagles in the NFL . As of December , 2011 , the Eagles have 20 former players on NFL rosters . Among the more notable : Matt Ryan ' 07 ( Falcons ) , Matt Hasselbeck ' 98 ( Titans ) , Dan Koppen ' 03 ( Patriots ) , Mathias Kiwanuka ' 06 ( Giants ) , Mark Herzlich ' 11 ( Giants ) , B . J . Raji ' 09 ( Packers ) Since 2000 , the Eagles have had 22 players selected in the NFL Draft . Of those picks , 8 were first round selections . BC had consecutive top 10 picks in 2008 and 2009 ; Matt Ryan was selected 3rd overall by the Atlanta Falcons in 2008 and B . J . Raji was selected 9th overall by the Green Bay Packers in 2009 . Luke Kuechly is the most recent Eagle to be drafted , selected by the Carolina Panthers with the 9th overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft . " O - Line U " . The Eagles have a reputation of producing high - quality NFL Offensive Linemen , earning the school the nickname " O - Line U " . Notable alums of O - Line U include Tom Nalen ' 93 ( 5x Pro Bowl Selection , 2x Super Bowl Champion ) , Ron Stone ' 92 ( 3x Pro Bowl Selection , 2x Super Bowl Champion ) , Damien Woody ' 98 ( 1x Pro Bowl Selection , 2x Super Bowl Champion ) , Dan Koppen ' 02 ( 1x Pro Bowl Selection , 2x Super Bowl Champion ) , and Chris Snee ' 03 ( 3x Pro Bowl Selection , 2x Super Bowl Champion ) .