Boston College Football Countdown: 77 Days to Go
By Joe Micik
Lucky 7s today on the Boston College Eagles football countdown as just 77 days remain until the opening kickoff. As readers learned last week, information for each game which is shared on this site will be organized into game capsules, which you can visit here when individual game previews begin about 70 days from now.
Who Most Recently Wore 77
Sam Sharpe-USA TODAY SportsEmmett Cleary, LT
Emmett Cleary was one of Boston College’s most reliable offensive linemen in recent years, helping to bolster the Eagles on the edges. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn’t, but Cleary gave BC four good years.
Cleary was not drafted in 2013, but he was signed by the Indianapolis Colts shortly thereafter, where he was involved in rookie camp.
Notables Who Wore 77
• Gosder Cherilus, OT, 2004-07. 2007 team captain; first-round draft pick in 2008.
• Dan Koppen, OL, 1999-2002. 10-year NFL veteran.
• Harry Ball, T, 1957-59. 1960 draft pick of Green Bay Packers.
No Mo’ Joe
’77 was the final year of the ten-year reign of Joe Yukica as Boston College head coach. The Eagles never made a bowl under his reign and never finished the season ranked, but to his credit, BC only had one losing season under Yukica. 1977 was a 6-5 season.
Abundant Riches
1977 was a year of malaise and all that — I wasn’t there so I wouldn’t know but I hear the 70s were just awful, aside from the first two Godfather movies and Horshack — but team captain Rich Scudellari made out pretty well. In 1977, this Boston College linebacker won the Scanlan Award, Academic first-team all-American honors, and the College Football Hall of Fame scholar-athlete award. He would later go on to win Eagle of the Year in 1979 and get inducted into the BC Varsity Hall in 1995.
It Was A Lot At The Time
Boston College’s quarterback in ’77 was Ken Smith, who at the time had the second-most BC passing touchdowns in a season with 17. That’s the same number of touchdowns Chase Rettig had last season. He also set the BC record for five touchdown passes in one game that season; Doug Flutie broke the mark in 1984.
But It Wasn’t All Good
Ken Smith may have thrown 17 touchdowns in just nine games in ’77, but he also threw 20 picks. At the time, that, too, was a school record.
Try Getting Downfield For *That*
The longest punt in Boston College history was a 77-yard kick, done twice. The first time was by Jim Walton in 1976, and the second was by John Cooper in 1980.
Good Pass Defense, or Lots of Running?
In ’77, the Eagles set a record for fewest passing yards allowed in a game: zero against Villanova (we can only hope for a repeat on August 31). They tied the mark the next season.
UMassacre
In Boston College’s 1977 meeting with UMass, the Eagles turned the Minutemen over eight times, which is one short of the program’s all-time record. BC won the game, 34-7.