Boston College Football Countdown: 75 Days to Go
By Joe Micik
The countdown to the 2013 Boston College Eagles football season is now one-quarter over on this day, with just 75 to go. Speaking of the numbers 7 and 5, I bet a few of you will be hoping for 7-5 as a final record for this team. If it happens, and who knows in mid-June if it will, give Steve Addazio ACC Coach of the Year.
Who Wears 75 Now
Liam Porter, OL/TE, sophomore
Porter is a Natick resident and a former Natick High School star, just like one Mr. Doug Flutie, though Porter is quite a bit bigger than the Heisman Trophy winner at 6-6/276. Last season, he got into nine out of twelve games, and thanks to an eye-popping lack of depth, Porter ended up becoming a tight end.
He was not on the two-deep at the end of the year.
Notables Who Wore 75
• Josh Beekman, OG, 2003-06. 2006 team captain; spent most of his NFL career with Chicago Bears.
• Marc Colombo, OL, 1998-2001. 2001 team captain; first-round pick who played NFL ball for 10 years.
• Nate Richman, OL, 2008-11. 2011 team captain who gave the offensive line several good seasons.
A Lengthy Stretch of Decency
Joe Yukica’s head coaching tenure was noted by a number of decent to good years in terms of final record, but no bowl games. ’75 was no different, as the Eagles went 7-4.
Irish Spring Up
1975 was the first year in which Boston College played Notre Dame in football, thus beginning their Catholic school rivalry which is now mostly contained within the ACC and Hockey East. The Irish won that game, 17-3, which was featured on Monday Night Football.
And A Choke
Boston College’s 1975 meeting with Syracuse is tied for the third-biggest second-half meltdown in program history. The Eagles led that game by 11 at the midpoint but lost by 8.
Entering the Hall
In ’75, Chet Gladchuk, Sr. was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. He was a key figure on some great Eagles teams in the early 1940s, and then went on to play in the NFL and CFL and finally returned to college as a coach. His son of his namesake later spent seven years as BC’s athletic director.
Finding the Endzone
No Boston College running back has scored six more times than Keith Barnette, whose final season was in 1975. That year, he set the record with 34 touchdowns, which still stands today.
Speaking of Rushing
In ’75, the Eagles’ Glen Capriola tied what was at the time a program record with four touchdowns in a game against Army. Montel Harris took care of that with five scores against NC State in 2009.
Two Straight Days With An Ayers Reference
Johnny Ayers’ season high for punt attempts was 75 in the great 2007 season, which is one of the highest totals in BC history. That team scored a lot of points, so punting that much is forgivable.