We’re already a couple days into the countdown, and before you know it, Boston College sports will be here. Football starts on August 31, but the whole 2013-14 season awaits. If things continue on their current trajectories, then this is what might happen:
• BC football picks up a few more wins; starts being exciting again
• BC basketball takes another leap forward; maybe finds the bubble or better
• BC hockey keeps to its even-year tradition and wins national championship

We can hope so, right?

With 98 days until the opening kickoff, here’s what’s up:

Who Wears 98 Now

Max Ricci, DT, junior

Ricci will enter his junior year in 2013, but he was not present on the spring football roster. There could be any number of reasonable explanations for it, and there’s been no news on him in forever, so it’s not worth the worry.

This defensive tackle from Groton was starting on the left side of the interior by season’s end last November, eventually moving ahead of Dominic Appiah on the depth chart. The season finale was one of only two games he started in 2012, though he played in all 12 games. Ricci picked up 20 tackles (15 solo) with 3.5 for a loss.

Notables Who Wore 98

• Alex Albright, DE, 2006-10. Former team captain; Dallas Cowboys undrafted free agent.
• Andy Klare, OG, 1988-91. Another St. X product.
• Lew Reynolds, DE, 1977-80. Mentioned in this old Heights article.
• Mike Willetts, DL, 1996-99. Signed with Cincinnati Bengals after 2000 NFL Draft.

The (19)98 Eagles

…stunk. BC was 4-7 that season and had one of their biggest fourth-quarter meltdowns in program history against Navy, but senior Mike Cloud was extraordinary: he had seven-straight 100+ yard games, and ten out of eleven games total. Cloud would get drafted the following year.

Immortalized in ’98

Doug Flutie (22) and Mike Ruth (68) had their numbers retired by Boston College on October 8, 1998 at Alumni Stadium. The bad news is that BC lost that game to Virginia Tech, 17-0.

Drafted in ’98

• Todd Pollack (New York Giants; 6th round)
• Matt Hasselbeck (Green Bay Packers; 6th round)

Trophied in ’98

Bill Romanowski and Tom Nalen won Super Bowl XXXII with John Elway and the Denver Broncos and got to hoist the Lombardi Trophy.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Boston College Eagles football recruiting roll continues, and this time, the trail to Chestnut Hill runs through Atlanta.

Early on Friday afternoon, Cameron Seward, a three-star athlete from Georgia who plays for The Westminster Schools, announced his commitment to Boston College via Twitter.

Seward becomes the tenth high school footballer to join the 2014 recruiting class, which is growing fast in both quantity and quality. National recruiting analysts widely expected Seward to choose Boston College, who were reportedly recruiting him the hardest. Defensive assistant Al Washington, who has been traversing the east coast with the other coaches in order to aggressively expand BC’s reach, was the primary recruiter.

Seward’s other BCS offers were from California, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Mississippi State, NC State, Central Florida, and West Virginia.

In high school, he has been listed as an outside linebacker, though he has also played wide receiver, and made this catch at a college football camp.

We welcome Seward to the Boston College family.

99 days from today is August 31, and on that day begins a new era in Boston College Eagles football. Today in the countdown is brought to you by the number 99 (not the steakhouse, and this article is not endorsed by Sesame Street).

Mark L. Baer-USA TODAY Sports

Who Wears 99 Now

Brian Mihalik, DE, junior

Mihalik, another Ohio defender from a fine Midwestern crop — Boston College has had a few good ones from the Buckeye State in recent years — is entering his junior season at Boston College. Last season, he backed up Kasim Edebali on the right end of the defensive line; Mihalik started twice but appeared in nine games total.

Over the course of the 2012 season, Mihalik totaled 22 tackles (10 solo), including 3.5 tackles for a loss, one sack, four passes defended, and a forced fumble. Not bad for limited playing time.

Notables Who Wore 99 In the Past

• Stalin Colinet (1993-96), DE: 1996 team captain; 3rd round draft pick of Minnesota Vikings
• Steve DeOssie (1980-93), LB: 4th round NFL draft pick; Super Bowl XXV champion; broadcaster
• Sean Guthrie (1998-2001), DE: 2001 team captain
• Jerry Willette (2004-08), DT: solid backup on excellent 2007 team

How Was BC Football in ’99?

1899 or 1999?

During the McKinley Administration’s ’99, Boston College football was quite good. They went 8-1-1, and in all nine of their non-losses, they shut out the opposition. In their loss, they got shut out. It was a simpler time when they played teams like MIT and Exeter Academy, but evidently, they couldn’t handle their own success, because they disbanded the team the next year.

As for 1999, in the middle of the Tom O’Brien years, the Eagles were again an eight-win team (8-4), but on New Year’s Eve, they got smacked around by Colorado in the Insight.com Bowl.

Eagles Drafted in ’99

• Damien Woody (New England Patriots, 1st round)
• Mike Cloud (Kansas City Chiefs, 2nd round)
• Doug Brzezinski (Philadelphia Eagles, 3rd round)

Also In ’99

Frank Chamberlin tied a Boston College record against Syracuse with 25 tackles in a single game.

99 Yards to Paydirt

In 2012, Andre Williams ran 99 yards for a touchdown against Army, breaking a 68-year old program record in so doing. Let’s not discuss the rest of the game.

99 Days from Now

You’ll be watching BC beat Villanova.

99 Days Ago

Valentine’s Day 2013, when recruits were staring to feel the love of Boston College’s family atmosphere and elite educational opportunities.

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

According to Rivals’ Eric Hoffses, Boston College Eagles wide receiver Johnathan Coleman has declined to return to the team for a fifth and final season.

Coleman, who was academically a senior this year, redshirted in 2009, and would have had a year of eligibility remaining, completes his Boston College career with 804 receiving yards and four touchdowns. All of those came in the 2012 season when he experienced a resurgence; after a brief but productive redshirt freshman year in 2010, Coleman caught just five passes in 2011. In his final season, Coleman made 33 receptions for 482 yards, including a career-long 52-yard catch in a drive which ultimately resulted in a touchdown.

A Bronx native, Coleman overcame a number of difficulties in his personal and family life to become a productive member of a BCS-conference football team. He earned our respect and we wish him well in his future endeavors.

However, in terms of the football team as a whole, Coleman’s departure means a top receiver is not going to be available on the depth chart. This could create opportunities for younger players such as sophomores Dan Crimmins, Marcus Grant (Iowa transfer), and Harrison Jackson, or redshirt freshman Nigel Matthews, amongst others. Boston College’s 2013 recruiting class only includes two wideouts, Drew Barksdale and Charlie Callinan, and both may be redshirted. The receiving corps has gotten even younger, and will require big contributions from underclassmen in order for the offense to succeed.

Today begins the Soaring to Glory Boston College football summer series. For the last several years, we’ve done player biographies and lots of position breakdowns. The positional battles are coming later in the summer, but this time, we’re going to try something a little different.

In the summer of 2013, as we head towards a new era in Eagles football, we are going to count down each and every day until the season begins. Each day, Soaring to Glory will have some new relevant BC football facts, trivia, information, player and coach features, and more. By “relevant,” we mean that the number of the day — today’s, for example, is 100 — will feature prominently in the articles each day. You’ll see what we mean, starting tomorrow.

100 days from today, you, I, and many others will gather at Alumni Stadium for the season opener against Villanova. By all means, don’t wish your whole summer away — head to the beach, read a book, and take Grandma Tilly out for a picnic. But do check in to this site all summer for some player features, BC football knowledge, and just to watch the number above keep getting smaller and smaller.

With our season wrap-up now complete, today is the last day for Soaring to Glory to cover the 2012-13 Boston College Eagles season across all sports. Starting tomorrow is the BC football summer series as we launch the 2013-14 year on this parcel of internet real estate.

My associate editor and I wanted to fit in one more riveting discussion before the big transition to the summer. In it, we weave from Boston College football to baseball to Kyle’s forthcoming road test and sitcoms we don’t like. How can we go wrong?

Joe: My best and worst sports moments of the 2012-13 Boston College academic year are out in the open, but what were your one or two favorite moments of the year?

Kyle: I really gotta think my favorite moment was the whole hiring of new head football coach Steve Addazio and the recruiting process that followed it. There is renewed excitement on the Heights about football. The coaches are engaged in recruiting and aren’t waiting ’til the summer to do it like our previous mustache in charge. Marcus Outlow and now Connor Strachan are BC recruits who will make instant impact at RB and ILB, respectively. Plus, DE Harold Landry just picked up an FSU offer, but is solid on BC. I can’t believe it, honestly, as I REALLY wanted Bob Diaco, but Addazio is earning his paycheck in a big way.

Next best memory will be from BC basketball, and no, it is not the Olivier Hanlan game against Georgia Tech. Rather, it is the one-point loss to Duke. Despite the fact we lost, coming close is representative of the improvements the team made through the second half. The team at the end of the year is not the one that achieved embarrassment against Bryant, but instead is an ACC team on the rise with a young backcourt and a late first-round pick at the 4. Plus, the transfer from Notre Dame (Alex Dragicevich) looks like a solid prospect at the 3.

Joe: I think Addazio has gotten most BC fans on board at this point. Before we get to the next obvious area of discussion, let’s get into the recruiting for a moment because this is an important topic.

I will not say anything bad about the guys we have here now or the kids coming in this year; they wear maroon and gold so I support them. Make no mistake, however: recruiting was very difficult under Spaz, especially towards the end, because the program was getting tired and stale, and what up-and-comer would want to hitch their wagon to a meteorite burning up in the atmosphere? With years of recruiting neglect and poor player development, I would have said that it might take several years at least just for BC to return to respectability. Spaz decimated the program and it seemed like it would be a long time before we were “back.”

Now, we’ve got a 2014 class that’s tracking Top 25/30 if this keeps up, and I think there’s at least a shot BC sneaks into a bowl this year. If Addazio’s recruiting stays at around this level in upcoming seasons, BC might be respectable again sooner than expected. Your thoughts on that?

The conversation continues on the next page

Feb 10, 2013; Chestnut Hill, MA, USA; Boston College Eagles fans in the stands against the Duke Blue Devils during the second half at Conte Forum. Duke Blue Devils won 62-61. Mandatory Credit: Greg M. Cooper-USA TODAY Sports

There you have it, you no longer need to run to the CTRC to print your ticket and if you don’t have a good fake “Gold Pass” you are not entering the student section with a twice copied student ticket.

The Heights Sports Blog, obviously the blog of the sports department of the Heights, is writing that BC Athletics is completely revamping the old ticketing system in an effort to get more Superfans to come to games and reward them for doing so.

This “gold pass” will cover all Boston College athletic games so that you won’t be purchasing any single ticketing packages for sports. The cost of the pass will be $175. Not too bad when football, men’s basketball and hockey combined to $315.

You can read the full details in the article by Austin Tedesco:  http://www.bcheightssports.com/2013/05/19/bc-introduces-new-all-access-gold-pass-for-student-season-tickets/

These are going to be very interesting changes that we will keep you updated on. One source inside tells me that this “is a step in the right direction”.

Hopefully it will increase attendance and get students there thirty minutes early(there are rewards for that), so we can avoid any Gene-like tweets from Brad Bates about the crowd at Clemson. (Blogger’s note: It seems that GDF’s Twitter account has been deleted so I couldn’t embed his gem on the page. Sad Face)

For so long, all we have had to talk about here are bad things that have happened in Boston College sports in the last few years. Aside from the occasional hockey championship, it’s been football this and losing that, rebuilding here and Spaz there.

This is the time when we finally get to discuss and highlight some of the best things that have happened this past year, and there were plenty. Things seem to finally be heading in the right direction, so this list may be harder to choose one year from now, but there is more than enough to celebrate from this year.

#5
March 16, 2013: Women’s hockey makes third-straight Frozen Four

Making the Frozen Four is a big deal, whether it’s in men’s hockey or women’s hockey. Getting to three in a row is a sign that your program is in the national elite.

Boston College women’s hockey did that in March when they beat Harvard in the national quarterfinals. The Eagles had another great season, rising as high as #2 in the national polls and earning one of the top four seeds in the 2013 NCAA Tournament.

Unfortunately, BC’s season ended against Minnesota in the national semifinals, but just getting to the Frozen Four was another big accomplishment for this talented team and program on the rise.

Rob Grabowski-USA TODAY Sports

The President’s Trophy winners are in a bit of trouble now as one team with an ex-Boston College Eagle made a statement on their home ice.

The Detroit Red Wings scored a 3-1 victory over the Chicago Blackhawks in Game 3 of the Western Conference semifinals, with Detroit now taking a 2-1 series lead.

Patrick Eaves finally got into the points column once again for the Wings as he assisted on Drew Miller’s first playoff goal in the second period, which ended up being the game-winner. He made the most of his 8:20 on the ice by getting the assist, taking two shots on goal, blocking a shot, and winning his only faceoff.

As expected, Jimmy Hayes and Ben Smith did not play for Chicago and likely won’t appear in the postseason for as long as the Blackhawks are around this time.

Tomorrow, Chris Kreider, Brian Boyle, and the New York Rangers will face the Boston Bruins in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden. Rob Scuderi and his Los Angeles Kings will face the San Jose Sharks in Game 4.

Finally, in the AHL Calder Cup playoffs, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins have mounted an improbable series comeback against the Providence Bruins. Down 0-3 in the series, with an overtime Game 6 win, the Penguins have forced Game 7. Brian Dumoulin scored (power play goal) on his only shot on-goal. Every ex-Eagle on either side of the ice had at least one shot in the game.

Speaking of, shots in that game were 48-17 in favor of Providence, and 33-5 in favor of the Bruins between the second and third periods.

Michael Ivins-USA TODAY Sports

Although there is a sense that the tide is turning in Boston College sports these days, there were still more than a few sour moments from which to choose during the 2012-13 school year.

Even some Eagles sports one would not expect to have lousy events did, but you know what they say: take the good with the bad and all that.

Dishonorable Mention
December 4, 2012: Boston College basketball loses fifth-straight game to Harvard

Being embarrassed by the Harvard Crimson on our own home court is becoming old hat around here. It is so common, in fact, that it only gets a dishonorable mention.

In early December, the Eagles lost by 16 points to the Crimson at Conte Forum, making it five losses in a row to the Ivy school from Cambridge.

One thing we know for certain is that BC will not lose another home game to Harvard in 2013-14: the game will be on the road next time.