Boston College Football Countdown: 90 Days to Go

We’re ten days into the Boston College Eagles football countdown for 2013, and it’s not so bad, now is it? While seeing the featured players and learning a piece or two of BC trivia along the way, we’re inching closer to kickoff every moment. It’ll be great for us, because we’ll actually have something to cover again.

As you know by know, today’s feature is brought to you by the number “90.”

Who Wears 90 Now

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY SportsConnor Wujciak, sophomore, DT

Wujciak was one of the more notable recruits coming in to Boston College a few years ago. One of the top ten recruits in New Jersey at the time, the Eagles landed a solid defensive tackle from a football family.

2012 was his redshirt freshman year, and he appeared in ten of BC’s twelve games. In five of them, Wujciak earned the start, but by the season finale, he was off of the two-deep.

He managed 24 tackles (10 solo) in the 2012 season, including a tackle for a loss and a blocked field goal attempt against Georgia Tech.

After a redshirt freshman season, we don’t yet know what we have in Wujciak. In recent years, there have been a number of four-star recruits around this program who have not lived up to their potential, but in Wujciak’s case, most would likely concur that the potential for development is there. What he does with it is up to him, and also on the coaches who are charged with teaching him.

Notables Who Wore 90

• BJ Raji, DT, 2004-06, 2008. Green Bay Packer who gets down on State Farm commercials.
• Markell Blount, LB, 1994-97. Follow him on Twitter; why not?
• Tom Martin, DT, 2000-03. Started 40 games on BC’s defensive line in TOB era.
• Ted Page, DT, 1990-93. Teammate with Glenn Foley in high school and at BC.

Cowboy Jack Rides Into the Sunset

1990 was the final year of Jack Bicknell, Sr. He spent ten years at Boston College as its head coach, with the team’s peak coming during the outstanding 1984 season. Unfortunately for him, after winning the Hall of Fame Bowl in 1986, the Eagles had four-straight losing seasons, with 1990 being a 4-7 year. He was fired just before Chet Gladchuk officially became athletic director. After leaving BC, Bicknell spent the next 17 years as head coach of various NFL Europe teams.

Flynn Rides Into the Sunset

Bicknell wasn’t the only big-time figure leaving Boston College in 1990, and in fact, the other one was of a higher profile. That would be Bill Flynn, athletic director at BC from 1957 to 1990. Much of what one sees of athletic facilities on Boston College’s campus even today, and not just the Plex which is named for him, was his doing. If you’ve heard of Alumni Stadium or Conte Forum, then you know who to thank. He guided BC into the upper-tier of college athletics.

We Are the 90%

More specifically, Nate Freese is. He made 90% of his field goals (18-for-20) during the 2012 season.

Renouncing Independence

Boston College had been a founding member of the Big East Conference since 1979, but until 1991, they were not a football member (nor was anyone else, for that matter). 1990 was BC’s last season as an independent, which they had been since the very inception of the program in the late 19th century.

Enter Foley

Glenn Foley’s freshman year at Boston College was 1990, and to this day, he still owns the freshman quarterback record for attempts (349) and completions (182). So began a career that would be one of the more notable for a quarterback in Boston College football history.