Photo by: USA Today Sports Images
Boston College's Underrated "Super Bowl U"
January 25, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
61 former Eagles have played in the Super Bowl, with 24 earning rings.
When people speak of college football's "pro factories," they tend to focus on common names. Teams like Ohio State, Notre Dame, Miami and Southern California are well known throughout history for their ability to churn out high draft choices and their alumni classes are stocked with the type of raw abilities general managers and coaches drool over.
Despite not appearing on the more common list of first round-type programs, Boston College enters this year's game as one of the top college football programs to appear in the game. Following Super Bowl 50 last season, the Eagles tied for 26th nationally, having produced 61 players all-time who appeared in the big game.
Of those 61 Eagles, 24 players have won 34 Super Bowl rings, setting BC apart as an elite program capable of churning out championship-caliber athletes.
"When I first got into the NFL, I was in awe of those players who played for those top 20 teams," former BC linebacker Pete Cronan said. "I was a little bit mystified to play against guys from the so-called 'elite programs.' But as I got into the day-to-day combat with them on the field, I realized I was just as good as the rest of them. The light really turned on that a Boston College football player was just as good as someone from Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas."
Cronan is one of those 24 players to hold a ring; his Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, in Super Bowl XVII.
"The Super Bowl is a really interesting and exciting experience (for any player)," he said. "For me, it was a huge opportunity for my family - my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles had all watched me go through high school in Framingham and college at Boston College, but I began my career in Seattle with the Seahawks. In those days, with no cell phones, there was no chance for them to keep in touch as much, so to have them participate in the playoffs with Washington with me and to have them in Pasadena to participate in the Super Bowl was really special."
A local product, Cronan is one of the homegrown types of players that Boston College is typically built on.
What he described as a "coming of age" is something that proves BC is capable of churning out the foundation of championship-caliber teams. It's a tradition dating back all the way to the first AFL-NFL Championship Game, when Bob Hyland and Dick Capp suited up for the Green Bay Packers.
Boston College football players dotted some of the game's most memorable teams, with Bill Romanowski suiting up for the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and the Denver Broncos of the 1990s; Tom Nalen played for those Broncos teams as well. Kelvin Martin was a key specialist on the first Dallas Cowboys championship in 1992 and Mark Chmura caught passes from Brett Favre in Super Bowl XXXI.
Later, "O-Line U" gave the New England Patriots members of their 2000s dynasty, and four former Eagles - Will Blackmon, Mark Herzlich, Mathias Kiwanuka and Chris Snee - were on the Super Bowl XLVI Giants team that beat that Patriot dynasty.
Though Matt Ryan will start this year for Atlanta, he's the fourth quarterback to reach the Super Bowl and the second to start after Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck started Super Bowl XL for Seattle, going 26-for-49 for 273 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Seahawks fell short against the Pittsburgh Steelers, themselves a former dynasty from the 1970s, when Mike Kruczek was in uniform.
Coincidentally, Ryan's the only QB not impacted by the Steelers. Brian St. Pierre was a backup to Kurt Warner in Arizona for Super Bowl XLIII when the Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh. Though there's a case to be made since New England advanced to play Atlanta by beating - you guessed it - the Steelers.
"We were perceived as second class, but the truth is that we weren't (second-class athletes)," said Cronan, who now serves as the Eagles' radio analyst. "The NFL started giving BC attention in the 1970s and now there's a steady stream of guys who are a big representative of playing."
What makes BC athletes so appealing for championship teams is their ability to adapt to the level of play.
"It's intelligence," Cronan said. "Coaches talk about being able to use complicated schemes at Boston College and it translates to the NFL. The schemes require thought and intellectual ability and curiosity. It means the jump intellectually isn't that huge for BC players.
"You can really see it with the offensive linemen who went pro," he continued. "There are many different things to watch pre-snap and they have to identify and make reads based on coaching. That seems simple, but it gets much more complex when you have to process that quickly. Athletes have to be big, strong, physical and stay healthy, but what sets BC apart is that it also puts out smart kids (who can adapt)."
It's that type of athlete that's created a legacy of greatness coming from Boston College. Last season, Luke Kuechly joined that list with the Carolina Panthers. This year, Matt Ryan and linebacker Josh Keyes will join the list of former Eagles who will play in the Super Bowl. It's a chance for them to create an everlasting memory of their own in the long line of Maroon and Gold players who did the same.
"One thing (that always gets me) is this time of year," Cronan said. "I get the majority of my football fix at college games, so my whole week doesn't revolve around waiting for Sunday to watch the NFL. But the tournament for the playoffs is exciting and I watch every game. Mediocrity goes out the window in the playoffs and it's exciting because any team can win on any given Sunday.
"When I watch, I can transform into my games and remember all sorts of memories," he continued. "I remember playing Dallas in the NFC Championship, which was a wild experience, and I remember winning the Super Bowl in Pasadena. I remember going to the Super Bowl the next season again (Super Bowl XVIII), and we didn't win, but our head coach, Joe Gibbs, thought that team was better than the year before. It's understanding the value of it all."
Despite not appearing on the more common list of first round-type programs, Boston College enters this year's game as one of the top college football programs to appear in the game. Following Super Bowl 50 last season, the Eagles tied for 26th nationally, having produced 61 players all-time who appeared in the big game.
Of those 61 Eagles, 24 players have won 34 Super Bowl rings, setting BC apart as an elite program capable of churning out championship-caliber athletes.
"When I first got into the NFL, I was in awe of those players who played for those top 20 teams," former BC linebacker Pete Cronan said. "I was a little bit mystified to play against guys from the so-called 'elite programs.' But as I got into the day-to-day combat with them on the field, I realized I was just as good as the rest of them. The light really turned on that a Boston College football player was just as good as someone from Georgia, Notre Dame and Texas."
Cronan is one of those 24 players to hold a ring; his Washington Redskins defeated the Miami Dolphins, 27-17, in Super Bowl XVII.
"The Super Bowl is a really interesting and exciting experience (for any player)," he said. "For me, it was a huge opportunity for my family - my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles had all watched me go through high school in Framingham and college at Boston College, but I began my career in Seattle with the Seahawks. In those days, with no cell phones, there was no chance for them to keep in touch as much, so to have them participate in the playoffs with Washington with me and to have them in Pasadena to participate in the Super Bowl was really special."
A local product, Cronan is one of the homegrown types of players that Boston College is typically built on.
What he described as a "coming of age" is something that proves BC is capable of churning out the foundation of championship-caliber teams. It's a tradition dating back all the way to the first AFL-NFL Championship Game, when Bob Hyland and Dick Capp suited up for the Green Bay Packers.
Boston College football players dotted some of the game's most memorable teams, with Bill Romanowski suiting up for the San Francisco 49ers of the 1980s and the Denver Broncos of the 1990s; Tom Nalen played for those Broncos teams as well. Kelvin Martin was a key specialist on the first Dallas Cowboys championship in 1992 and Mark Chmura caught passes from Brett Favre in Super Bowl XXXI.
Later, "O-Line U" gave the New England Patriots members of their 2000s dynasty, and four former Eagles - Will Blackmon, Mark Herzlich, Mathias Kiwanuka and Chris Snee - were on the Super Bowl XLVI Giants team that beat that Patriot dynasty.
Though Matt Ryan will start this year for Atlanta, he's the fourth quarterback to reach the Super Bowl and the second to start after Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck started Super Bowl XL for Seattle, going 26-for-49 for 273 yards, a touchdown and an interception as the Seahawks fell short against the Pittsburgh Steelers, themselves a former dynasty from the 1970s, when Mike Kruczek was in uniform.
Coincidentally, Ryan's the only QB not impacted by the Steelers. Brian St. Pierre was a backup to Kurt Warner in Arizona for Super Bowl XLIII when the Cardinals lost to Pittsburgh. Though there's a case to be made since New England advanced to play Atlanta by beating - you guessed it - the Steelers.
"We were perceived as second class, but the truth is that we weren't (second-class athletes)," said Cronan, who now serves as the Eagles' radio analyst. "The NFL started giving BC attention in the 1970s and now there's a steady stream of guys who are a big representative of playing."
What makes BC athletes so appealing for championship teams is their ability to adapt to the level of play.
"It's intelligence," Cronan said. "Coaches talk about being able to use complicated schemes at Boston College and it translates to the NFL. The schemes require thought and intellectual ability and curiosity. It means the jump intellectually isn't that huge for BC players.
"You can really see it with the offensive linemen who went pro," he continued. "There are many different things to watch pre-snap and they have to identify and make reads based on coaching. That seems simple, but it gets much more complex when you have to process that quickly. Athletes have to be big, strong, physical and stay healthy, but what sets BC apart is that it also puts out smart kids (who can adapt)."
It's that type of athlete that's created a legacy of greatness coming from Boston College. Last season, Luke Kuechly joined that list with the Carolina Panthers. This year, Matt Ryan and linebacker Josh Keyes will join the list of former Eagles who will play in the Super Bowl. It's a chance for them to create an everlasting memory of their own in the long line of Maroon and Gold players who did the same.
"One thing (that always gets me) is this time of year," Cronan said. "I get the majority of my football fix at college games, so my whole week doesn't revolve around waiting for Sunday to watch the NFL. But the tournament for the playoffs is exciting and I watch every game. Mediocrity goes out the window in the playoffs and it's exciting because any team can win on any given Sunday.
"When I watch, I can transform into my games and remember all sorts of memories," he continued. "I remember playing Dallas in the NFC Championship, which was a wild experience, and I remember winning the Super Bowl in Pasadena. I remember going to the Super Bowl the next season again (Super Bowl XVIII), and we didn't win, but our head coach, Joe Gibbs, thought that team was better than the year before. It's understanding the value of it all."
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