No Place Like Home
|
|
The Newton Campus soccer facility won the Sports Managers Association College Field of the Year Award.
|
Boston College's commitment to enhancing its athletics facilities continued this past year in a big way. With several future projects on the drawing board, the 1999-2000 year brought the following: The men's and women's soccer teams enjoyed their first season in their new Newton Campus home. The beautiful new facility won the Sports Managers Association College Soccer Field of the Year Award. On the heels of the installation of new Sony Jumbotrons in Conte Forum, work is underway to install a new state-of-the art sound system in the arena. BC served as the host school for the 2000 BIG EAST Softball Championships. Recent improvements to Shea Field provide the Eagles with one of the top playing facilities in New England.
Letter from Gene DeFilippo
|
|
Gene DeFilippo
Director of Athletics
|
Dear Friends,
On behalf of the entire BC Athletics family, I am very pleased to present our second "BC Annual Report."
What an exciting year! From the first moment they stepped foot on the playing field and in the classroom last fall, our 800+ student-athletes gave us many reasons to be proud. Our women's soccer team reached the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. Our football team capped off a fantastic year with its first bowl bid since 1994. Our women's basketball and men's ice hockey teams continued to soar to new heights, and our baseball team has shocked the Big East with its remarkable success under Coach Peter Hughes.
|
|
Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J.
President, Boston College
|
Our student-athletes have excelled in the classroom as well. Some 315 of them maintained a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above this past year, quite an accomplishment at an institution with BC's academic reputation. Women's basketball player Cal Bouchard epitomized what it means to be a true student-athlete. She finished as our fourth all-time leading women's basketball scorer with numerous athletic accolades, and she also graduated as an eight-time member of the Dean's List with an NCAA Post-Graduate Scholarship. She, like so many of our student-athletes, is truly a champion.
Once again, I would like to thank Fr. Leahy and the entire BC administration for their commitment, guidance, loyalty and enthusiasm for our mission. I would like to applaud our coaches and athletics administrators for providing unparalleled leadership to our young people. I would like to thank our many loyal fans and supporters for their unwavering commitment. And most of all, I thank our student-athletes, the very heart of our program.
They have set the gold standard for excellence.
Sincerely,
Gene DeFilippo
Director of Athletics
Head of the Class
|
|
Boston College student-athletes take a minute for a graduation photo.
|
Touchdown, goooooaaaaaaaalllllllll, game-set-match -- any way you say it, BC student-athletes hit a home run in the classroom this past year, graduating at an even higher rate than the student body as a whole. ... During the 1999--2000 academic year, 315 BC student-athletes maintained a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above, while the overall GPA of BC's 800+ student-athletes was an impressive 2.92. ... In addition to her athletic awards, women's basketball player (and female Eagle of the Year) Cal Bouchard has received numerous accolades for her academic accomplishments. She was selected as the 1999--2000 BIG EAST Women's Basketball Scholar-Athlete and was a four-time BIG EAST Academic All-Star, and was named to the Dean's List eight semesters. ... The Office of Learning Resources named its study center in honor of Al and Emma Folkard. Al retired from BC in 1994 and was considered a pioneer in the field of academic advising at BC. The study center is open 60 hours per week during the academic year with drop-in tutoring, review sessions and miscellaneous workshops available. ... Football's Steve Dapra and softball's Mary Dietz received the Academic Advisor's Award, recognizing the two student-athletes who graduated after using Learning Resources to the fullest in realizing their academic potential. ...
|
|
Women's basketball BIG EAST Scholar Athlete of the year Cal Bouchard.
|
Women's basketball player Danielle O'Banion represented BC at the 2000 NCAA Leadership Foundation conference in Orlando. More than 300 student-athletes from around the country participated in the conference. O'Banion also serves as an officer on BC's Student-Athlete Advisory Board. ...
Through the HEAR (Helping Educate through Athletic Responsibility) Program, numerous BC student-athletes spoke to elementary and middle schools throughout the community. The student-athletes spoke of their collegiate experiences and helped promote positive decision-making. ... The BC Pen Pal Program continued to be a smash hit. Throughout the year, more than 100 student-athletes corresponded regularly with students at the Garfield School in Brighton and St. Mark's School in Dorchester. In May, the student-athletes met their pen pals in person at a picnic in Alumni Stadium. ... Under the guidance of the Learning Resources staff, BC once again produced a Student-Athlete Resume Guide that was distributed to more than 300 corporations and potential employers. The office also instituted a Student-Athlete Internship Guide, aimed at helping student-athletes find summer internships in the Boston area. ... And one more extremely impressive note: The entering football class of 1996 -- one that endured well-documented controversy and coaching changes along the way -- has already graduated more than 90% of its members, quite a credit to those student-athletes and to Coach Tom O'Brien's staff.
Going for the Gold
|
|
BC's three first-team ice hockey All-America selections -- Brian Gionta, Mike Mottau and Jeff Farkas -- were all finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, which Mottau won.
|
BC's athletics teams -- and many individuals -- achieved excellence during the 1999-2000 season. Among the highlights: The BC football team engineered the third-best turnaround in Division I football when it finished the regular season with an 8-3 record and a top 25 national ranking. The Eagles were invited to play in the Insight.com Bowl, BC's first bowl bid since 1994. ... The men's ice hockey team played for the national championship for the second time in three years. BC's three first-team All-America selections -- Mike Mottau, Brian Gionta and Jeff Farkas -- led the Eagles to their third consecutive Frozen Four. BC's seniors completed their careers with a record 99 wins. ... Speaking of Mottau -- the senior captain won the coveted Hobey Baker Memorial Award, the highest individual award in college hockey. Mottau joins David Emma ('91) as a BC Hobey Baker winner. Mottau was named BC's male Eagle of the Year. ...
|
|
The women's soccer team advanced to the 1999 NCAA Tournament.
|
The women's basketball team continued its impressive run. The team registered the most victories in school history (26-9 final record) and was ranked 17th in the final AP and ESPN/USA Today polls. The team finished undefeated at home and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. ...
Paced by All-American Shannon Smith, the women's cross country team qualified for the NCAA Championships for the sixth time in the `90s. ... After a successful season at their beautiful new facility on the Newton Campus, the women's soccer team advanced to the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Tournament. ...
Men's basketball player Troy Bell set a BIG EAST freshman scoring record (20.1 ppg.) and was named BIG EAST Rookie of the Year. ... Antonio Garay received first-team wrestling All-America honors after finishing fourth in his weight class at the NCAA Division I Wrestling Championships. He also won the award for most falls in the least amount of time (3 in 08:54). The junior is also a starting defensive lineman for the BC football team. ... Baseball Coach Peter Hughes was named BIG EAST Coach of the Year after leading the Eagles to a 35-20 record and a BIG EAST Tournament bid. Seniors Mike Gambino and Steve Langone and sophomore Neal McCarthy earned first-team All-BIG EAST honors. ... Softball pitcher Kim Ryan capped off a stellar freshman campaign by earning BIG EAST Rookie of the Year honors. She set a new BIG EAST record for strikeouts in a season, fanning 106 batters in 15 league games.
Athletics Fundraising -- Record-Setting Success
|
|
Under the direction of BIG EAST Coach of the Year Peter Hughes, the BC baseball program is on the rise.
|
Under the leadership of BC Trustee and Athletics Campaign Committee Chair Greg Barber '69, fundraising for Boston College Athletics broke all records in 1999--2000, as BC friends and supporters contributed and/or pledged more than $6 million. ... In the past three years, Athletics has raised $16 million for Boston College's "Ever to Excel" Capital Campaign, the most ever raised in a three-year period by Athletics for BC. ... In those three years of the campaign, BC Athletics has secured 54 gifts of $50,000 or more, 34 of which were $100,000 or more. ... Dr. Ed O'Brien '63, past president of the BC Alumni Association, committed $350,000 to fully endow a tuition scholarship for a member of the men's ice hockey team. ... Bob Howe '68 was joined by his son Christopher '93 and daughter Jennifer '00 in pledging $250,000 to establish the Howe Family Scholarship Fund, providing support for student-athletes in need of financial aid.
Former Athletes Give Back to BC
John J. Burns Jr. '53 and other former football players and friends of Mike Holovak '43, have given $300,000 to endow a football coaching position for a graduate assistant, in honor of Holovak, a former BC player and head coach and member of the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame. ... In honor of his 50th class reunion, John Wisniewski '50 and his wife Jeanne have increased their commitment to $400,000 for their previously endowed football scholarship. ... Former co-captain and scholarship football player Dave Nugent '87 donated $100,000 to establish the Nugent Family Football Scholarship. ... Jon '83 and Patty (O'Hagan) '83 Schoen donated $100,000 to establish a scholarship in memory of Jon's mother, Anne. This represents the first gift from a husband and wife who are both former student-athletes -- Jon is a former football player and Scanlan Award winner, and Patty is a former track and field and field hockey player. ... Thomas "Red" Martin '61 and his son, T.J. '86, donated $100,000 to establish the Martin Family Hockey Scholarship Fund. Tom is a member of the BC Hall of Fame and recently had his sweater retired in Kelley Rink. ... Ed Coakley '57, a former hockey player and captain of the golf team, donated $100,000 to establish the Edward F. Coakley '57 Golf Scholarship. ... John V. Murphy '71 and his wife Kathleen committed $250,000 to establish the James G. Murphy Memorial Scholarship Fund (in honor of John's father and brother) for a student-athlete in an Olympic sport. John is a former president of the BC Varsity Club.
New Millennium -- New Look!
|
|
|
The new millennium has brought a new look for Boston College Athletics. For the past 24 months, we have undergone an extensive review of our logos and trademarks and how those marks support all of the Boston College athletic programs. This study led to the redesign of a logo program for the athletic department that will broaden the base of athletics-related design concepts and bring all teams under the umbrella of one branded look and feel. ... The new marks include an updated interlocking BC, a mark that uses the eagle along with the words 'Boston College', and a head-on view of the Boston College eagle. ... We felt that this branding project would not only provide a consistent look for our teams but also a spark to our retail market of Boston College merchandise. Manufacturers of licensed products and retailers of those products have shown genuine excitement for the new Boston College logos. ... The new look has been well received in the marketplace and throughout the Boston College family. We have spent a great deal of time listening to what is important to our constituents and feel that we have captured the spirit of Boston College Athletics in these new logos.
|
|
|
