Boston College Athletics
DeFilippo Signs Contract Extension
August 28, 2001 | Boston College Athletics
Aug. 28, 2001
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Boston College director of athletics Gene DeFilippo has received a two-year extension of his contract, according to an announcement made today by University president Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. This extension of his contract will run through the 2005-2006 academic year. DeFilippo has been in charge of intercollegiate athletics at Boston College since September of 1997.
"Gene DeFilippo has provided superb leadership for our athletics program at Boston College," says Leahy. "I am delighted that he will be here for another five years."
During DeFilippo's tenure at Boston College, the athletic department has experienced unprecedented accomplishments in team performance, fund raising and academic accomplishments of student-athletes.
"I love working here at Boston College and working with Father Leahy," says DeFilippo. "He and I have become a very good team and I look forward to working here for many years to come."
DeFilippo re-named the Athletic Association's fundraising arm (formerly Blue Chips) in honor of longtime Athletic Director Bill Flynn. In the past four years, athletics has secured $23 million for the "Ever to Excel" capital campaign, which surpasses the total dollars raised by athletics at BC from 1980-97. Fundraising broke all records in 2000-2001, as BC friends and supporters contributed and/or pledged more than $6.7 million.
In those four years of the campaign, BC Athletics has secured 71 gifts of $50,000 or more, 49 of which were $100,000 or more. In 1998, the Barber family gift of $2.5 million to endow the position of head football coach was the largest in Athletics Department history.
In 2000-2001, 358 BC student-athletes maintained a grade point average of 3.0 or above, while the average GPA of all student-athletes was an impressive 2.97. BC's Office of Learning Resources dedicated a new study center in 2000 and undertook an aggressive program to assist its graduates with job placement. During the 2000-2001 academic year, a total of 178 BC student-athletes were named to the BIG EAST academic all-star team.
In athletic competition, DeFilippo guided Boston College to one of its most successful years in history during 2000-2001. Boston College won the NCAA Division I Championship in men's ice hockey as well as winning the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles. The football team won the Aloha Bowl on Christmas Day 2000 as the squad advanced to its second-consecutive bowl contest. The men's basketball team won the BIG EAST East Division regular season and tournament titles and advanced to the second round of NCAA play.
The women's cross country and men's soccer teams both won BIG EAST championship titles and both teams advanced to NCAA competition as the women's cross country squad finished fourth in the country. Shannon Smith won the NCAA title in the 3,000-meter indoor run while individuals from the men's and women's fencing and wrestling squads also took part in NCAA play.
DeFilippo was named the 2000-2001 Division I-A Northeast Region NACDA/Continental Airlines AD of the Year. He was honored as the annual NACDA convention at Salt Lake City in June of 2001.
During DeFilippo's tenure at BC, the women's basketball team has played in the NCAA tournament twice (1999, 20001) and once in field hockey, (1998), women's soccer (2000) and softball (1998).
He is extremely active on the national scene. He is the former BIG EAST representative to the NCAA Division I Management Council, the chair of the Executive Committee of the BIG EAST basketball Conference, chair of the HOCKEY EAST Television Committee, a member of the Executive Committee and third vice president of NACDA (National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics), second vice president of the nation's Division I-A Athletics Directors organization and is a member of the Honors Court of the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
