Boston College Athletics
Football Team Accepts Motor City Bowl Bid
December 08, 2002 | Football
Dec. 8, 2002
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - The Boston College football team has accepted a bid to the 2002 Motor City Bowl, which will kick off at 5:08 p.m. on Thursday, December 26 at Detroit's new Ford Field. The game will be televised by ESPN. The 8-4 Eagles, who will be making a school-record fourth consecutive bowl appearance, will take on 9-4 Toledo of the Mid-American Conference.
"The fact that our football team will be going to a bowl game for its fourth straight year speaks volumes about our fourth- and fifth-year seniors," BC head coach Tom O'Brien says. "These guys made a commitment to this program when things were rough, and set an example for our younger players. Now they will become the first senior class in Boston College football history to go to a bowl all four years. We are excited to be going to the Motor City Bowl. We will get to work this week to prepare for a very tough Toledo team."
Indeed, the Motor City Bowl appearance will top off one of the most successful four-year periods in Eagle football history. This year's senior class:
-Has won 31 games the past four years (31-17), tied for the most wins over a four-year span since 1982-85 (31).
-Could tie the 1981-84 group (with a win over Toledo) for the most wins in a four-year period in the past 50 years (32).
-Won eight or more games three out of the past four years; before 1999, the Eagles had won eight or more games only twice in the previous 12 seasons.
"I am extremely proud of Tom O'Brien, his staff, and our football team for what they have been able to accomplish," BC Athletic Director Gene DeFilippo says. "On behalf of everyone at Boston College, I would like to thank the Motor City Bowl committee for extending us the invitation to play in their game. Our team will be trying to win its third bowl game in a row, against a very talented Toledo team. We look forward to the challenge and the opportunity."
