Boston College Athletics
Leahy, DeFilippo Discuss Conference Realignment Process
June 26, 2003 | Boston College Athletics
June 26, 2003
Rev. William Leahy, S.J., President of Boston College, and Gene DeFilippo, Director of Athletics, met with members of the news media Thursday afternoon to discuss the conference realignment topic. The following is a transcript of their remarks:
Rev. William P. Leahy, S.J. President, Boston College:
As you know, interest in Boston College athletics and our conference affiliation has been much in the news for the past six weeks, and I thought it would be helpful if Gene DeFilippo and I talked about recent developments from our perspectives. After our comments, we will respond to questions as best we can.
Let me provide some context about Boston College and its discussions with the Atlantic Coast Conference. As an institution, we are committed to excellence in academics and athletics, and we want to keep getting better and better. That means considering all possibilities and opportunities that might contribute to our pursuit of excellence.
Membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference was one such possibility and opportunity. We engaged in conversations with its leadership for three reasons:
1. Academics. The ACC is a good fit for us because it has top 40 national universities like us, and a balanced mix of private and public institutions. Also, it is in an area of the country where the population is growing, and being in the ACC would help in our student recruiting efforts.
2. Athletics. The ACC is a strong, stable conference, and membership in it would secure the future of the intercollegiate athletics program at Boston College.
3. Finances. The ACC offered potential for increased revenues.
From the beginning, I have asked Gene to keep me abreast of discussions about conferences and ways to make our program stronger and better.
I asked him to explore the possibility of membership in the ACC. We know now that this is not possible, but I am glad we pursued the option. We have never left the Big East, and I know from conversations this week with the other presidents of institutions with football programs in the Big East that they are delighted that we are remaining with them.
With that as background, let me ask Gene to offer his comments.
Gene DeFilippo Director of Athletics, Boston College:
As you all know, because you have been part of this, too, this past month has been a roller coaster ride, filled with bizarre twists and turns. You all have documented the process almost daily, so you know that Boston College explored the option of joining the ACC along with Miami and Syracuse. Tuesday night, we were told the ACC presidents voted instead to invite only Miami and Virginia Tech to join the conference.
Am I shocked at this turn of events? No. Was I surprised and disappointed Tuesday night when I learned of the ACC Presidents' decision? You bet.
Never in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference have conference officials made a site visit and then not extended an offer to join the conference. After the ACC announced it had voted to begin formal discussions with Miami, Syracuse and Boston College about conference expansion, we were told by some the site visit was merely a formality. Upon conclusion of the site visit in May, we were told Boston College was a "perfect fit" for the Atlantic Coast Conference.
So yes, we were very surprised and very disappointed when we learned of the ACC Presidents' decision Tuesday night.
There are eight schools in the Big East football conference. Four of those - half - expressed interest in joining the ACC. I would dare say there are other institutions out there who would have welcomed the same opportunity to join in conference expansion discussions with the ACC if given that chance.
We entered into discussions with the ACC to better secure the future of our athletics program, and that is our job. This was a two-way street, to gauge the ACC's interest in us, and to gauge our interest in the ACC. As you know, Boston College is a great academic institution. We have an athletics program that has won national championships, conference championships, a Heisman trophy and bowl games, and our student-athletes graduate. Last week, in fact, our football team was honored for the 13th time in the past 16 years for its graduation rate.
We're already in a great conference. But I've been saying for a month now that it would be in our best interest to be aligned in a conference with the University of Miami. Now, what has been written this morning? That losing Virginia Tech and Miami is a huge blow to the Big East. So you have proven my point.
My attitude is the same today - my hope is that we still can be aligned in a conference with Miami, because my hope at this point is that Miami decides to remain in the Big East, with Boston College, with Syracuse, and we can join the other remaining members in making the conference stronger.
Many of you have written that Boston College will now have to come groveling back to the Big East, or it this will take years of fence-mending to overcome.
Nothing could be further from the truth. First of all, Boston College never left the Big East.
Second of all, other members of the Big East have told us they are thrilled that Boston College is remaining in the Big East. This is what they wanted all along. As many of you have made perfectly clear this past month, this is what YOU wanted all along. The years of fence-mending would have been much more necessary if we would have GONE to the ACC, not now that we are staying.
Have some people been upset with us during this process? No question. But you know what - my wife has been much angrier with me than anyone in the Big East has ever been, and we've remained married for 31 years. That's what happens when you are family, that's what happens when you are friends, that's what happens when you are a conference. You get mad at each other, you argue, you fuss, you fight, but eventually you get over it. And such will be the case here.
Since Tuesday night, I have received nothing but positive telephone calls from people around the Big East. They're delighted we're not going. I've talked to most of the other athletic directors, and it has been nothing but positive and supportive. I have received overwhelming support from our alumni and fans. They are disappointed, too, but you know what, they have said thanks for looking out for what's best for our program.
It's very easy and popular to say that this is all about money. It's just not that simple. Yes, we do need money to run our athletics program. This money is not being spent on frivolity; in fact, very few college athletics programs operate in the black. The fact of the matter is that it is very expensive to run an intercollegiate athletics program, particularly at an institution such as Boston College, where the cost of a full scholarship is in excess of $37,000.
In the 2002-03 academic year, more than 300 men and women received some type of athletic scholarship money at BC. Last year we budgeted nearly $10 million to provide young men and women an athletic scholarship to attend a top 40 academic institution, plus another half-million dollars for our Office of Learning Resources for Student-Athletes. It costs millions of dollars to buy uniforms, to pay coaches and staff, to travel, and to maintain our facilities.
So here we are today. What's next? First of all, I'm going to hope Miami decides to remain with us in the Big East Conference. Regardless, we are going to work hard to make the Big East as strong as it can possibly be.
