Boston College Athletics
Bicknell Accepts Position With New York Giants
January 23, 2009 | Football
Jan. 23, 2009
Jack Bicknell, BC's assistant head football coach/offensive line coach for the past two seasons, has been named assistant offensive line coach for the New York Giants, according to Giants coach Tom Coughlin.
"He was the center when I was there (as the quarterbacks coach from 1981-83) and Doug Flutie was there," Coughlin said. "He was a tough, totally unselfish player." Bicknell's career highlight was snapping the ball to Flutie when the Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback threw the famous Hail Mary pass to beat the University of Miami in 1984.
In 1991, Coughlin succeeded Bicknell's father, also Jack, as the head coach at Boston College. But Coughlin stressed the younger Bicknell earned the job with the Giants through his track record as a coach. Prior to his two-year tenure at B.C., Bicknell spent eight seasons as the head coach at Louisiana Tech, where his 43 victories are the third-most in school history.
"He was the offensive line coach at Boston College for two 10-win seasons," Coughlin said. "They played in back-to-back ACC championship games with a lot of young guys in his second year.
"I have followed his career closely and I know very well of him and I think he will make an excellent addition to our staff."
Bicknell succeeds Dave DeGuglielmo, who left the Giants last week to become the offensive line coach of the Miami Dolphins. He is the second assistant coach to join the Giants this week. Jim Herrmann was hired yesterday as the team's new linebackers coach.
"I couldn't be more excited," Bicknell said. "Obviously, the New York Giants are one of the top organizations in the NFL, and I feel like I am going to have a chance to work for one of the top head coaches in the NFL and for one of the top teams in the NFL. It really is exciting and at this point in my career it is something that I am looking to do. I have enjoyed working at the collegiate level, but I have never really had an opportunity to get into the NFL, and this is a chance for me to start to learn the NFL game and what that is all about."
Bicknell is particularly excited about being reunited with Coughlin after more than 25 years.
"He was basically the offensive coordinator," Bicknell said. "He was the guy running the show, for sure, though he didn't have that title. I just had the utmost respect for him. Obviously, we all know he is an unbelievable coach, but also to me he is just a great person. One thing you know about him is he is a very loyal person and very honest, so it was an honor to play for him, and I really look forward to working for him now."
In the recently-concluded season, the line coached by Bicknell helped Boston College finish fifth in the ACC in both scoring (24.7 points a game) and in rushing (143.3 yards per game) and third in sacks allowed (21 in 14 games). In 2007, Bicknell helped mold a young offensive line that protected ACC Player of the Year Matt Ryan - now the Atlanta Falcons' quarterback - and helped the Eagles generate nearly 6,000 yards of total offense. The Eagles allowed only 22 sacks in 14 games. Bicknell helped develop Gosder Cherilus, whom the Detroit Lions selected with the 17th overall pick in last year's NFL Draft. BC finished the season ranked 10th in the nation, the team's best final poll finish since Bicknell was a member of the team in 1984.
"It was great to be back at B.C.," Bicknell said. "That is my school and I love the school and we were able to win 20 games in two years, went to two ACC championship games, and we had Matt Ryan, so it was a wonderful two years. I certainly appreciate all the opportunities that (athletic director) Gene DeFilippo and coach Jags (former coach Jeff Jagodzinski) gave me. It was just a great two years, but I am really, really excited about starting in with the Giants."
That '84 team is perhaps the one that is most fondly remembered in Boston College history. The Eagles went 9-2, Flutie won the Heisman and the quarterback and Gerard Phelan hooked up for one of the most famous plays in college football history - which started with Bicknell's snap.
"Everybody forgets about me," Bicknell said. "They remember about the guy who threw it and caught it, but if I screwed up the snap, it never would have happened."
During Bicknell's eight-year stint as a head coach, Louisiana Tech routinely played one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Bulldogs faced Florida State, Penn State, Miami, Tennessee, Nebraska, Texas A&M, Clemson and Auburn. Under his leadership, Tech defeated national powers Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma State and 22 of his players were either drafted by or signed free agent contracts with NFL teams.
Bicknell, who was one of the youngest Division I-A head coaches when he started, led the 1999 Bulldogs to an 8-3 record, the school's first AP Top 25 ranking and a 29-28 upset win over eventual SEC champion Alabama. In 2001, Louisiana Tech won the Western Athletic Conference championship during its first year of membership, earning Bicknell conference Coach of the Year honors. Louisiana Tech went on to play Clemson in the Crucial.com Humanitarian Bowl, the program's first postseason appearance since 1990.
Bicknell began his coaching career at Boston College in 1985 as a graduate assistant. In 1987, he went to the University of New Hampshire as the defensive line coach and took over the offensive line in 1993. During his time at UNH, the Wildcats won the Yankee Conference in 1991 and 1994 and were the New England Division champions in 1996. He was the offensive line coach at Louisiana Tech in 1997-98 before becoming the head coach. After leaving Louisiana Tech in 2007, Bicknell accepted the offensive line job at Texas Tech, but later opted to return to his alma mater.
Coughlin believes Bicknell will be an outstanding coach in the NFL.
"He's extremely excited about the opportunity," Coughlin said. "He wants to come in here and learn about the National Football League. He's very excited about his opportunity and very excited to work with (line coach) Pat Flaherty and (offensive coordinator) Kevin Gilbride. We look forward to having him here."
Bicknell received both his bachelor's (1985) and master's (1987) degrees from Boston College. In addition to starting in the Cotton Bowl, he also played in the 1982 Tangerine Bowl. As a senior at BC, he received the Scanlon Award, the highest honor bestowed upon a BC football player, the Scarminach Award for athletic and academic excellence and the Dean's Award in the school of education. Bicknell and his wife Helen have three children: John, Katelyn and Alyse.
