Boston College Athletics
Varsity Club Hall of Fame Announces Class of 2011
May 11, 2011 | Boston College Athletics
May 11, 2011
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. - Twelve of the finest athletes in Boston College history and two highly-regarded administrators comprise the Class of 2011 to be inducted into the Varsity Club Hall of Fame this fall.
The athletes being honored are: Cara Blumfield '03 (softball), Jack Farrell '50 (football/baseball), Jack Flanagan '59 (football), Scott Gieselman '85 (football), Jay Hutchins '84 (soccer), Amber Jacobs '04 (women's basketball), Brian Leetch '87 (hockey), Tom "Tank" Meehan '58 (football), George Ravanis `78 (baseball), Bill Romanowski '88 (football), Katie Ryan '02 (cross-country/track and field) and Bernie Teliszewski '57 (baseball/football) .
The two administrators being honored are: director of athletics Gene DeFilippo and Peter Olivieri '65 (video and technology consultant) .
The honorees will be formally inducted in a Conte Forum ceremony on Friday night, September 16, and then be recognized at halftime of the Eagles' football game against Duke the following day. That game will kick off at 12:30 p.m.
Here are short biographies of the new Hall of Famers:
Cara Blumfield '03 (softball): Cara Blumfield is the only player in Boston College softball history to earn All-America honors. The shortstop captured All-America second-team honors and All-Northeast Region first-team accolades as a junior. She ranked among the nation's top 10 batters that year, hitting .445. In her senior season, Blumfield started all 56 games, while leading the Eagles to the Big East regular-season title and a berth in the NCAA Tournament. She remains BC's career leader in numerous categories, including games played (208), batting average (.348), runs scored (123) and RBI (127).
Gene DeFilippo (administration): A familiar face to all, Gene DeFilippo has served as the director of athletics at Boston College since 1997. During his tenure, he has led the athletics program to an unprecedented period of innovation, growth, fundraising and academic success. He also guided the program as it transitioned to full membership in the Atlantic Coast Conference. DeFilippo initiated an impressive overhaul of BC's athletics facilities and he's overseen some of the most successful seasons in Boston College Athletics history. The football team has made 12 consecutive bowl appearances, the two soccer programs and two basketball programs have all become regular NCAA Tournament entries, and the men's ice hockey team has won three national titles.
Jack Farrell '50 (football/baseball): Jack Farrell is one of the few student-athletes in BC sports history to earn eight varsity letters. He returned from Navy service in World War II to play baseball and football. In baseball, he was a speedy outfielder. In football, he was a running back and defensive back. He scored a touchdown against Holy Cross in the final game of his career. Farrell captured All-New England honors in football.
Jack Flanagan '59 (football): Jack Flanagan was the Eagles' leading receiver over his four varsity seasons. As an end in head coach Mike Holovak's run-oriented offense, his contributions sometimes went unnoticed. Yet, Flanagan led the team in scoring in 1958 and won the Scanlan Award as the team's outstanding scholar-athlete as a senior. Missing only one game in his collegiate career, he earned All-New England honors. Flanagan played with the NFL's Chicago (now Arizona) Cardinals after graduation.
Scott Gieselman '85 (football): Scott Gieselman was a tight end for the Eagles from 1982-85. He redshirted his freshman season and then was a three-year starter. Serving as a big target for quarterbacks Doug Flutie and Shawn Halloran, Gieselman still ranks among the program's career leaders in receptions (eighth, 120 catches), receiving yards (13th, 1,485 yards) and TD receptions (tied-16th, 10). Also a very good blocker, he gained All-ECAC and All-East honors for three years. Gieselman was selected by the New England Patriots in the fourth round of the 1986 NFL Draft.
Jay Hutchins '84 (soccer): Jay Hutchins registered 62 points, including 21 goals, in 81 matches for the Eagles. Netting seven career game-winning goals, he was a three-time All-New England choice and three-time All-Greater Boston League selection. Hutchins gained Greater Boston League MVP honors in 1981.
Amber Jacobs '04 (women's basketball): Amber Jacobs was a high-scoring guard for the Eagles from 2000-04. Jacobs ranks sixth on the program's career scoring list, having tallied 1,544 points in 123 games. She also ranks sixth with 469 career assists. Jacobs earned Big East All-Rookie Team honors as a freshman. As a junior, she led BC to its first-ever NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, hitting back-to-back gamewinners in the tournament's first and second rounds. As a senior, she gained All-Big East second team accolades after guiding the Eagles to their first-ever Big East Tournament championship.
Brian Leetch '87 (hockey): Brian Leetch, whose professional career landed him in the Hockey Hall of Fame, played one year - 1986-87 - for the Eagles. In his one season, Leetch received the Norman F. Dailey Memorial Award as the team MVP. He captured the Walter Brown Award as the top American-born player in the New England. Leetch also earned All-New England, All-Hockey East and All-America accolades. He represented the United States in three Olympic Games - 1988, 1998 and 2002. Leetch played 18 seasons in the National Hockey League, earning all-star honors 11 times, New York Rangers MVP Honors six times, the Norris Trophy (top defenseman) twice and the Calder Trophy (rookie of the year) in 1989. He led the Rangers to the Stanley Cup in 1994.
Tom "Tank" Meehan '58 (football): A ferocious blocking guard, Tom Meehan joined the football program as a walk-on before enjoying a stellar career. He became team captain as a senior, earning All-New England, All-East and All-America honorable mention honors along the way. He also received the program's Scanlan Award as the outstanding scholar-athlete as a senior. Meehan gave up the chance to play professional football to serve in the US Marine Corps, where he was highly decorated as a combat pilot in Vietnam.
Peter Olivieri '65 (administration): Peter Olivieri served more than 20 years as the Director of the Conte Forum Control Room, supervising an ever-changing 12-member student staff that provided all the camera work, replays, audio and graphics for home sporting events. He also was intimately involved in the design and selection of several video boards and supporting equipment in Conte Forum. Further, Dr. Olivieri worked closely with the university's coaching staffs to explore ways in which technology might improve the performance of an athlete, coach or team. He did all this while also serving as a member of the Carroll School of Management faculty.
George Ravanis '78 (baseball): George Ravanis was a true power pitcher during his time at Boston College. Playing for longtime head coach Eddie Pellagrini, he was a dominant force from 1976-78. BC won 41 games during his time in the program. Ravanis himself recorded 17 of those wins. He was a two-time All-Greater Boston League selection, an ECAC all-star and a participant in the Cape Cod Baseball League. To this day, he holds Boston College's career record for earned-run average at 2.49.
Bill Romanowski '88 (football): Bill Romanowski stands among the best linebackers in Boston College football history. He was a four-year starter for head coach Jack Bicknell. Romanowski was a three-year All-ECAC choice and a three-time All-East honoree. Among his highlights was his selection as Defensive MVP in the team's Cotton Bowl win over Houston to conclude the 1984 season. As a senior, he captured the program's Scanlan Award (outstanding scholar-athlete) and the Bulger Lowe Award as the best football player in New England. He made 156 tackles (101 solo) in his final season. He played in the 1988 East-West Shrine Game, before moving on to enjoy a 16-year career in the National Football League where his teams won four Super Bowls.
Katie Ryan '02 (cross-country/track and field): Katie Ryan was a superb runner for the Boston College cross-country/track and field teams from 1998-2002. In cross country, she was an NCAA qualifier as a freshman. In 2000, she captured All-America accolades after finishing 24th in the national meet and helping BC gain a fourth-place team finish. On the track, Ryan was an accomplished 3000-meter runner, while also serving as a key member of the school's distance medley relay teams (indoor and outdoor). In 2001, she ran the third leg on BC's team that won the Big East indoor title.
Bernie Teliszewski '57 (baseball and football): Bernie Teliszewski was a three-year starter in two sports -- at running back and in the outfield. In baseball, he earned Greater Boston League MVP Honors as a senior captain after hitting .444 and pacing the league in home runs and RBIs. He finished with a .315 career batting average. On the gridiron, Teliszewski scored nine career touchdowns and won the Scanlan Award as the program's top scholar-athlete. He is deceased.
