Boston College Athletics
Photo by: John Quackenbos
Emotional Senior Day Awaits Departing Eagles
November 08, 2017 | Football, #ForBoston Files
Saturday is the last home game for the 2017 season
Saturday's football game between Boston College and No. 23 NC State is one of those rare sporting events requiring few, if any, superfluous adjectives. The Eagles know what's at stake, and their preparation is a reflection of that awareness. Nothing else matters beyond the "one game season" kicking off at high noon at Alumni Stadium.
For the senior class, however, there's a little added extra. Saturday is Senior Day, an annual event recognizing the sacrifice of players to a program that's become something of a family for them. It's a chance to honor the commitment that came with players who first arrived at Chestnut Hill with a new head coach who looked to restore Boston's college football program to its levels of greatness.
"These seniors have been awesome," head coach Steve Addazio said. "We don't have a very large class here right now. We've got maybe two redshirt seniors and a handful of seniors that didn't have a chance to redshirt. That's not a huge class, but it's a great group of guys that I just loved being around and loved coaching. They're really great people and good football players. When I go out on the field every day, I'm grateful that I got a chance to be around and coach these guys."
The last few games are, for many, the last times players ever pull on a jersey or strap on a helmet. Senior Day represents their final home game, the end of an era that began with early morning weekend Pop Warner practices. It's the last chance to celebrate the sacrifice of families who helped raise them on the gridiron and contributed to their growth as people.
"I've been in a lot of programs, and I'm just really grateful to be around these kids," Addazio said. "These guys are committed to football; they love football. They really value their education. They're fun to be around because they're great people. The parents are great people. That's the culture of your program. And these guys have been fantastic."
Developing a culture is the first thing a new head coach wants to establish. Addazio arrived in Chestnut Hill in 2013 looking to redevelop the Eagles in a particular image. He wanted his players to cultivate the infrastructure so they could be part of a process leading to success. Everyone knew there would be bumps along the way, but the goal always remained to lay that foundation for the future.
"Coach Addazio really instilled a lot of toughness and discipline in a program that was kind of lacking it before he got here," redshirt senior Charlie Callinan said. "We were really able to turn that around. Coach has brought us to a bunch of bowl games - and that toughness and the family atmosphere has been great. He brought everyone together and dissipated a clique atmosphere."
Callinan's five years were filled with ups and downs. There were the two bowl berths in his first two seasons and the well-documented struggles of 2015. He witnessed the bowl rebirth of last season, and it's helped him appreciate how far the program is journeying into Saturday's game against the Wolfpack.
"I've had so many memories here, some big wins (and) ups and downs," he said. "It's going to be tough to go out for that last game. We're going to make the most of it though, and we want to send these seniors out with a win."
Four years fly by in college, and it ends in the blink of an eye. Student-athletes enter freshman year as high school boys, and they often look to senior leadership to help them adjust. That's where culture takes over; the infrastructure of the locker room helps younger players mature into leaders through the family atmosphere.
"Our senior class has been really great for me," redshirt freshman Anthony Brown said. "I came in as a freshman out of high school, and it was huge for them to show me the ropes and keep me going. It was really hard at first, and just to know that they helped me, I want to help them so much with this win on Saturday."
"It's crazy to think that this is about to be over," senior Isaac Yiadom said. "I think about how much I've grown since my freshman year, in my game and in my technique. In our unit, I've been with Kam (Moore) since freshman year, here together."
Senior Day is all about that emotion. It reflects even as it looks forward. It's a chance to cry tears for the days that can't be brought back while remaining excited about the future. The greatest impact of a departing class is how the upcoming players develop and expand upon the message. It creates lineage between players who pass the torch from one year to the next.
"We want the younger guys to become leaders no matter how old they are," Callinan said. "You can be a leader at any year. It's about how you carry yourself on and off the field. It's about how you try to get people to follow you. I've tried my best to lead a good example for these guys and keep them with good mindsets."
"We're going to miss them greatly," Addazio said. "A couple of them were already committed here, and they're technically first class even though they were committed. The handful of other guys that didn't redshirt were generally the first full recruiting class. And they're just fantastic guys. All alumni, our fan base, can be really proud that these guys represent this university on that football field. They represent all the things that really great about being a student-athlete."
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For the senior class, however, there's a little added extra. Saturday is Senior Day, an annual event recognizing the sacrifice of players to a program that's become something of a family for them. It's a chance to honor the commitment that came with players who first arrived at Chestnut Hill with a new head coach who looked to restore Boston's college football program to its levels of greatness.
"These seniors have been awesome," head coach Steve Addazio said. "We don't have a very large class here right now. We've got maybe two redshirt seniors and a handful of seniors that didn't have a chance to redshirt. That's not a huge class, but it's a great group of guys that I just loved being around and loved coaching. They're really great people and good football players. When I go out on the field every day, I'm grateful that I got a chance to be around and coach these guys."
The last few games are, for many, the last times players ever pull on a jersey or strap on a helmet. Senior Day represents their final home game, the end of an era that began with early morning weekend Pop Warner practices. It's the last chance to celebrate the sacrifice of families who helped raise them on the gridiron and contributed to their growth as people.
"I've been in a lot of programs, and I'm just really grateful to be around these kids," Addazio said. "These guys are committed to football; they love football. They really value their education. They're fun to be around because they're great people. The parents are great people. That's the culture of your program. And these guys have been fantastic."
Developing a culture is the first thing a new head coach wants to establish. Addazio arrived in Chestnut Hill in 2013 looking to redevelop the Eagles in a particular image. He wanted his players to cultivate the infrastructure so they could be part of a process leading to success. Everyone knew there would be bumps along the way, but the goal always remained to lay that foundation for the future.
"Coach Addazio really instilled a lot of toughness and discipline in a program that was kind of lacking it before he got here," redshirt senior Charlie Callinan said. "We were really able to turn that around. Coach has brought us to a bunch of bowl games - and that toughness and the family atmosphere has been great. He brought everyone together and dissipated a clique atmosphere."
Callinan's five years were filled with ups and downs. There were the two bowl berths in his first two seasons and the well-documented struggles of 2015. He witnessed the bowl rebirth of last season, and it's helped him appreciate how far the program is journeying into Saturday's game against the Wolfpack.
"I've had so many memories here, some big wins (and) ups and downs," he said. "It's going to be tough to go out for that last game. We're going to make the most of it though, and we want to send these seniors out with a win."
Four years fly by in college, and it ends in the blink of an eye. Student-athletes enter freshman year as high school boys, and they often look to senior leadership to help them adjust. That's where culture takes over; the infrastructure of the locker room helps younger players mature into leaders through the family atmosphere.
"Our senior class has been really great for me," redshirt freshman Anthony Brown said. "I came in as a freshman out of high school, and it was huge for them to show me the ropes and keep me going. It was really hard at first, and just to know that they helped me, I want to help them so much with this win on Saturday."
"It's crazy to think that this is about to be over," senior Isaac Yiadom said. "I think about how much I've grown since my freshman year, in my game and in my technique. In our unit, I've been with Kam (Moore) since freshman year, here together."
Senior Day is all about that emotion. It reflects even as it looks forward. It's a chance to cry tears for the days that can't be brought back while remaining excited about the future. The greatest impact of a departing class is how the upcoming players develop and expand upon the message. It creates lineage between players who pass the torch from one year to the next.
"We want the younger guys to become leaders no matter how old they are," Callinan said. "You can be a leader at any year. It's about how you carry yourself on and off the field. It's about how you try to get people to follow you. I've tried my best to lead a good example for these guys and keep them with good mindsets."
"We're going to miss them greatly," Addazio said. "A couple of them were already committed here, and they're technically first class even though they were committed. The handful of other guys that didn't redshirt were generally the first full recruiting class. And they're just fantastic guys. All alumni, our fan base, can be really proud that these guys represent this university on that football field. They represent all the things that really great about being a student-athlete."
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