Honoring Welles: Now and Forever

The most important moment of Boston College's 2014 win over No. 9 USC happened after the players and coaches retreated from the field. Alumni Stadium's lights burned deep into the Boston night, providing the backdrop to a visual of fans deliriously celebrating the upset victory, but the true soundtrack occurred in a quiet room hidden away from the turf. It was inside the attached Yawkey Center, in the Eagles' locker room, and it had nothing to do with any run, pass or tackle.

That's where BC head coach Steve Addazio stood, addressing his team, holding a game ball. He talked about why the school's mission of service was so important, touching on the need for men like the one honored at the stadium that night. He motioned to his right and handed the pigskin to two people whose son never took the field as a football player - not then or ever.

The game ball went to Jefferson and Alison Crowther, the parents of Welles, a 1999 graduate who perished on September 11, 2001, in the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

That night at BC is forever etched into the annals and echoes of the university's rich history because of the overarching why. Boston College, as a collective community, chose to honor one of its own that night, and the first official Red Bandanna Game became the springboard for an annual event that has become a fixture and a rite of passage aimed at reminding everyone of the connection between the school and its mission to serve others.

"It's a really special game," Addazio said this week. "It represents the very best of what Boston College is about and what college football is about. We honor a guy, Welles Crowther, who was a student here. His sacrifice was the ultimate sacrifice."

The Red Bandanna Game remains the biggest event on the Boston College football schedule for a number of reasons, but its roots reach back beyond that 2014 memory at Alumni Stadium. The memorial technically began three years earlier, in a game the Eagles lost to Central Florida, in a stadium in Orlando, Fla.

That's the year that Boston College graduate Drew Gallagher produced The Man in the Red Bandanna, a 10-minute documentary considered by many as the finest video produced at ESPN. It profiled Welles Crowther for the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and told the entire story of how he saved more than a dozen people in the World Trade Center. It went beyond the tale to the following year and how his parents discovered the truth of their son's heroism and bravery in the wake of immeasurable tragedy.

The BC-UCF game was on September 10, 2011, one day before the official ten-year anniversary. Golden Knight students created a push to wear red bandannas to honor Welles, and it struck the right chord back home in Chestnut Hill, where the story already grew legs. It became the impetus for the Welles Crowther Red Bandanna 5K Run to benefit the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust, established by Jefferson and Alison, and the story became a staple of the university's mission of "men and women for others."

The school found new ways to honor Welles each year, but it reached its first zenith in that 2014 football game against Southern California. For the first time, the Eagles donned red bandanna-accented helmets, gloves and cleats, and the coaches wore sweatshirts with a red bandanna motif. Boston College handed out thousands of bandannas at the stadium's entry gates, and the game itself became an instant classic won by the Eagles. The lasting image, still available online, was of Jefferson and Allison Crowther cheering on a raucous crowd as everyone, regardless of university affiliation, joined together to honor Welles.

In the following years, BC sought new ways to honor Welles wherever possible. In 2015, the school partnered with the American Heroes Channel to present the inaugural Red Bandanna Hero Award, acknowledging everyday heroes who stood for the same pillars as Crowther. The game itself became an event, seemingly growing each year. Most recently, the university invited Army jumpers to land on the Alumni Stadium turf while displaying the signature bandanna flag emblazoned with Welles' name.

"It's really one of the most special things to be a part of," Addazio said. "It's an emotional deal. Every year, we spend time with the new players that come in and really educate them and watch the ESPN feature. It's a very compelling, gripping story. When we played in New York (at the Pinstripe Bowl) a couple years ago, we brought the team to the World Trade Center and visited the site."

The Red Bandanna Game became an event transcending the actual football contest, which is why it always required the right opponent. Remembering Welles ensured his story and spirit continued to live long after he perished, and it became an emotional moment and meaning for the Crowther family. As a whole, Boston College always rallied for support of the message, making an annual donation to the Welles Remy Crowther Charitable Trust based on the sale of red bandanna merchandise, much of which is on display during the game. It's part of a concerted, concentrated effort, all geared towards Welles' memory and spirit and its overall impact at his alma mater.

"As we review potential game dates for our annual Red Bandanna Game, we look at games that can provide the greatest exposure to share Welles' story nationally," associate athletic director of marketing and fan engagement Jamie DiLoreto said. "We have been fortunate that games against USC, Florida State and Miami in the past led to memorable moments, in memory of Welles for the Crowther family, our football team, athletic department, campus and the BC community."

Eighteen years is a lifetime, and incoming college freshmen are part of a generation younger than the actual date of events. Players and students no longer recall fresh memories of watching 9/11 unfold on television, and they can't answer the questions about where they were when they first heard what happened. This past February, Jefferson Crowther passed away.

That's why it remains important to remember the ultimate sacrifice by average people who became heroes on 9/11. It's even more important for BC to carry on Welles Crowther's legacy, honoring the memory beyond just the anniversary of the event.

"Being a northeast guy, most of the guys on our team are northeast guys, and a lot are from the New Jersey and New York area," Addazio said. "They're still not too young that they don't know exactly what happened and what went down. So they can really certainly, as well as anybody could, can appreciate what this game is really all about and why we're honoring who we're honoring - and who he represented."

Related News

Related Videos