The Ultimate Warrior

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Ultimate Warrior was a suped-up, ramped-up professional wrestler. He had miles of charisma and energy, and his entrance music only served to further enhance his reputation. Everything was fast-paced and high octane, and his sprint to the ring would blast out the electric-colored, pastel face paint. His off-the-charts strength made him look superhuman, and he was, for a period, considered a future torch-bearer for the "golden age of wrestling" because he looked like he had never-ending motor.

So when Steve Addazio called Ben Glines one of the team's "ultimate warriors" in his Monday remarks this week, it evoked the same wild man image. Glines is one of the team's two captains this year, and it's a moniker fitting him like a perfectly-sized glove since Glines is a perfect warrior football player - a true "dude" who loves everything about football and gives every ounce of his soul to every single play on the field.

"(He) loves ball," Addazio said. "Coming out of practice, (he) high fived me, jacked up. You know, as Frank (Piraino), who was our strength coach before, and Scott McLafferty says this year, if you had to pick someone, there are very few guys that are ultimate warriors. He's one of them. He is a highly-trained, conditioned athlete."

Glines' ascension to the team's captaincy makes him the personification of a true Eagle. He came to BC as the kind of under-the-radar recruit that was passed over simply because other players had better measurables. He started for three years at St. Xavier High School, earning league and district first team honors in both 2013 and 2014.

In 2014, he earned All-Ohio Division I honorable mention status after turning in a 1,500-yard season as a dual-threat running back. He rushed for over 1,200 yards and 14 touchdowns in a season stamped by a 250-yard game against Indianapolis Central. He earned three stars according to recruiting boards, but in a state where his recruiting class featured four Top 100 players, he flew under the radar.

It led him to BC, where he enrolled in 2015 as an "all-purpose player." After he redshirted his first season due to injury, Glines began the gradual improvement of a player dedicated to working within a system. He played special teams in 2016 and 2017 while practicing as both a wide receiver and running back. He had a couple of receptions and a couple of carries out of the backfield, but it wasn't enough to register. There was frustration, especially following his injury freshman year, but he powered through by retaining belief in his faith.

"If you don't know your why, then you get complacent," Glines said. "(That's when) injuries and adversity will start to fold people. I know my 'whys'. Why I come out here, why I wake up in the morning, why I do what I do. As hard as adversity is, you look back to your why. You reflect on it, and that keeps me going through that process. I just refused to be folded by any type of adversity. Good things happen to good people who work hard."

It led Glines into last season, and two touchdowns in BC's first three games helped him make an impact. He caught a 40-yard touchdown against Wake Forest to help the Eagles win, 41-34, and ascend back into the national rankings for the first time in a decade. But everything changed two weeks after that game against Temple when running back AJ Dillon suffered an ankle injury.

Ben Glines stepped out of his reputation as a role player and became a featured star for Boston College. He rushed for 120 yards on 23 carries and scored a touchdown. It became the first of two 100-yard rushing games on the season, and he finished the year with seven scores split as evenly as possible between rushing and receiving.

"I like to say that the most dangerous man in the room is the man with nothing to lose," Glines said. "At that point in my career, I had nothing to lose. I was fighting to get on the field in special teams, and I had an opportunity against Wake Forest to catch that touchdown pass. When that Temple game came, I was ready to go in at any point. I didn't know AJ was going to get hurt, but when it happened, I was ready. You only get so many opportunities, especially in football, (and) I had to take it."

It was the breakout moment nobody expected, but should have seen coming. Ben Glines entered college as an athlete overshadowed by higher-profile recruits and played his first three years behind higher-profile players. But he simply kept working and plugging with a desire burning like a backdraft. When the coaches finally called his number, he seized the opportunity.

"That's why people tell you to stay on top of things," Glines explained. "If you're the 'next guy up,' and you were just hanging around (practice), that shows. I was very fortunate that I was preparing mentally and physically and took advantage of that opportunity."

It's a story hitting its zenith this year. Glines is now a dual-threat for the Eagles, a player the coaches find ways to incorporate into a game plan. He became the team captain because of his attention to detail and his willingness to play anywhere at any time.

"He's a talented receiver and a talented running back," Addazio said. "He gives us tremendous flexibility. We can be in a two-back set in no time with him at receiver and motioning into the backfield. If we have injury issues, he's a legitimate back that people would love to have (on their team) in this conference."

"I just kind of like to think that I'm a versatile football player," Glines said. "I'm a do-it-all kind of guy. I'll do whatever (the coaches) ask of me. If they need me in the backfield, that's where I'll be. If they need me out wide, that's where I'll be. As we get closer to game time, I'm with the receivers, getting in on that game plan, but I don't want to put myself in one boat or another. I'll stay right in the middle."

Glines is the perfect Eagle because he never quit. He simply looked at everyone in every room and decided to outwork and outhustle everyone. A captain represents a team's core values, and a team is shaped by the image of its leaders. Captaincy is one of football's highest honors, and it's not something players or coaches hand out or accept lightly.

In many ways, though, Ben Glines was always ready for that moment. He was always ready to lead his football team, and he's the prototype of what a coach looks for in an athlete. He has talent and skill, and the coaches worked with him to refine it within the scope of a team. They found the way to utilize him because he remained coachable and malleable.

"Tanner Karafa and Ben Glines were named captains for the 2019 team," Addazio said. "It was really cool when we announced them. The team just erupted. You can tell when it's really meaningful to them. It was really meaningful to these guys."

Like the Ultimate Warrior, he looks and acts the part. He's a football player who loves contact and loves to hit defensive players. He's the first one sprinting into a huddle to high five a teammate after a touchdown. He wears his heart on his sleeve, both literally and figuratively; there's a tattoo sleeve forming the outline of Ohio in the negative space on his elbow, and there's nobody on this team more heartfelt in his passion or love for this game and team.

"My why is my faith and my family, first off," Glines said. "Second off is my city. I'm Cincinnati (born). That's my spot. I have love for Cincinnati, but Boston is my spot right now. It's Boston while I'm here, as long as I have Boston College on my chest."

Players Mentioned

AJ Dillon

Ben Glines

Tanner Karafa

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