Next Generation Carrying The Torch For Welles

The Yawkey Center lobby is a museum honoring the history of Boston College football. Doug Flutie's Heisman Trophy is in there, as is Luke Kuechly's Bronco Nagurski Trophy. Bowl trophies are encased behind glass walls, and banners herald the famous headlines from Boston College history. They serve as the building's welcome mat and, to a degree, serve as the perfect backdrop to the adjacent locker room leading out to Alumni Stadium.

The most important piece of BC's football program isn't in that room, though. It's not on display in a trophy case or hanging on the wall. It's not in the locker room or in a coach's office, and it's not even a piece of hardware celebrating an individual or player accomplishment.

It's a symbol of a red bandanna, and it's embedded deep within the soul of anyone who represents Boston College at any level. It's the message delivered by players who represent the memory of Welles Crowther, and it's the necessary spirit carried with the annual football game honoring his memory.

"It's special," head coach Jeff Hafley said. "If you remember back to 9/11, I showed the video about Welles. I wanted to make sure that everybody knew what he did, (that) everybody knew the sacrifice and what type of man he was. This isn't just about wearing the colors or a different uniform, putting on a bandanna. It's what it represents, the ultimate sacrifice, and that's a special moment. The guy gave up his life for other people that he (didn't) even know."

Hafley's first Red Bandanna Game is the biggest event of the 2020 Boston College football season for a number of reasons, but its cornerstone reaches back almost a decade to a game played at Central Florida.

The game is inspired by The Man in the Red Bandana, a 10-minute documentary produced for ESPN by Boston College graduate Drew Gallagher. It told the story of Welles Crowther, an equities trader who transformed into a hero by saving the lives of a dozen people in the World Trade Center's South Tower on 9/11. It dove into his background and his passion for helping people, and it profiled his heroism and bravery on a day marked by death and tragedy.

The story caught legs with the Boston College community after a push by UCF's student body to wear bandannas during the Golden Knights' win over the Eagles, and it eventually made its way back to the gridiron in 2014 when BC upset No. 9 Southern California on national television. The team wore red bandanna-accented helmets, gloves and cleats, and the national audience witnessed the way the Eagles honored one of their own. The game ball went to Crowther's parents, both of whom were in attendance that night.

The Red Bandanna Game is an annual staple, but it will reach a new level on Saturday when it merges with BC's Holy War against Notre Dame. The Eagles will wear full red bandanna uniforms for the first time against their biggest rival, instantaneously lodging 2020 into the list of memorable games between the two.

It's the biggest possible audience to share memories from 9/11, some of which are starting to naturally fade after 19 years. First responders are retiring or getting older, and a new World Trade Center tower opened in 2015. Jefferson Crowther, Welles' father, passed away last year. The modern college student isn't old enough to remember when they first heard the news break on 9/11. Most were infants, and the youngest among them weren't born yet.

"It's something I didn't know about before I got to BC," quarterback Phil Jurkovec admitted, "but learning the story about Welles and what he did is very powerful. It's a good example for everybody, the bravery he showed, and being a BC student, it's really cool how we can (honor) what he did, in this game."

It's an important platform, and this year's new red bandanna uniform adds a new twist. It will generate new conversation around Welles' memory and potentially hit harder with a message during the COVID-19 pandemic. It will reinforce the selflessness and bravery of the human spirit while elevating the extraordinary stories of people working for one another. It's a backbone to maintain composure and fortify self-sacrifice through the Jesuit mission and greater Catholic education provided by both the Eagles and their Notre Dame counterparts.

"Every year, it gains more meaning for me," defensive lineman Marcus Valdez said. "When I was a freshman, I didn't really know what it (symbolized) at all, and at first, you think it's about cool gear. But they played the story for us during that first year, and it really hits you how selfless someone can be. It speaks to BC's mantra of 'men and women for others.'

"We would all love to say that we would do the same for others," Valdez continued, "but in the situation, when the time came, to be that selfless, he's a hero. We can sit here and say that we would've done the same, but he did it. Just to play in the game and represent Welles Crowther is an honor. The gear is the gear, but what it represents is everything. We always have an extra edge because it's something special."

"They know what Welles (did)," Hafley said. "They know his sacrifice. I think there's a big honor to put that uniform on. People might look at the uniform as a cool uniform with some swag to it, but that's not at all what our players think (about). When the players put it on, they do it to honor him. That's what they will tell you, and that's why it's special."

Next Generation Carrying The Torch For Welles

Players Mentioned

Phil Jurkovec

Marcus Valdez

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