Boston College Athletics
Photo by: Meg Kelly
BC Helps Make-A-Wish Foundation Award Trip To CFP Championship
September 26, 2026 | Football, Boston College Athletics, #ForBoston Files
A special moment unfolded during the second quarter of BC's game against Virginia Tech.
The passing contest promotion near the start of the second quarter offers an opportunity for a lucky fan to win some unique prizes while visiting Alumni Stadium for a Boston College football game. The goal is to throw a pigskin through a couple of different holes, to which each completion enables a little bit more incentive building up - a common competition that's occasionally overlooked by the fans who use media timeouts to refresh their concessions or stretch their legs on a concourse.
For this week, 18-year old Daelan Gallagher of Norton, Mass. was offered the opportunity, and with under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter of Saturday's matchup between Boston College and Virginia Tech, he stepped on the field to complete a couple of passes in front of BC's hearty student section.
What he didn't know was that the whole thing was a ruse, a setup by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to invite him to this year's College Football Playoff National Championship. Within minutes of the competition ending, a recorded message by head coach Bill O'Brien played over the stadium's video board and announced that Gallagher was headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for the January, 2027 game at Allegiant Stadium.
"That's what Boston College is all about: giving back," said O'Brien after the Eagles finished their game against Virginia Tech. "We do a lot with Team Impact and the Campus School, and I've been involved with Make-A-Wish for a long time. It's a great organization."
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is well-known for its ability to bring life-changing experiences to children with critical illnesses. The wish is noted for providing children with the belief that anything is possible in the face of a life-threatening medical condition, and they enable children and their families to experience joy while reinforcing their strength and resiliency. Over 11,000 children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island received wishes since the foundation first started granting wishes in Arizona in 1980, and Daelan's wish is one of 400 wishes that Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island will grant during this program's year.Â
A collective number of more than 650,000 wishes have been granted worldwide and is made possible by a cartel numbering greater than 27,000 volunteers, and at the end of the game, O'Brien drew the connection between BC's greater mission of "men and women for others" and the deeper meaning that's available at a sports event.
"Those are important things to us here at BC football and BC Athletics," said O'Brien. "It's one of the greatest things about this school. We definitely walk the walk on giving back, and I think [today] was a fantastic one."
For more information on Make-A-Wish International, visit worldwish.org, and for more information on the chapter encompassing Massachusetts and Rhode Island, visit its local chapter at wish.org/massri.
For this week, 18-year old Daelan Gallagher of Norton, Mass. was offered the opportunity, and with under nine minutes remaining in the second quarter of Saturday's matchup between Boston College and Virginia Tech, he stepped on the field to complete a couple of passes in front of BC's hearty student section.
What he didn't know was that the whole thing was a ruse, a setup by the Make-A-Wish Foundation to invite him to this year's College Football Playoff National Championship. Within minutes of the competition ending, a recorded message by head coach Bill O'Brien played over the stadium's video board and announced that Gallagher was headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for the January, 2027 game at Allegiant Stadium.
"That's what Boston College is all about: giving back," said O'Brien after the Eagles finished their game against Virginia Tech. "We do a lot with Team Impact and the Campus School, and I've been involved with Make-A-Wish for a long time. It's a great organization."
The Make-A-Wish Foundation is well-known for its ability to bring life-changing experiences to children with critical illnesses. The wish is noted for providing children with the belief that anything is possible in the face of a life-threatening medical condition, and they enable children and their families to experience joy while reinforcing their strength and resiliency. Over 11,000 children in Massachusetts and Rhode Island received wishes since the foundation first started granting wishes in Arizona in 1980, and Daelan's wish is one of 400 wishes that Make-A-Wish Massachusetts and Rhode Island will grant during this program's year.Â
A collective number of more than 650,000 wishes have been granted worldwide and is made possible by a cartel numbering greater than 27,000 volunteers, and at the end of the game, O'Brien drew the connection between BC's greater mission of "men and women for others" and the deeper meaning that's available at a sports event.
"Those are important things to us here at BC football and BC Athletics," said O'Brien. "It's one of the greatest things about this school. We definitely walk the walk on giving back, and I think [today] was a fantastic one."
For more information on Make-A-Wish International, visit worldwish.org, and for more information on the chapter encompassing Massachusetts and Rhode Island, visit its local chapter at wish.org/massri.
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