1984 Boston College Eagles football team

1984 Boston College Eagles football
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Eastern champion
ConferenceIndependent
Ranking
CoachesNo. 4
APNo. 5
Record10–2
Head coach
Defensive coordinatorSeymour "Red" Kelin (4th season)
Captains
  • Mark MacDonald
  • David Thomas
  • Scott Harrington
Home stadiumAlumni Stadium
Sullivan Stadium
1984 Major eastern college football independents records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
West Virginia 4 – 2 – 0 8 – 4 – 0
Penn State 3 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
No. 5 $ 3 – 2 – 0 10 – 2 – 0
Rutgers 3 – 2 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Temple 2 – 2 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Pittsburgh 1 – 3 – 0 3 – 7 – 1
Syracuse 1 – 4 – 0 6 – 5 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll
1984 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 5   –   –   10 – 2 – 0
No. 11 South Carolina   –   –   10 – 2 – 0
Army   –   –   8 – 3 – 1
Rutgers   –   –   7 – 3 – 0
No. 17 Florida State   –   –   7 – 3 – 2
Virginia Tech   –   –   8 – 4 – 0
West Virginia   –   –   8 – 4 – 0
No. 18 Miami (FL)   –   –   8 – 5 – 0
Notre Dame   –   –   7 – 5 – 0
Temple   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Southwestern Louisiana   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Penn State   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Syracuse   –   –   6 – 5 – 0
Memphis State   –   –   5 – 5 – 1
Navy   –   –   4 – 6 – 1
Southern Miss   –   –   4 – 7 – 0
Pittsburgh   –   –   3 – 7 – 1
Tulane   –   –   3 – 8 – 0
Cincinnati   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
East Carolina   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Louisville   –   –   2 – 9 – 0
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1984 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season.

Doug Flutie gained national attention in 1984 when he quarterbacked the Eagles to victory in a high-scoring, back-and-forth game against the Miami Hurricanes (led by QB Bernie Kosar). The game was nationally televised on CBS the day after Thanksgiving and thus had a huge audience. Miami staged a dramatic drive to take the lead, 45–41, in the closing minute of the game. Boston College then took possession at its own 22-yard line with 28 seconds to go. After two passes moved the ball another 30 yards, only 6 seconds remained. On the last play of the game, Flutie scrambled away from the defense and threw a Hail Mary pass that was caught in the end zone by senior wide receiver Gerard Phelan, giving BC a 47–45 win. Although many people think that play clinched the Heisman Trophy for Flutie, the voting was already complete before that game.[1]

Boston College finished the season with a 10–2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the final AP Poll. The Eagles defeated the Southwest Conference champion Houston Cougars 45–28 in the 1985 Cotton Bowl. The team also captured the Lambert-Meadowlands Trophy (emblematic of the 'Eastern championship' in Division I FBS).

Flutie left school as the NCAA's all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a consensus All-American as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI, Kodak, The Sporting News, and the Maxwell Football Club.

Schedule

DateOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendanceSource
September 1Western CarolinaNo. 19
W 44–2432,000[2]
September 8at No. 9 AlabamaNo. 18
ABCW 38–3167,821[3]
September 22North CarolinaNo. 10
ESPNW 52–2044,672[4]
October 13TempleNo. 4
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Chestnut Hill, MA
W 24–1032,000[5]
October 20at No. 20 West VirginiaNo. 4
ABCL 20–2160,286[6]
October 27RutgersNo. 11
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Chestnut Hill, MA
W 35–2332,000[7]
November 3at Penn StateNo. 9
ABCL 30–3785,690[8]
November 10ArmyNo. 16
  • Alumni Stadium
  • Chestnut Hill, MA
KATZW 45–3132,000[9]
November 17SyracuseNo. 13
  • Sullivan Stadium
  • Foxborough, MA
KATZW 24–1660,890[10]
November 23at No. 12 Miami (FL)No. 10
CBSW 47–4530,325[11]
December 1at Holy CrossNo. 8
W 45–1025,000[12]
January 1, 1985vs. HoustonNo. 8
CBSW 45–2867,381[13]
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Personnel

1984 Boston College Eagles football team roster
Players Coaches
Offense
Pos. # Name Class
OL 63 Mark Bardwell Sr
RB 24 Ken Bell Jr
C 66 Jack Bicknell Jr. Sr
RB 32 Jim Browne Sr
TE 85 Pete Casparriello So
WR 44 Shawn Dombrowski So
WR 26 Darren Flutie Fr
QB 22 Doug Flutie Sr
TE Scott Gieselman
QB 7 Shawn Halloran So
OL 79 Mark MacDonald Sr
WR 82 Kelvin Martin So
WR 20 Gerard Phelan Sr
OL 54 Shawn Regent Sr
RB Steve Strachan Sr
RB 23 Troy Stradford So
RB Tyrone Taylor
OL Steve Trapilo
WR 3 Chris Tripucka Sr
OL Darren Twombly So
RB Steve Williams
Defense
Pos. # Name Class
DE 97 John Bosa So
LB 57 Ted Gaffney Jr
DL 95 Chuck Gorecki Jr
DT 52 Scott Harrington Sr
LB 81 Andy Hemmer Jr
LB Pete Holey
DB Neil Iton
DL Rick Nickeson
DB Dave Pereira
S 49 Carl Pellegata Jr
LB 53 Bill Romanowski Fr
DB Todd Russell
DL 68 Mike Ruth Jr
DL 50 David Thomas Sr
DB 17 Tony Thurman Sr
LB Ed VonNessen
Special teams
Pos. # Name Class
P Steve Peach
K 2 Kevin Snow Sr
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Redshirt

Rankings

Further information: 1984 NCAA Division I-A football rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP191810105444119161310885
Coaches2016977545107161310884

[14]

Game summaries

Western Carolina

At Alabama

See also: 1984 Alabama Crimson Tide football team

North Carolina

See also: 1984 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

Temple

See also: Temple Owls football

At West Virginia

See also: 1984 West Virginia Mountaineers football team

Rutgers

See also: 1984 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team

At Penn State

See also: 1984 Penn State Nittany Lions football team

Army

Army Cadets (5–2–1) at #16 Boston College Eagles (5–2)
Quarter 1 2 34Total
Army 7 7 10731
Boston College 13 15 31445

at Alumni Stadium, Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts

External videos
Game highlights
Team Category Player Statistics
Army Passing Nate Sassaman 4/10, 38 Yds, INT
Rushing Nate Sassaman 25 Rush, 136 Yds, TD
Receiving Scott Spellmon 2 Rec, 26 Yds
Boston College Passing Doug Flutie 19/29, 311 Yds, 3 TD
Rushing Steve Strachan 15 Rush, 81 Yds, 2 TD
Receiving Kelvin Martin 7 Rec, 126 Yds, 2 TD

Syracuse

See also: 1984 Syracuse Orangemen football team

At Miami (FL)

Boston College at Miami (FL)
Team 1 234Total
• No. 10 Eagles 14 14316 47
No. 12 Hurricanes 7 141014 45
Main article: Hail Flutie
See also: 1984 Miami Hurricanes football team

[16] [17]

Holy Cross

See also: Holy Cross Crusaders football and Boston College–Holy Cross football rivalry

Vs. Houston (Cotton Bowl)

1 2 3 4 Total
No. 8 Eagles 17 14 0 14 45
Cougars 7 7 14 0 28
See also: 1984 Houston Cougars football team and 1985 Cotton Bowl Classic

[18] [19]

Awards and honors

See also: 1984 College Football All-America Team

1984 team players in the NFL

The following players were claimed in the 1985 NFL draft.[22]

Player Position Round Pick NFL club
Gerard Phelan Wide receiver 4 108 New England Patriots
Mark MacDonald Guard 5 115 Minnesota Vikings
Doug Flutie Quarterback 11 285 Los Angeles Rams
Steve Strachan Running back 11 303 Los Angeles Raiders

Bill Romanowski was also a member of the team and was drafted in 1988.

References

  1. ^ "Heisman Trophy". Heisman.com. Archived from the original on September 21, 2009.
  2. ^ "BC, Flutie get it done, 44–24". The Boston Globe. September 2, 1984. Retrieved November 15, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "BC's 'greatest comeback' swamps Alabama, 38–31". The Boston Globe. September 9, 1984. Retrieved February 19, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "BC's Flutie passes Tar Heels dizzy". Tulsa World. September 23, 1984. Retrieved January 30, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. ^ "Boston College downs Temple". Star Tribune. October 14, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "West Virginia edges BC, 21–20, on a late TD drive". The Philadelphia Inquirer. October 21, 1984. Retrieved January 29, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "BC flips Rutgers, 35–23 as Flutie nears record". Courier-Post. October 28, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Penn St. downs Boston College". Asbury Park Press. November 4, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "Flutie's TD tosses bury Army, 45–31". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 11, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Boston College is 'unofficially' invited to Cotton Bowl". The Cincinnati Enquirer. November 18, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Hail Flutie; Desperation pass gives Boston College a 47–45 victory over U–M". The Miami News. November 24, 1984. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Thomsen, Ian (December 2, 1984). "Small Wonder, No Wonder; Eagles Wrap Up HC, 45-10". Boston Sunday Globe. Boston, Mass. p. 57 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Boston College shows more than Flutiie, 45–28". USA Today. January 2, 1985. Retrieved February 28, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Boston College 1984 AP Football Rankings". collegepollarchive.com. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  15. ^ "College Football Scoreboard." Gainesville Sun. pg. 4F. 1984 Nov 11. Retrieved 2022-Dec-27.
  16. ^ "FLUTIE'S PASS ON LAST PLAY OVERCOMES MIAMI BY 47-45". The New York Times. November 24, 1984. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  17. ^ "Flutie's Desperation Pass Beats Miami, 47-45". The Washington Post. November 24, 1984. Retrieved November 17, 2018.
  18. ^ "FLUTIE PASSES FOR 3 SCORES AS BOSTON COLLEGE WINS". The New York Times. January 2, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  19. ^ "Flutie Short of Miracles but BC Wins, 45-28". The Washington Post. January 2, 1985. Retrieved November 4, 2019.
  20. ^ "Heisman Winners". Heisman. Archived from the original on September 16, 2009.
  21. ^ "Football". Archived from the original on January 7, 2008. Retrieved December 12, 2008.
  22. ^ "1985 NFL Draft Listing - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2007.
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