1984 Boston College Eagles football team
Encyclopedia
The 1984 Boston College Eagles football
team represented the Boston College
Eagles
in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season
.
(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 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.
Flutie left school as the NCAA’s all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a consensus All-America as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI, Kodak, The Sporting News
, and the Maxwell Football Club
.
.
Bill Romanowski
was also a member of the team and was drafted in 1988
.
Boston College Eagles football
The Boston College Eagles football team is the collegiate football program of Boston College. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, a Division I Bowl Subdivision league governed by the NCAA. Within the ACC, the Eagles are one of six teams in the Atlantic Division...
team represented the Boston College
Boston College
Boston College is a private Jesuit research university located in the village of Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts, USA. The main campus is bisected by the border between the cities of Boston and Newton. It has 9,200 full-time undergraduates and 4,000 graduate students. Its name reflects its early...
Eagles
Boston College Eagles
The Boston College Eagles are the athletic teams representing Boston College. They compete in NCAA Division I as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The men's and women's ice hockey teams compete in Hockey East. The women's crew team competes in the Eastern Association of Women's Rowing...
in the 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season
1984 NCAA Division I-A football season
The 1984 NCAA Division I-A football season ended with Brigham Young University winning their first national championship by beating an unranked Michigan team in the Holiday Bowl...
.
Schedule
The Eagles finished the season with a 9-2-0 record. 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 HurricanesUniversity of Miami
The University of Miami is a private, non-sectarian university founded in 1925 with its main campus in Coral Gables, Florida, a medical campus in Miami city proper at Civic Center, and an oceanographic research facility on Virginia Key., the university currently enrolls 15,629 students in 12...
(led by QB Bernie Kosar
Bernie Kosar
Bernard Joseph "Bernie" Kosar, Jr. is a former American football quarterback in the National Football League. Kosar played for the Cleveland Browns from 1985 to 1993 and then finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys and the Miami Dolphins.-Early life and high school career:A Hungarian-American...
). The game was nationally televised on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
the day after Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Day is a holiday celebrated primarily in the United States and Canada. Thanksgiving is celebrated each year on the second Monday of October in Canada and on the fourth Thursday of November in the United States. In Canada, Thanksgiving falls on the same day as Columbus Day in the...
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
Hail Mary pass
A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary route in American football refers to any very long forward pass made in desperation with only a small chance of success, especially at or near the end of a half....
that was caught in the end zone by Gerard Phelan
Gerard Phelan
Gerard Phelan is a former college football player, who lined up at wide receiver for Boston College.-Early years:Phelan played football for Archbishop John Carroll Catholic High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1981....
, giving BC a 47-45 win. Although many people think that play clinched the Heisman Trophy
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial...
for Flutie, the voting was already complete before that game.
Flutie left school as the NCAA’s all-time passing yardage leader with 10,579 yards and was a consensus All-America as a senior. He earned Player of the Year awards from UPI, Kodak, The Sporting News
The Sporting News
Sporting News is an American-based sports magazine. It was established in 1886, and it became the dominant American publication covering baseball — so much so that it acquired the nickname "The Bible of Baseball"...
, and the Maxwell Football Club
Maxwell Football Club
The Maxwell Football Club was established in 1935 to promote safety in the game of American football. Named in honor of the late Robert W...
.
| Game | Date | Opponent | Result | Eagles points | Opponents | Record |
| 1 | September 1, 1984 | Western Carolina | Win | 44 | 24 | 1-0 |
| 2 | September 8, 1984 | @ Alabama | Win | 38 | 31 | 2-0 |
| 3 | September 22, 1984 | North Carolina | Win | 52 | 20 | 3-0 |
| 4 | October 13, 1984 | Temple | Win | 24 | 10 | 4-0 |
| 5 | October 20, 1984 | @ West Virginia | Loss | 20 | 21 | 4-1 |
| 6 | October 27, 1984 | Rutgers | Win | 35 | 23 | 5-1 |
| 7 | November 3, 1984 | @ Penn State | Loss | 30 | 37 | 5-2 |
| 8 | November 10, 1984 | Army | Win | 45 | 31 | 6-2 |
| 9 | November 17, 1984 | Syracuse | Win | 24 | 16 | 7-2 |
| 10 | November 23, 1984 | @ Miami, FL | Win | 47 | 45 | 8-2 |
| 11 | December 1, 1984 | @ Holy Cross | Win | 45 | 10 | 9-2 |
| 12 | January 1, 1985 | vs. Houston | Win | 45 | 28 | 10-2 |
1984 team players in the NFL
The following players were claimed in the 1985 NFL Draft1985 NFL Draft
The 1985 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 30 and May 1, 1985...
.
| Player | Position | Round | Pick | NFL club |
| Gerard Phelan Gerard Phelan Gerard Phelan is a former college football player, who lined up at wide receiver for Boston College.-Early years:Phelan played football for Archbishop John Carroll Catholic High School in Radnor, Pennsylvania, and graduated in 1981.... |
Wide Receiver | 4 | 108 | New England Patriots 1985 New England Patriots season The 1985 New England Patriots season was the 16th season for the team in the National Football League and 26th season overall. The Patriots had a record of eleven wins and five losses, and finished tied for second in the AFC East division. They lost in Super Bowl XX to the Chicago Bears... |
| Mark MacDonald | Guard | 5 | 115 | Minnesota Vikings 1985 Minnesota Vikings season -Schedule:-25 year team:The team recognized an all-time team in 1985 as part of the celebration of the 25th season VIKINGS 25TH SEASON ALL-TIME TEAM 1961-85 *OFFENSE*WRs: Ahmad Rashad, Sammy White*Ts: Ron Yary, Grady Alderman*Gs: Ed White, Milt Sunde... |
| Doug Flutie Doug Flutie Douglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League... |
Quarterback | 11 | 285 | Los Angeles Rams 1985 Los Angeles Rams season The 1985 Los Angeles Rams season was the team's 48th year with the National Football League and the 40th season in Los Angeles. The Rams played in the NFC Championship Game but lost to the eventual Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. Eric Dickerson rushed for 1,234 yards in 1985 while missing the... |
| Steve Strachan Steve Strachan Stephen Michael Strachan is a former American football running back in the National Football League. He played for the Los Angeles Raiders. He played college football for the Boston College Eagles. He was the MVP of the 1985 Cotton Bowl Classic. He had 23 carries for 91 yards and two... |
Running Back | 11 | 303 | Los Angeles Raiders 1985 Los Angeles Raiders season The 1985 Los Angeles Raiders season was their 26th in the league. They improved upon their previous season's output of 11–5, winning 12 games. The team qualified for the playoffs for the fourth straight season.-Schedule:-Playoffs:-Standings:-MVP:... |
Bill Romanowski
Bill Romanowski
William Thomas "Bill" Romanowski is a former American football player. He was born in Vernon, Connecticut. A linebacker, he graduated from Rockville High School in 1984, Boston College in 1988 , and then went on to a 16-year career in the NFL, playing for the San Francisco 49ers , Philadelphia...
was also a member of the team and was drafted in 1988
1988 NFL Draft
The 1988 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 24–25, 1988. The league also held a supplemental draft after the regular draft and...
.
Awards and honors
- Doug FlutieDoug FlutieDouglas Richard "Doug" Flutie is a former American and Canadian football quarterback. Flutie played college football at Boston College, and played professionally in the National Football League, Canadian Football League, and United States Football League...
, QB, Heisman TrophyHeisman TrophyThe Heisman Memorial Trophy Award , is awarded annually to the player deemed the most outstanding player in collegiate football. It was created in 1935 as the Downtown Athletic Club trophy and renamed in 1936 following the death of the Club's athletic director, John Heisman The Heisman Memorial... - Doug Flutie, QB, Walter Camp AwardWalter Camp AwardThe Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
- Doug Flutie, QB, Maxwell AwardMaxwell AwardThe Maxwell Award is presented annually to the collegiate American football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best football player in the United States. The...
- Doug Flutie, QB, Davey O'Brien AwardDavey O'Brien AwardThe Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...