BC scheduled a two-game football series with Holy Cross for 2018 and 2020. This is great news for those who love BC history and for those who want us to schedule wisely.
We have rivalries with Notre Dame and history with plenty of opponents. But our only true historical rival is Holy Cross. Not playing and the changing demographics of the two schools have ended what was THE "game" among Eastern Massachusetts Catholics. Ending the series made sense once Holy Cross stop offering scholarships and BC stopped playing DIAA (now FCS) teams. But the pendulum has swung back. Everyone plays FCS and Holy Cross and some of their conference mates are back to offering scholarships.
I would prefer a tough schedule filled with the best teams in college football. But that is not how the system works. If we have to play one FCS team a year, I want it to be a team that generates some excitement. This game will be fun and should bring out a decent amount of Holy Cross. This is a good for everyone involved.
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O Holy Cross
O Holy Cross
All they eat is applesauce
They eat it morning. noon and night
They even eat it when they're tight
O Holy Cross on bended knee
To kiss the ass of old BC!
The traditional song, sung in unison by thousands of happy BC students and fans at the conclusion of every BC victory over HC. Now that was fun.
This is good news. Hell, the reason my family (finally) bought a VCR is because my parents had tickets to the Holy Cross game in '84 in Worcester and that evening Flutie won the Heisman. Dad wanted to tape it.
And don't forget the 1942 game, the loss that saved countless lives (the Cocoanut Grove fire).
I still want revenge for those damned apple sauce eaters being imported to mixers at Newton College of the Sacred Heart.
We BC men would be having a great time, surrounded by nubile, Catholic girls, literally outnumbered, when a chartered bus would pull up into the Quonset Hut parking lot and disgorge hordes of Crusaders to ruin the evening.
PJ - it was particularly funny to see a "half-tight" Jesuit loyal to BC singing that song - and without any embarrassment.
Although it will most likely never be the same, this was a big deal when I was coming up. It was a big deal in my family as well, with a pretty even split.
I am named after my uncle, who was a Jesuit teaching Philosophy at Holy Cross. He and his Jesuit friends, including several from BC would come over to our house, eat two lobsters, drink my father's booze, challenge my older brother and I to debates and then later, challenge us to fights!
The BC-Holy Cross rivalry was one reason I chose BC. I had been exposed to the school and its traditions while in both grammar and high school - and I identified with it.
While a student, we were 3 and 1 against the Cross, always on the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
10 - 8
35 - 0
26 - 32
13 - 6
The one game we lost (2 others were close) was one of the most exciting games I have ever attended - even to this day.
I am happy to see Holy Cross back on our schedule, instead of one of the other New England teams. They might even fill the stadium up!
Go BC. Welcome Holy Cross.
Lenny, you and I are getting long of tooth, as they say. Mixers and buses filled with students from out of town - wow.
My brother went to Holy Cross and was a typical pompous ass in terms of the rivalry and speaking down to BC.
One time a bus-load of "coeds" showed up behind his dorm for one of their mixers. As they disembarked, the girls were greeted by a moon in every window.
The nuns summarily loaded them back on the bus and headed back to their school!!
That's how funny - but stupid - Holy Cross guys were in those years. It was all-male.
Can you imagine how old we are?
Wow. Other than a couple of funny stories above, which, ironically, never get old, this renewal seems dated and unnecessary. If this is about filling the stadium, then this seems like a perfect wine-and-cheese game for the "please sit down in front" crowd. Let's hope it's only two years. May not be a popular opinion, but, really, Holy Cross? Guess those bus tickets for the Crusaders cost less than airfare. I feel like I'm in Back to the Future. Sorry, seasoned Eagles.
I forgot that song! Too funny. I was at the last Holy Cross games including when they were undefeated and ranked #1 in 1-AA. We rolled them. Just like today, it is hard for the FCS schools to compete on the lines for 4 quarters when they are giving up 40 to 50 pounds a man. Still, there were some good times (including a night at the Worcester jail.) Still if we are going to play FCS games, I'd rather it be HC then Northeastern or Maine or UConn (oops)
One of the great stories ever in college football is the 1942 Coconut Grove fire. The entire BC squad had tables waiting for an undefeated season. HC blew them out just like the candles on a birthday cake. BC cancelled and the place burned down with terrific loss of life. During BCs current football troubles, you can say that nobody died. In 1942, that was not so. Today, HC is a shell of its former athlecity as are one after another of the great Catholic football schools such as St. Mary's and St. Louis U. BC is carrying the flag out front and proud while the pseudo Catholic D-1 school languishes in her shadow. "Ever to Excel".
JBQ, I was a brand new freshman at BC in September, 1965, and my first class was a Theology class taught by Fr. Casey . I was from NJ and knew nothing about any of the BC traditions and folklore, but I did know enough to hate a holy Cross. In any event, Fr. Casey spent most of the first class explaining the story of the Coconut Grove Fire. The context of the story was that although it was terrible that BC lost in that tremendous upset to HC in 1942, it was really a miracle because as a result of the shocking upset, BC cancelled the victory party scheduled that night for the Coconut Grove and as a result, BC students, family members and friends were spared the terrible tragedy that resulted in 492 people losing their life that evening in that terrible fire. He was telling he class that BC was a special place indeed, and by the way, it was still expected of you to hate Holy Cross and look forward to many future renditions of "O Holy Cross". He was right about that. To this day, I still hate Holy Cross and can't wait to beat them in football again.
It would be pretty funny if they announced next week that we were also playing Fordham and Villanova during the same seasons.
I am way too young to have appreciated this rivalry. I didn't even know that HC was BC's rival until after I graduated. This will be tough for those of us under 40 to get exited for, but I do see the value in it. Good work, BB.
The stories that BJK tells remind me fondly of this movie, which I imagine is similar to the hijinx that took place at BC/HC games in those days.
Disgusting. The epitome of stupid and a classic hallmark of this Donahue coached team. Missed front end of a one and one and then one of the worst fouls I've ever seen with less than a second left. Luckily ND missed a free throw but BC allowed an uncontested putback which ND thankfully missed. Absolutely disgusting and Donahue should be ashamed he was celebrating like that going into overtime. Also thanks Hanlan for playing one of your worst games of the season and single handedly costing BC a win in the last 10 seconds.
Nice coaching Steve. Blew another game they should have won. At this point I'd rather have a chimp coach this team.
Enjoying the Lenny and BJK,s recollections. I was at 2 of those games w/ family members and remember what a big deal it was to win the O'Melia award, given to the games outstanding player.
I'm named after a priest who was BC class of 1914. Like allot of families we had people go to both schools but more went to BC. He explained who went where this way. The bar patrons sent their kids to BC whereas the bar owners sent their sons to HC. My how things have changed.
I never understood why we stopped playing them in hoops. We should bring that back also.
Don't send my son to Holy Cross the dying mother said
Don't send my son to Holy Cross I'd rather see him dead
But this boy they did send up to Holy Cross and when they send him back to her he was a total loss
So the moral of the story as you can plainly see, don't send your son to Holy Cross but send him to BC
Good one Tino. I remember my dad BC'44 used to sing that song many times over the years and just recently recited for a young family member.
JFS BC'78
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