How Georgia provides a lesson for BC

[I am writing this prior to kickoff of the game, so there is a good chance that when you read this Georgia will have been smothered in another clinical Alabama championship game. I don't think that's going to happen, but the outcome is not really the point of this post.] 

The last time Georgia competed for a National Championship was in the early '80s with Herschel Walker carrying the team. A contemporary of Doug Flutie, Walker won the Heisman and was a household name. Like BC, Georgia has had some high points since, but has never recaptured the glory of the Walker years...until now. The reasons for Georgia's ups and downs are many. And Georgia will never be a great parallel for BC due to their different histories, local talent, and fan expectations. However, there is one lesson from Georgia's success this year that BC can apply. It involves making a tough decision on a coaching change.

Mark Richt did nearly everything right at Georgia. He was a model citizen and a mentor. While perhaps a tad boring, he was someone that the fans base could be proud of and the recruits could embrace. High school coaches loved him. The media loved him. He was not some constant malcontent like Saban and became part of the community in Athens. He won two SEC Championships. If a coach won two ACC titles at BC, he would probably be employed for life. That's not how it worked in Athens

Georgia fired Mark Richt two years ago. Their leadership felt a change was needed in order to take their program to the next level. Now they are playing for the National Championship.

It is tough to fire a winning coach. Just ask BC fans. You can spin it to the media and your fanbase, but if the new coach doesn't win at a higher level, the school and its AD look dumb. I don't know what the future holds for Addazio. I appreciate many of the things he has done, but still have real doubts if he can ever rise above his established ceiling. If he keeps going 7-6, will Jarmond -- our whoever is AD at the time -- make the call to replace him? Georgia made the tough call and it looks like it was worth the risk.

Tax dollars at work (in a good way)

Love to see this sort of work being done. Maybe to save money we should just build a massive sign and leave space for future titles.

Sailing picks up another National Championship

Congratulations to the Women's Sailing team. They won another National Championship. This is now the school's sixth National Championship. Quite an accomplishment. Perhaps we should change to school motto to "Ever to Ex-sail"!

Game times announced and other links

BC and the ACC announced the kickoff times for our first two home games. Miami will start at 3:30 and will be shown on ESPN2 or regionally on ABC. The Maine game will start at 1 PM and be available on ESPN3.

Chase Rettig's old QB coach had some insight into his development.

HD is back from her leave and thinks our game against Miami is crucial for building momentum.

Presnap read further explains his stance on BC. It is another tough read. What is interesting though is that he is so critical in part because of our prior success, self inflicted wounds and that we still have upside. But the unlikely upside makes it all more depressing.

Baseball dropped their first game against Duke.

The Hockey team's celebration tour took them to the Capitol.

What other teams can win championships at BC?

Jerry York clearly this championship thing figured out. We are also a perennial power in sailing. But in both of those cases BC benefits from some cultural and geographic advantages. We have great coaching and great athletes in both sports, but they are also working from a great foundation. With that in mind, I've been wondering which other BC teams have a basic foundation for winning a National Championship. I also through out current coaches when considering the likely hood. For example, we could have Nick Saban as our football coach and I still think we would be more likely to win a National Championship in basketball. The current championship system in football is so stacked against a school like BC. I grouped them by revenue sports and then national sports and then specialized/niche sports.

Revenue Sports
1. Women's basketball
2. Men's basketball
3. Men's football

Of the revenue sports, I think women's basketball has the best chance to win a national championship. First, their championship is decided in a tournament. Second ACC teams, private schools and teams from the northeast are the power players in the sport. With the depth of female talent in the northeast, there is no reason BC women's basketball couldn't be one of the elite. We also have a desirable campus and unlike the men's game -- with its elite players focused on the NBA -- BC can sell its academic credentials to the best high school players. While less likely, I still think the men could win a National Championship. The survive and advance aspect allows for a team with a talent disadvantage to get hot and make a run (see Butler, VCU and George Mason). But as much as those Cinderella stories make the Big Dance interesting, none of those underdogs has actually walked away with the title. The Champions have been traditional powers with the best players. If BC were to win, it would be as sort of a hybrid champ. We would be the underdog from a power conference. Football is not going to happen. As we saw in 1997 BC would have to be perfect AND watch all the more traditional powers lose at least once. Fortunately I think we are moving towards a playoff. But even then BC is going to have to earn an auto bid because it would take a miracle for us to get one of the few at large bids.

National Sports
1. Women's Ice Hockey
2. Men's Soccer
3. Women's Soccer
4. Women's Lacrosse
5. Women's Rowing
5. Women's Cross Country
6. Men's Cross Country
7. Field hockey
8. Softball
9. Baseball
10. Volleyball
11. Women's Tennis
12. Men's Tennis
13. Golf
14. Women's Swimming
15. Men's Swimming
16. Track & Field

I believe BC could be a powerhouse in Women's sports. First I think our Women's Ice Hockey team is close to a breakthrough. In a few years I could see us winning the men and women's Ice Hockey Championship in the same year. Our ACC Championship in soccer showed that BC can win at an elite level. We just need to do it in the NCAA Tournament. If you look at the rest of the list you realize that BC could be a power in Women's Sports. Peer programs in Women's soccer and Women's lacrosse are racking up Championships. BC has the appeal and the geography to do the same. We've had past success in Cross Country. The key there is recruiting and fortunately BC has shown the ability to bring in top running talent. Scholarships are an issue though. The other sports all suffer from similar issues: facilities, talent, geography and traditional. Tennis, Golf, Baseball, etc. are all dominated by big schools from sunny states. BC cannot change the weather but we would need to invest in some serious building if we ever want to compete in some of these sports. The same goes for swimming and track. We can't be a serious player to recruits if we don't have facilities.

Regional Sports
1. Fencing
2. Skiing

Fencing is improving and could be a factor. Skiing may have a chance. Eastern schools have won, but they tending to be closer to slopes.

Missing student found dead and other links

[Note: This isn't sports related but it has been one of the bigger BC stories of the past few months.] The body of missing BC student Franco Garcia was found in the Reservoir. There is still no public explanation of how or why he was there. At this point all you can do is pray for the family.

For those who missed it, BC's rally for the hockey team came off pretty well. BCeagles.com posted a photo gallery of the event. Based on twitter response Gene received some boos anytime he spoke.

California Lineman Sam Murphy plans to attend camp at BC. You would hope that BC would have an inside track with DT recruit Darius Commissiong.

Deadspin posted a great take on the Frozen Four. What I found most interesting was the former Ferris State player's reaction to Gaudreau's goal.

This is not BC-specific, but I thought it was a good read on no huddle and how teams are practicing. Reading things like this makes me feel like BC is very far removed from some of college football's best practices.

Here's NESN's preview of the football team.

Elite basketball recruit Nerlens Noel -- the brother of Jimmy Noel -- will attend Kentucky.

Hockey Parade and other links

BC will host the the National Champions Tuesday with a parade and rally. The parade will start at 5:30 and circle around parts of campus. The celebration will wind its way to O'Neill Plaza for a rally at 6 PM. All those in the area should come out to celebrate and thank the guys for a job well done.

Spaz received a commitment from Minnesota LB Jack Cottrell.

The offers are piling up for BC target Maurice Hurst Jr.

The BC baseball team struggled all weekend against Virginia Tech.

Latest Championship puts York in elite company

Photo courtesy of The Heights.

We like to chant "We are BC!" at sporting events and attribute any athletic success as an inevitability considering the school's motto is "Ever to Excel." But BC's 4-1 win in the National Championship wasn't really about the team effort, or the school or even the guys on the ice. All of those were factors, but our third National Title in five years and fifth overall was really about the guy behind the bench: Jerry York. York's fifth title (fourth at BC) rewrote history. He is no longer just a great hockey coach. He is a transcendent college coach who should be mentioned alongside the likes of John Wooden, Bear Bryant, Anson Dorrance, Pat Summitt and Dan Gable. Michigan's Victor Heyliger is the only college hockey coach who won more National Title's than York, but he did it in an entirely different era and he never won championships at two schools.

Like the other coaches mentioned, York has been an innovator in the sport. His focus on offense, speed and skill has changed the face of college hockey. Like other greats, he also has a great eye for talent and has managed to find small scorers and untested goalies as the backbones of multiple national championships. But what I hope people appreciate most is that York has done this all while being a class act. You'll never find anyone who has a bad thing to say about Jerry. The warmth, humor and confidence you see in front of the cameras is real.

As for the game, hats off to Ferris State. Considering the circumstances, they gave BC a tough fight. It was a tight affair until Johnny Gaudreau's beautiful goal in the 3rd.

I'll have more on the celebration in the following days. For now be proud to be an Eagle fan and be thankful for Jerry York!

Hockey news dampers weekend and other links

Philip Sameulsson, Parker Milner, and Patrick Wey were among seven students in a Jeep that collided with a Green Line T train on Saturday night. Fortunately no one was seriously injured. Fortunately the driver was not drinking. The bad news was that alcohol was found in the car and the group was underage. My guess is that York will hand out some sort of suspension and the guys will miss the first few games of the season.

Some are calling Matt Tennant a steal for the 5th round.

The Broncos depth chart shows that Bowman's got his work cut out for him.

The baseball team swept NC State this weekend and have now won 8-straight games.

Pics from the Hockey Parade and Rally

Thanks to Tim and Adam for sharing these photos from the great day.

Pics from the Championship

Thanks to Kelly for sending on more great shots from Detroit.