An increasingly growing number of Holy Cross alumni have reached out to me to engage you in the pursuit of scheduling a football game with Boston College.
Obviously there are a lot of moving parts to this equation but the conversation among the alums includes the following aspects:
1. Schedules are certainly made years in advance so to think that a game of this sort could be scheduled in 2016 or 2017 for a 2018 or 2020 delivery obviously would not work.
2. Knowing the forward thinking involved with this effort, the alumni involved in this discussion believe that a 2017 delivery would be the appropriate year to get the Eagles back on the schedule. Why is that? The reasons and motivations include but are not exclusively the following:
a. The Holy Cross team would have a full contingent of scholarship players. The seniors on HC's team for that fall 2017 team will be entering their senior year in high school this fall.
b. Getting this game scheduled now will send the strongest message possible to prospective recruits as to the "stretch target" that Holy Cross is shooting for in its reemergence into the world of scholarship football. Fordham is already well on its way into this realm with its scheduling of UConn and Cincinnatti among other schools.
c. With little interest in being cannon fodder for Boston College, the mere scheduling of this game will be the bar by which our coaching staff can measure the quality of recruits pursued. That is, "can this player help us be truly competitive in playing with BC?" I would think HC will attract more and better recruits by the mere scheduling of this game. As an example, I have come to understand that the incoming recruited QB Peter Pujals from Loyola HS in Chicago was offered by last year's Orange Bowl participant Northern Illinois. Let this be the bar by which all recruits are measured so that the future product Holy Cross puts on the field generates the desired results. You know just as well as I do, "you have to have the horses."
d. The 2017 schedule for Boston College obviously will have its requisite number of ACC games and at least based on the attached link already has a game tentatively scheduled with Richmond. I would hope that 1 AA game would not preclude BC from scheduling another 1-AA game with Holy Cross but that is an indication that time is certainly of the essence in pursuing this game.
e. I am hard pressed to think of any other single thing Holy Cross might be able to do to send a message to the Holy Cross alumni base, the Worcester community, the New England sports scene, the world of college football at large, and high school coaches as to how serious it is in its "commitment to excellence" and its desire to pursue the preeminent position among colleges in being THE BEST school for real student-athletes than by announcing the scheduling of this game.
f. Further icing on the cake. What is 2017? Only the 75th anniversary of what has to be one of if not the greatest Holy Cross' athletic conquest, that is, the famous 55-12 victory over these very same Eagles.
Additionally, that 1942 game preceded the infamous Cocoanut Grove Fire. Let's play the game and have a joint post game reception with the Eagle faithful in the memory of those 492 people who lost their lives that evening. I would welcome chairing the post-game reception committee.
g. The ultimate coup de grace. Play the game at Fenway Park. I know for a fact that Fenway is interested in bringing college football back. What better way than a Holy Cross-Boston College tilt on the 75th anniversary of the most famous college football game ever played there. Talk about publicity!!
h. Think a Friday night gathering before this game of the Holy Cross Football faithful on campus, either in Hogan or perhaps the Fieldhouse or Hart Center would be a raucous celebration?
I welcome reaching out to you on behalf of all the alumni who truly hope to make this vision a reality and look forward to working with you and anybody else on or off campus on this initiative.
Thanks in advance for your consideration.
Let's WIN!!
LD
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