1981 Boston College Eagles football team
American college football season
The 1981 Boston College Eagles football team represented Boston College as an independent during the 1981 NCAA Division I-A football season . In its first season under head coach Jack Bicknell , the team compiled a 5–6 record and was outscored by a combined total of 298 to 243. Three of the team's losses were to teams then ranked among the top 10 in the AP Poll .[ 1]
The team was led by freshman quarterback Doug Flutie who completed 105 of 192 passes for 1,652 passing yards, 10 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Other statistical leaders included Leo Smith with 403 rushing yards, Brian Brennan with 726 receiving yards, kicker John Cooper with 55 points scored (28 extra points and 9 field goals), and defensive back George Radachowsky with seven interceptions.[ 2] Flutie, Brennan, and Radachowsky all went on to play in the National Football League , as did defensive tackle Joe Nash .
The team played its home games at Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts .
Schedule
Date Opponent Site Result Attendance Source September 19 Texas A&M W 13–1231,000 [ 3] [ 4]
September 26 at No. 9 North Carolina L 14–5648,000 [ 5]
October 3 West Virginia Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA L 10–3817,235 [ 6] [ 7] [ 8]
October 10 at No. 2 Penn State L 7–3884,473 [ 9]
October 17 Navy Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA L 10–2531,000 [ 10]
October 24 at Army W 41–639,357 [ 11]
October 31 No. 2 Pittsburgh Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA L 24–2925,500 [ 12]
November 7 UMass Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry ) W 52–2220,400 [ 13]
November 14 at Syracuse L 17–2735,623 [ 14]
November 21 Rutgers Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA W 27–2116,500 [ 15]
November 28 at Holy Cross W 28–2422,500 [ 16]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
Roster
1981 Boston College Eagles football team roster
Players
Coaches
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Head coach
Coordinators/assistant coaches
Legend
(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible
Injured
Redshirt
References
^ "1981 Boston College Eagles Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
^ "1981 Boston College Eagles Stats" . SR/College Football . Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2018 .
^ "Boston College upsets A&M" . The Paris (TX) News . September 20, 1981. p. 9B – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Boston College 13, Texas A&M 12" . Minneapolis Tribune . September 20, 1981. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Bryant's 4 Touchdowns Lead North Carolina" . The Palm Beach Post . September 27, 1981. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "West Virginia rolls to 4–0, crushes Boston College" . The News and Advance . October 4, 1981. Retrieved January 28, 2024 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Undefeated West Virginia knocks off Boston College" . Tallahassee Democrat . October 4, 1981. p. 4F – via Newspapers.com .
^ "West Virginia 38, Boston College 10" . St. Petersburg Times . October 4, 1981. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Penn St. Crushes B.C. 38-7" . The Palm Beach Post . October 11, 1981. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Meyers, Fehr lead Navy past B.C. by 25-10" . The Baltimore Sun . October 18, 1981. p. C12 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Boston College 41, Army 6" . Sunday News Journal (Wilmington, DE) . October 25, 1981. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "No. 2-ranked Pitt escapes BC 29-24" . St. Petersburg Times (AP story) . November 1, 1981. p. 11C – via Newspapers.com .
^ "At Chestnut Hill, Mass" . The Courier-Journal . November 8, 1981. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Syracuse 27, Boston College 17" . Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel . November 15, 1981. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Boston Coll. 27, Rutgers 21" . The Hartford Courant . November 22, 1981. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com .
^ "Boston College 28, Holy Cross 24" . Fort Myers News-Press . November 29, 1981. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com .
Venues
South End Grounds (1893–1899, 1902)
American League Baseball Grounds (1901)
Alumni Field (1915–1921, 1923, 1932–1941, 1943–1945, 1955)
Fenway Park (1914–1917, 1919–1920, 1927–1931, 1936–1945, 1953–1956)
Braves Field (1918–1927, 1944, 1946–1952)
Alumni Stadium (1957–present)
Sullivan Stadium (alternate)
Bowls & rivalries Culture & lore People Seasons National championship seasons in bold