As Last Word On Sports continues its Mount Rushmore series, the focus shifts to the Boston College Eagles. While the Eagles struggled mightily in 2015, this program has produced more quality players than most casual fans remember. In fact, six former players and one former coach are members of the College Football Hall of Fame. With that being said, the following four people are most deserving of the Mount Rushmore honor.
Boston College Football Mount Rushmore
Doug Flutie (Quarterback – 1981-1984)
The fact that Doug Flutie has a statue outside of Alumni Stadium is enough to suggest that he deserves a spot on this list. With 10,759 passing yards over his four-year collegiate career, Flutie has the most passing yards in Boston College history. Flutie won the Heisman Trophy in 1984, becoming the only Eagle to earn college football’s most prestigious individual award. He was a consensus All-American that season, racking up 3,634 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns. Other individual awards he obtained in 1984 include the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award, and the Maxwell Award. To top it off, Flutie’s famous Hail Mary pass against Miami will never be forgotten. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.
Matt Ryan (Quarterback – 2004-2007)
While Matt Ryan didn’t win the Heisman Trophy like Flutie, he strung together an impressive list of accomplishments as well. Like Flutie, his senior season was his best by far, as Ryan recorded 4,507 passing yards and 31 passing touchdowns. Both numbers stand as single-season school records. Those impressive numbers were rewarded with a series of accolades, including ACC Player of the Year, the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Manning Award. Ryan led the Eagles to some respectable seasons as well, starting and winning three bowl games. In 2007, Ryan led Boston College to its first 10-win regular season since 1940 and the team finished in the Top 10 in the final AP Top 25 rankings.
Luke Kuechly (Linebacker – 2009-2011)
Athlon Sports listed Luke Kuechly as the ninth-best linebacker of the BCS era and that might even be an understatement. In his true freshman season, Kuechly started at outside linebacker and recorded 158 tackles, which led the ACC and was the second-most in the nation. During his next two seasons, he started at middle linebacker and led the nation in tackles with 183 and 191, respectively. The 191 tackles fell just two short of the FBS single-season tackle record (193), but he obtained them in two fewer games. To top it off, Kuechly intercepted seven passes and returned two for touchdowns during his three-year collegiate career. These statistics came with a slew of individual awards, as he was a First-Team All-American during all three seasons. He also received the Butkus Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Lombardi Award, the Jack Lambert Award, and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award for his efforts in 2011.
Mike Holovak (Running Back – 1940-1942, Head Coach – 1951-1959)
In 1940, the Eagles finished the season 11-0, completing the greatest season in Boston College football history. Five members of that legendary team were later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. Mike Holovak was one of those players, and his accomplishments as a head coach at Boston College later on give him an edge and cement his place on this list. In his final collegiate season, Holovak earned First-Team All-American honors and finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting. He averaged over five yards per carry during his three seasons, and the team enjoyed considerable success with an overall record of 26-5. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1985. As the head coach of the Eagles, Holovak posted a 49-29-3 record. His best season as a coach came in 1954, when the team finished 8-1 and Holovak won Coach of the Year honors from New England football writers.
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