1981 Boston College Eagles football team

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]

1981 Boston College Eagles football
Conference	Independent
1981 record	5–6
Head coach	Jack Bicknell (1st season)
Home stadium	Alumni Stadium

1981 NCAA Division I-A independents football records
	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 3 Penn State		–		–				10	–	2	–	0
No. 4 Pittsburgh		–		–				11	–	1	–	0
No. 8 Miami (FL)		–		–				9	–	2	–	0
Southern Miss		–		–				9	–	2	–	1
No. 17 West Virginia		–		–				9	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		–				7	–	3	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		–				7	–	4	–	0
Navy		–		–				7	–	4	–	1
Cincinnati		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Florida State		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Holy Cross		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
Tulane		–		–				6	–	5	–	0
UNLV		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
South Carolina		–		–				6	–	6	–	0
Temple		–		–				5	–	5	–	0
Boston College		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
East Carolina		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Louisville		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Notre Dame		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Rutgers		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
William & Mary		–		–				5	–	6	–	0
Syracuse		–		–				4	–	6	–	1
Richmond		–		–				4	–	7	–	0
Army		–		–				3	–	7	–	1
North Texas State		–		–				2	–	9	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Memphis State		–		–				1	–	10	–	0
Rankings from AP Poll

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.

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	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 13–12	31,000	[3][4]
September 26	at No. 9 North Carolina	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	L 14–56	48,000	[5]
October 3	West Virginia	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 10–38	17,235	[6][7]
October 10	at No. 2 Penn State	Beaver Stadium University Park, PA	L 7–38	84,473	[8]
October 17	Navy	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 10–25	31,000	[9]
October 24	at Army	Michie Stadium West Point, NY	W 41–6	39,357	[10]
October 31	No. 2 Pittsburgh	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	L 24–29	25,500	[11]
November 7	UMass	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA (rivalry)	W 52–22	20,400	[12]
November 14	at Syracuse	Carrier Dome Syracuse, NY (rivalry)	L 17–27	35,623	[13]
November 21	Rutgers	Alumni Stadium Chestnut Hill, MA	W 27–21	16,500	[14]
November 28	at Holy Cross	Fitton Field Worcester, MA (rivalry)	W 28–24	22,500	[15]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1981 Boston College Eagles football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class C 62 Jack Belcher Jr WR 13 Brian Brennan So G Ed Broderick Jr QB 22 Doug Flutie Fr QB 7 John Loughery Jr T 70 Steve Lively Jr T 78 Dave Paulik So G 65 Gerry Raymond Sr RB 24 Leo Smith Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class SS 5 Vic Crawford Jr LB 99 Steve DeOssie Fr S 6 Rich Dyer Sr DT 52 Scott Harrington Fr DT 95 Joe Nash Sr DT 73 Todd Nelson Jr DB 15 George Radachowsky So DE 46 Paul Shaw Jr DE 50 Greg Storr Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class	Head coach Jack Bicknell Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

References

1. "1981 Boston College Eagles Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
2. "1981 Boston College Eagles Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
3. "Boston College upsets A&M". The Paris (TX) News. September 20, 1981. p. 9B – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Boston College 13, Texas A&M 12". Minneapolis Tribune. September 20, 1981. p. 6C – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Bryant's 4 Touchdowns Lead North Carolina". The Palm Beach Post. September 27, 1981. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com.
6. "Undefeated West Virginia knocks off Boston College". Tallahassee Democrat. October 4, 1981. p. 4F – via Newspapers.com.
7. "West Virginia 38, Boston College 10". St. Petersburg Times. October 4, 1981. p. 8C – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Penn St. Crushes B.C. 38-7". The Palm Beach Post. October 11, 1981. p. E6 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Meyers, Fehr lead Navy past B.C. by 25-10". The Baltimore Sun. October 18, 1981. p. C12 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Boston College 41, Army 6". Sunday News Journal (Wilmington, DE). October 25, 1981. p. D7 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "No. 2-ranked Pitt escapes BC 29-24". St. Petersburg Times (AP story). November 1, 1981. p. 11C – via Newspapers.com.
12. "At Chestnut Hill, Mass". The Courier-Journal. November 8, 1981. p. C2 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Syracuse 27, Boston College 17". Fort Lauderdale News and Sun-Sentinel. November 15, 1981. p. 4C – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Boston Coll. 27, Rutgers 21". The Hartford Courant. November 22, 1981. p. C13 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Boston College 28, Holy Cross 24". Fort Myers News-Press. November 29, 1981. p. 3C – via Newspapers.com.