Boston College football coach Steve Addazio, riding high after Saturday night’s upset of ninth-ranked USC, joined Middays with MFB to recount the monumental win. To hear the interview, go to the MFB audio on demand page.
Steve Addazio led the Eagles to an upset of ninth-ranked USC on Saturday night. (Jared Wickerham/Getty Images)
The game was dedicated to the memory of Welles Crowther, a former BC lacrosse player who died during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, after leading a number of people to safety at the World Trade Center. Crowther, known for wearing a red bandanna, returned to the South Tower to rescue more people when the building collapsed.
BC players wore red bandanna-patterned designs on their helmets and other parts of their uniform to pay tribute to Crowther.
“I’m a big believer in the emotional side, in the passion side of the game,” Addazio said. “Obviously if you don’t have your X’s and O’s and your fundamentals right, you’re not going to overcome it with just that. By why not both? Why not play with that passion and that high energy and that emotion. It’s what the game is all about to me, and that’s what I love about the college game.
“Having a chance to be a part of that red bandanna game to honor Welles Crowther and everything that he stood for. … All that we’ve been hearing all week long [about NFL players misbehaving], it’s kind of made my stomach turn. But now let’s talk about a great story, a story about a guy that was unselfish, that gave of himself, gave his life to save other people. That’s kind of what the BC ‘service for others’ is — obviously that’s an extreme, but that’s what it’s all about.”
Addazio said he gave the team “a little history lesson” about 9/11 and talked about how Crowther was “one of our own,” a BC athlete who went on to leave a lasting mark outside the world of sports.
“Kids need to hear more about [Crowther's heroics]. They don’t need to hear more about elevators and everything else,” Addazio said. “They need to hear more about, to me, the true greatness that lies in a lot of people. And this was an unbelievable story. Being a part of it, and being around his parents after the game, it was just moving.”
Crowther’s family received a standing ovation when introduced to the crowd, and Crowther’s father spoke to the Eagles after the game.
Said Addazio: “In the locker room, when Mr. Crowther and Mrs. Crowther stood up and I gave them the game ball, and Mr. Crowther spoke to our team and spoke about Welles, and spoke about it wasn’t that long ago that he was in that locker room in that situation, and just talked about their love of their son and what was important to their son. I’ve got to tell you, I stood there, you had tears in your eyes. You’re listening, and you’re watching young people. And they listen to everything — they listen to all the talk shows, all the ESPN shows — but what they were listening to was talking about someone who was a true hero. And it was really impactful. And our kids were completely mesmerized by the whole thing. And I really loved the way — I mean, our kids were in there and they were so locked in. And that was cool. Because they got it.”
Despite the rain that fell in the hours leading up to the Saturday night contest, a big crowd turned out to see the Eagles knock off the Trojans in the nationally televised contest.
“It was electric,” Addazio said. “It was the most electric atmosphere I’ve been in since I’ve been at Boston College. And I guess it’s reminiscent of some years back. But the vibe was really, really great in the stadium.”
Boston is well known as being a pro sports town, with college sports coming in a distant second. Addazio stressed that there’s room for both.
“Every time I hear that, honestly, I don’t get it,” Addazio said. “Because the No. 2 sport in America is college football. And Boston has got some of the most passionate football fans there are in the country. It’s like, I don’t understand that. Like, go love on the Patriots, because it’s great to love on the Patriots and the Red Sox and everybody. It’s great. I think it’s fantastic. But love on your major college football team, because we have a major college program here in the ACC. And it’s been proven, it’s not debatable whether there’s unbelievable college football fans.
“Come on out and be in that great environment and be a part of an unbelievably exciting Saturday night. And that’s not like hype, that’s really how I feel. … And our part in this is we’ve got to continue to win and be an exciting product so people want to be a part of it.”