With the iconic BC vs. ND game coming up tomorrow at Fenway Park, I can’t help but wonder how this intense rivalry started or why we’re not considered the “home” team, even though Fenway is right here in the heart of Boston. Regardless, the BC-ND rivalry is a classic one, usually dubbed “The Holy War” because of each universities’ Roman Catholic affiliation. The Fighting Irish and the Eagles have each had their own football teams since the 19th century, yet the rivalry between the two is pretty new. It started in 1975 and ND is currently leading the series with 13 wins, while BC has 9.
I think it’s safe to say that most BC students aren’t the biggest fans of Notre Dame students and vice versa, based mostly on the debate of academic superiority (BC is the clear winner obviously). But after a little bit of research, I discovered that it may have originated with Frank Leahy.
Leahy played football at ND and then eventually coached the Eagles in Chestnut Hill. Everyone here loved him, and he had just recently signed a contract when a coaching position at ND opened up. Leahy really wanted to return to his alma mater, yet couldn’t because of the terms of the contract with BC. So Leahy announced at a press conference that he was transferring to Notre Dame’s coaching staff, even though it was against his contract. The media had a heyday with it, and BC released him. So maybe we’re holding a grudge against Leahy for leaving us to go back to ND?
My fellow Eagles, you should not get frustrated with ND’s success though. We have dominated the 2000-2010 decade for the Holy War. Here are just a couple stats to get an idea of the competition
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In the Holy War since 2000, Boston College has 6 wins to Notre Dame’s 3.
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BC has had eight first round NFL Draft picks since 2000, compared to Notre Dame’s 2.
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Since 2004, BC has had 9 wins against ranked opponents. Notre Dame has 7.
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While BC has never had an ESPN Top 25 recruiting class, Notre Dame has been on the list every year since the site kept track in 2006.
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In 2010, Notre Dame spent $29.4 million dollars on its football program while Boston College spent $17.2 million.
Maybe 2015 will be our year to snap the Fighting Irish’s four-year-win-streak! Be sure to catch the game on Saturday, November 21st! Grab your friends, wear the maroon and gold proudly, head over to Kenmore Square, find a restaurant to watch the game, and watch the #1 defense in the country take on ND in this year’s Holy War!
Sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holy_War_(Boston_College_vs._Notre_Dame)
http://www.bcinterruption.com/2011/6/2/2202774/boston-college-notre-dame-holy-war-rivalry
http://boston.sportsthenandnow.com/2011/11/21/boston-college-notre-dame-history-behind-the-holy-war/
http://www.maguzz.com/5/notre-dame-football-2015.html
http://www.whdh.com/story/24460772/bc-notre-dame-to-play-at-fenway-park-in-2015
http://www.sdshof.com/inductees/frank-leahy/
http://soaringtoglory.com/boston-college-eagles-recruiting/2015-boston-college-football-recruiting/