ROACH: BU needs football?

“Terrier football &- undefeated since 1997.”

You’ve probably heard Boston University fans cite the Terriers’ untarnished football record in response to the antagonistic heckling of Boston College’s “Superfans.” Heck, you might’ve even answered a few Eagles fans with some variation of the comeback yourself.

Yes, since former BU Athletic Director Gary Strickler controversial 1997 decision to terminate the BU pigskin program, football has been a bit of a sore spot for the Terrier Nation.

Lately, however, I’ve begun to wonder: is a college experience sans football that big of a deal? And, after more than two-and-a-half years of consideration, it has become my firm belief that the answer is “no.”
The fact is, a strong hockey program more than makes up for the absence of BU football.

Don’t get me wrong &- I’m as much of a football fanatic as most of the Terrier fans clamoring for a Division I football program. And like many BU students and alumni, I sometimes find myself longing for a good old-fashioned autumn gridiron battle. But a quick trip down memory lane serves as a reminder of why life as a Terrier isn’t so bad without football.
So buck up Terrier Nation. Here are a few reasons BU will be just fine &- even if the administration continues to ignore the student body’s plea for a football squad:

Look to the rafters. The ceiling at Agganis Arena has always been pretty crowded &- from it hang banners to commemorate five national championships, 29 Beanpot championships, seven Hockey East Tournament championships and five Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament championships.

So, before you bemoan the lack of football at BU, I’d like you to consider, for a moment, the number of colleges and universities with a national title to their name. Compared to the quantity of Division I schools in the United States, the number is relatively small. The number of schools with five national titles? Even smaller.

And, those of us who had the opportunity to be a part of last year’s campaign witnessed one of the greatest college hockey games ever played. The Terrier team that eked out a 4-3 overtime victory against the RedHawks to capture the 2009 NCAA title was (arguably) one of the best BU squads ever assembled. From Mayor Thomas Menino’s declaration of April 14, 2009 as “Terrier Day” in Boston to a Duck Boat parade, the atmosphere on BU’s Charles River Campus last April could not be beat.

We’ve been lucky Terriers &- plain and simple. Almost every year, we watch some of the most talented and exciting college hockey players in the nation. And, almost every year, BU’s coaching staff &- headed by the legendary Jack Parker &- puts its team in a position to succeed (both
in HE and on a national level). Let’s not be so quick to forget that.

A Green Line rivalry. Aren’t college athletics all about the rivalries? Sure, a regular season contest between long-time enemies BU and BC might not garner the same national attention as a Michigan/Ohio State fall matchup, but the “Battle of Comm. Ave” is certainly one of the greatest rivalries in North American college hockey. (In fact, in its Jan. 18, 2005 issue, Sports Illustrated called BU/BC the greatest rivalry in all of sports.)

The Terriers have faced off against the Eagles 250 times in 92 years, with BU holding a 125-108-17 advantage over its counterpart from Chestnut Hill. The perennial contenders have combined to capture eight NCAA titles and 44 Beanpot championships. The sum of these factors? One bitter rivalry. BU fans, in no uncertain terms, hate BC (and vice versa) &- making for some of the most entertaining college hockey games on the planet.

And if history serves as any precedence, BU should stick to what it knows &- hockey. The Terriers have won only four times (in 32 contests) when going toe-to-toe with the Eagles on the gridiron.

We’re not in the same league. Even if the administration reinstated the pigskin program &- and that’s a very big “if” &- the vision of Terrier football, as held by the BU faithful, would not pan out in reality. While we’d all love to see the Terriers compete with big teams on a big stage, BU has neither the facilities nor the recognition to be anything but a D1-AA program.

I’m not saying that a D1-AA program wouldn’t create interest. It would.

I’m just not sure it could create enough interest to overcome the collective doubt of BU’s administration. Football costs money, and toward the end of their 91-year run, the Terriers simply couldn’t fill the bleachers at Nickerson Field. I’m not sure how much has changed since 1997.

It might not include a pre-game tailgate, but college hockey has treated BU very well.

So, yes, having a football team would be nice. But five national championships, 29 Beanpot titles and one sold-out January game in Fenway Park might be a little nicer. Perhaps it’s even nice enough to make up for a conspicuous lack of football.

Who knows? Maybe, just maybe, the Terriers’ postseason success makes fans of some football schools out there a little jealous.
In some cases, it certainly should.