Two hours after a brutal homecoming loss to the Northeastern Huskies in 1997, Coach Tom Masella met with the last Boston University football to deliver the bad news: After 91 years, BU was killing its lack-luster football program.
“I felt like a big part of my life was just thrown in the trash,” School of Education alumnus and former varsity football player Alan Rich said on Nickerson Field last Saturday. “It left a hole, an empty feeling, because you know when you played you had such pride in your school, and when it was cut, it was just a real empty feeling.”
Immediately after the program was cut, BU alumni and former players formed Boston Terriers United for Football, with the goal of enhancing BU by improving athletics, ultimately by bringing back football. BTUFF continued its mission Saturday with the ninth-annual alumni football game at Nickerson Field, where current students, alumni, family and friends reconnected to play pickup games.
“Events like this keep the tradition alive and just help to bring attention to the number of alumni who would like to see football,” SED alumnus George “Butch” Byrd said.
Byrd played in the NFL for eight years and was named an All-Pro at right corner for five years. “BTUFF stands ready to assist in any way, shape or form with the feasibility of bringing football back,” he said.
BU officials in 1997 said the university chose to cut the $3 million program — which accounted for nearly a quarter of the athletic budget — to channel more money into women’s sports and a new athletic facility.
“We have concluded that we can no longer justify the enormous cost of a I-AA football team,” then-Provost Dennis Berkey said at an Oct. 27, 2006 press conference. “Boston University football enjoyed great success and strong interest among both students and fans in the middle part of this century, but the last quarter century has seen more disappointing results and a steady decline in fan support.”
Over the last nine years, alumni have frequently asked BU to bring back the football program.
“We don’t fully understand the rationale — not having enough money for men’s and women’s sports, when we’re one of the richest universities in the country,” Byrd said.
BTUFF is raising money to help bring back football at BU. Byrd said his organization is ready to study the advantages of a football program, but does not believe the administration would even look at the analysis.
Members said the university’s credibility has suffered since the removal of the football program, especially against athletically strong schools like Boston College.
“One of the foundations of a school’s athletics has to be football — otherwise, you’re always going to have a second-tier athletic program,” BTUFF committee member and School of Management alumnus Jason Goldberg said.
BTUFF members suggested BU loses prospective students and the support of alumni because it dropped football.
“BU is one of the worst alumni-giving universities,” BTUFF President and College of Engineering alumnus Al Drucker said.
BTUFF alumni also said the loss of the football team, which had an annual roster of 60 players, made them reluctant to donate to the university. Rich said he is uninvolved with the university other than BTUFF.
“BU also has a disproportionate male-to-female ratio and minority representation,” Drucker said. “Football helps [break down] all that.”
BTUFF arranged for the reunion to occur the day of the first hockey game of the year, hoping to draw alumni from across the country, but only attracted three spectators.
While football will probably not return during the college careers of any current students, BTUFF said they will continue to fight for the return of football.
“I have to think football will come back to be involved with something like BTUFF,” Goldberg said.