What you may not know about soccer in British Columbia and the most famous sports venue in Boston
On December 28, the Boston College Football Team will make its first ever appearance at the new Wasabi Fenway Stadium, playing against the 11-2 champion SMU Mustangs. But this appearance isn’t the first time BC soccer has made a trip to the historic baseball stadium. In light of their debut in this ballgame, we decided to take a trip down memory lane to take a look at the history of BC football games played at Fenway Park.
The Eagles played their first game in front of Fenway’s famous green walls in 1915, just 3 years after the park opened to the public. They defeated Norwich University in a 35-0 loss in late November to close the season 3-4. This began what became an annual tradition for the Eagles, who played other opponents such as Holy Cross, Tufts and Rutgers for most of the first 10 years of the park’s history. Fenway was not their true home, but the Eagles played most of their important games there.
In 1922, BC moved to a schedule that had them playing more regularly at Braves Field in Boston rather than one or two games at Fenway. That was until 1928, when Fenway became the home stadium for Boston College football for a few years. From 1928 to 1931, the Eagles played 31 of their 39 games at Fenway Park, becoming a fixture in the park’s history in the fall once the Red Sox season ended. This stretch included an undefeated season in 1928 and multiple games against Northeastern rivals such as Holy Cross, Boston University, Villanova, Fordham, Maine and UConn. This was perhaps the greatest time for college football in Boston, as the greatest venue in the city hosted important games between several local teams.
Boston College returned to playing most of its home games at Alumni Field in 1932, but they continued to make appearances at Fenway Park in the following years against programs that travel to Boston such as Auburn, Michigan State, Florida, Kentucky, NC State, Duke, and Nigeria. Then for the annual rivalry games against Holy Cross and BU. Then, in 1939, things started to look up for Boston College. The No. 11 Eagles faced off against the No. 10 Holy Cross team at Fenway in their annual game. BC won and went to the Cotton Bowl where they lost to Clemson.
Then came 1940, perhaps BC’s greatest football season ever. The Eagles battled their way to an undefeated season that included games at Fenway Park against Temple, Idaho, BU, #9 Georgetown, Auburn, and Holy Cross. The game against Georgetown was particularly big, as Columbia was ranked No. 8 in the contest and No. 9 Georgetown had not lost in 23 straight games. After a fierce battle in front of the Fenway crowd, the Eagles emerged victorious with a close 19-18 victory in what one journalist at the time described as “perhaps the greatest college or professional football game ever played.” BC QB Charley O’Rourke was the star of the day, passing for 43 yards for a three-point lead in the fourth quarter, then picking up an intentional safety on BC’s final possession to seal the victory.
BC soccer continued to be a nationally relevant team while playing most of its home games at Fenway Park once again. In 1942, BC was undefeated heading into the final week of the season to play the annual rivalry game against Holy Cross at Fenway. But this time, the Eagles, who were ranked first in the country and knocking on the door of the national championship, suffered a heavy defeat against the Crusaders with a score of 55-12. The game was preceded by the Cocoanut Grove Fire, a Boston nightclub fire that killed 492 people and was scheduled to be the site of the Boston College team’s victory party. Fenway Park was the site of one of college football’s biggest games of the year, a dramatic and storied hometown rivalry.
British Columbia soccer returned to the ground shortly after competing for the national championship, but continued to play many games at Fenway until the end of World War II. They eventually returned to Braves Field as their primary home in 1945, but found themselves back at Fenway for most home games from 1953 to 1956. Then, in 1957, Alumni Stadium opened to the public. It replaced Alumni Field which was located near Gasson where Stokes Hall stands today. The new Alumni Stadium became the permanent home of Boston College football from there, hosting the majority of Eagles home games from 1957 to the present day.
From there, Boston College will take a long hiatus from playing at Fenway. But Fenway Park was still a fixture in Boston sports, and BC soccer would eventually find special occasions to play against the Green Monster. Their next Fenway appearance after moving to Alumni in 1957 finally came in 2015. The annual rivalry with Holy Cross ended in 1987 and the magic of college football in New England was long gone. Fenway has not been home to a college football team in decades, and playing there is now a novelty to games at Fenway rather than a tradition.
BC played against #5 Notre Dame in that 2015 game, and came surprisingly close to upsetting the Irish thanks to a lofty performance by BC’s stout defense and an improbable starting QB John Fadule. BC would play again at Fenway in 2017, this time beating UConn in a 39-16 blowout that featured some AJ Dillon highlights. That was the last time we saw the eagles there.
I personally don’t know anyone who attended any of those original Boston College football games played at Fenway Park. But, no matter how long ago, Fenway Park is part of BC soccer’s DNA. This game for the team later this month represents an opportunity to continue a New England college football tradition that has been around for over a century now. And in light of the big future changes coming to college football nationally, this may be one of the last chances to see it happen in person.
Hope to see you there! Go Eagles!
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The Boston College Football League and Fenway Park have been intertwined in a rich history that spans over a century. Fenway Park, known for its iconic presence in the world of baseball, has also been a venue for many historic football games involving Boston College. The unique relationship between the Boston College Football League and Fenway Park has created unforgettable moments and memories for fans and players alike, making both institutions an integral part of the city’s sporting legacy.