Boston College - Sub Turri Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Boston Breeds Sports Fanaticsm Anyone who knows anything about Boston knows that it is a sports town. Love them or hate them, Boston fans follow their sports teams and heroes through their bitter lows and their euphoric highs. This fanaticism exists both in the city itself and its suburbs. The Patriots, Bruins, Red Sox, and Celtics all have loyal supporters and diehard fans at the Heights. After years of going without the recognition due them, the Celtics are now the talk of the town. Even the great teams of the sixties with Cousy and Russell, or the teams of the mid-seventies with Havlichek, Cowens, White, and Silas, never captured the love and the enthusiastic support of the people of Boston. But then again, those teams never had the amazing Larry Bird. This fanaticism reached its peak last May when the sensational series between the Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers took place. As game time approached, despite the fact that finals were in session, study halls would be empty, televisions without the volume would turn on and the unmistakeable voice of Johnny Most could be heard. The Celtics battled back from a three games to one deficit to win the series four games to three. From there, the Celtics moved on to defeat the Houston Rockets in the finals to regain the championship that seems to rightfully belong to them. No talk of these Celtics would be complete without making mention of Larry Bird, considered one of the greatest all-around players in the history of the NBA. Johnny Most described him as “All-World and All-Universe” and though that is debatable, no one can argue that Bird is directly responsible for the new found enthusiasm the Boston fans have for the Celtics. Though, it can be argued that the Celtic’s teams of the past may have been better, no team can match the following that Bird and the rest of today’s Celtics enjoy. The Bruins are another team that has found Bill Rodgers receives a warm welcome from the crowd as he reaches the top of Heartbreak Hill. new popularity. Unlike the Celtics, though, the Bruins once owned Boston but during the latter part of the seventies, fan support began disappearing. Gone were the great teams of Orr and Esposito. With the constant expansion in the NHL, it was hard for fans to get excited over hockey. But all that seems to be changing. This year’s team, with a clever mixture of old and new players, has Boston hockey fans excited again. Along with the familiar names of Cashman, O’Reilly, Park, Milbury, Vachon, and Middleton are youngsters Bourque, Leveille, Pederson and Baron. Neither the young nor the old can be directly credited for the new exciting play of the team, but one thing is certain, this team is definitely a contender for the Stanley Cup. Red Sox fans have more of a love-hate relationship with their team than do either the Celtics or Bruins. Ever since the sensational World Series of 1975, Red Sox fans have expected great things from their teams only to be constantly disappointed. With the loss of Lynn, Burleson, and Hobson last winter, and the strike during the summer, many long-time Red Sox fans finally swore that they would disassociate themselves from the Sox once and for all. But, in true Red Sox fashion, this team did what it wasn’t supposed to do, and this time they were winning. The 1981 Red Sox were picked to finish last by many experts. Without Lynn, Burleson and Fisk, the team seemed to be doomed. When the strike started in June, the Sox were four games over .500. When the “second season” started, the Sox got off to a slow start but by early September, they were gaining ground. Then on a Saturday afternoon against the hated New York Yankees, Rick Miller clubbed a two-out grand-slam homerun and helped eliminate a 7-0 deficit and rekindled the flame of many Red Sox fans. Though the Red Sox eventually failed in their bid to reach the playoffs, it seems their heroics in the latter part of the summer may have gained some old fans back and found them new ones. With veterans like Ojeda, Gedman, Langsford, and Stapleton, the Sox look like they may be following the new road to success that the Bruins are presently travelling on. Part of the reason Red Sox fans were often so forgiving was the fact that the Sox always had one major flaw: pitching. But for the New England Patriots, this is not the case. Like the Sox, ever since the mid-seventies, the Patriots have told their fans that they were championship caliber, yet every year they found a way to disappoint their fans. Ever since 1976, this team had been loaded with talent. This year, the seasons of frustration and disappointment reached an all-time high when the team tripped, stumbled and fell and posted a 2-14 record. But with a new coach and the number one draft pick on the way, there is already new hope. These four teams dominate the Boston sports scene, but this is not to say that they dominate it every day. In fact, there is a day in April when running is the sport everybody in town is thinking about. To be more specific, Patriot’s Day is when Boston’s two running institutions, the Boston Marathon and Bill Rodgers, are on everybody’s mind. To many, Rodgers and the marathon go hand in hand. Win or lose, he is the man people come to see run. If anyone doubts this, they should just ask people who have lined up on Commonwealth Avenue to watch this event to describe the deafening ovation, the blonde, wiry man from Melrose, Mass., receives when he runs by. It sounds like the Boston Garden after a Larry Bird game winner or a Rick Middleton weave-through-the-defense goal and like Shaeffer Stadium after a Pats touchdown (if that’s not too far-fetched). 164

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Sports at the University have always been rich in a tradition of equal opportunity for all. For the everyday student the realm of intramural sports offers a wide variety of diversions from studying that range from racquetball to running, to basketball and even boxing. Along with intramural sports, students are afforded the opportunity to compete with other schools. This intercollegiate level has made the University’s name known in the sports world. Tainted perhaps by the misdeeds of a few individuals in recent time, the accomplishments of the teams and players have established a tradition that espouses winning, honesty, and sportsmanship. The fan also receives much from this tradition. The fans, involved at an emotional level rather than a physical level, help to support the athletes with their spirit and attendance at games. By offering the opportunity for all to be involved in athletics, no matter at what level, Boston College becomes a University in the true sense of the word — a community for the enrichment of both body and mind.

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Nate Archibald slips by a Milwaukee Bucks player. 165