BCI Debates: Who rounds out the BC sports Mt. Rushmore?

This week, we’re talking about the BC sports Mt. Rushmore.

As we know, Doug Flutie’s statue looms large in front of Alumni Stadium. Jerry York’s legendary career obviously warrants a similar honor at some point. Charlotte North’s back-to-back Tewaaraton Awards, plus her role in the 2021 national title, cements her status as a BC legend and a legend of her sport writ large.

If BC is going to put up four statues for a Mt. Rushmore - three to go alongside the existing Doug Flutie statue - these two seem like locks for that honor.

BC Internet Pal Jamie makes the point:

So since he mentioned Mt. Rushmore, which famously features four heads - let’s debate #4!

Joe: Do you agree with these 3 as 3/4 of the Mt. Rushmore? And who’s #4?

Laura: I mean probs William Flynn? Or Father Monan, the real MVP

Bailin: Welles or Pete Frates may have a claim but for different reasons.

Joe: That’s a good point. There are lots of different directions you could go with this.

Laura: We have too many legends! What a problem to have

Bailin: Take that, people who say BC has no success!

Joe: I think the Pete Frates Center is a fitting tribute to Pete, and Welles deserves his own building or center on campus too. Their legend in their own ways transcends athletics - it would almost be too small an honor for them to have a statue alongside people there solely for their role in BC sports history.

Bailin: I agree. I think what makes them special is that they made a contribution to society rather than a specific athletic contribution. There is definitely a proper way to honor them, but not like this.

Joe: So I’m going to sidestep this and say let’s think about sports specifically for #4.

Flynn is a good one, Laura.

I think I’m torn on a hypothetical statue #4 for Mt Rushmore on whether it’s important to include another sport beyond the three represented by Flutie / York / North.

Bailin: Well let’s say this. Which other sport has celebrated the level of success that hockey or women’s lax has celebrated? No other program has won an NCAA natty.

Joe: I believe that the only BC athletes to ever win the award for top individual prize in their sport outside of Flutie and North are David Emma, Brian Gionta*, Johnny Gaudreau, Sam Apuzzo, and Alex Carpenter? (And Watts, but obviously, that’s a no lol)

So that’s a decent starting point.

ED NOTE: *Oops: this was an error; Gionta didn’t win the Hobey; and we missed Mike Mottau

Bailin: God, women’s lacrosse is so good. Put Acacia up there for all I care.

Joe: In terms of legendary coaches - Al Skinner deserves more recognition from BC - I’m not sure if he’s statue-tier though. And Coughlin was not at BC long enough to be a statute guy even though he’d be the football coach who comes to mind.

Troy Bell is probably the pick if you’re looking for basketball representation on the Mt. Rushmore.

Laura: Yea I was just about to suggest him. I think you need basketball represented, and he’s the one.

Joe: I think the hockey Hobey winners are great and I would love to see a life size 4 foot tall Johnny Gaudreau statue, maybe of him in the Johnny Hockey pose. But you could probably counter-argue - there’s not one name, him or anyone, that really just stands out/ overwhelms as being THE best in BC men’s hockey history.

Bailin: I don’t think Bell deserves it more than Flynn or Monan.

Joe: The counterpoint to a hoops statue is, nobody in basketball frankly has ever attained that level at BC, as one of the best college basketball figures ever, the way Flutie is a college football legend and not just a BC legend; York is a hockey legend, North is probably the best ever to do it in women’s lax.

Laura: It feels like there should be an admin/coaching one and a player one, even though that’s cheating.

Joe: That is cheating!

Laura: I’m a CHEATER

Joe: I think York goes in the same Mt. Rushmore category with the players because he played, you know? But obviously it’s his coaching that puts him on Mt. Rushmore.

Flynn and Monan being administrators specifically, I think need to be in a separate category. Obviously this is all very subjective.

Bailin: We just need sports statues all over campus, that’ll make our decisions easier.

Joe: I think the closest any other BC athlete ever (in the NCAA team sports anyway - my apologies, I truly just am not knowledgeable about sailing) to being in the tier of very best to ever do it in their sport, is.... probably Alex Carpenter?

Bailin: I’m not sure I agree.

Joe: Fight fight fight

Bailin: I mean she’s closest but I don’t agree she’s the best to ever do it

Joe: That’s... exactly what I said? lol

Joe: I guess you could say Gaudreau is probably one of the best men's college hockey players of all time too. I am too young to remember David Emma. Brian Gionta scoring 123 goals is pretty insane given that ‘97-’01 was an era of far more advanced goaltending/defense than back in the day - though it was still a much higher scoring era than now.

It’s clear there’s nobody else who’s obviously a slam dunk though, otherwise there wouldn’t be a debate.

The post would just be entitled “BCI Agrees:” and then we could all move on.

Bailin: @Curtis Flannery get in here please let’s go

Curtis: I’m of the opinion that there is no 4th person deserving of a statue. Those 3 are clearly in a tier of their own and not particularly close with anyone else, besides Crowther and Frates for obvious separate reasons.

I reject your premise!

Joe: Booooo! (Fair enough!)

Laura: I guess we don’t have to accept the premise that there must be 4 because Mount Rushmore is bad anyways!

Grant: I was going to say the same thing Curtis did — we don’t have a 4th just yet. There will come a time. You want to make sure you have the slot open when it comes.

Curtis: When Phil Jurkovec wins the Heisman this year we can revisit this conversation.

Joe: I THINK if we’re not wedded to the idea of representation across different sports, and you HAD to pick a fourth, I might go totally off the board and say Chuckin’ Charlie O’Rourke from the 1940 football team!

Talk about honoring the legacy at BC, let’s give Chuckin’ Charlie his due. IMO. 1940 National Champions. People Forget.

Grant: I would rather go with Monan. The man is basically the reason the university still exists.

Bailin: Counterpoint, that’s a good reason for a big statue on campus but not necessarily a spot in the athletics Mount Rushmore.

Grant: Can the Charlotte North status be her winding up for a free position?

Curtis: Wait! We already have a 4th statue! It’s clearly St. Ignatius

Joe:

St. Ignatius
Father Monan
The Pope
Jerry York

It’s settled.

Laura: I think all my personal fan favorites should get statues instead

Joe: Taylor Swift and three cats?

Laura: Marty Reasoner. Craig Smith. Amber Jacobs. Kiwi.

Perfect.

Joe: Oh man Kiwi. Definitely on the just list of absolute legends.

Anyway I think the final consensus is probably that Grant/Curtis are the closest to correct.

The Mt. Rushmore Spot #4 remains open. It just so happens that both Jerry York and Charlotte North moved in to their Statue Phase in the same year, but it may be a while before we see someone else at that level in the history of their sport.

But maybe not!