Column: A Silver Lining To Mask The Heartbreak

The two-week-long euphoria of the Super Bowl has once again swept up sports fans across the country, all over the world, and especially here in Chestnut Hill. In addition to the rooting interest of the large contingent of both Giants and Patriots fans on campus, students at Boston College have added incentive to pay close attention to Super Bowl XLVI due to the many ties both participating franchises have to BC, particularly its football program.

But what may have come as the biggest surprise to Superfans was BC's player representation in the Big Game. Between the Patriots and Giants, six players spent their collegiate days on the Heights, making BC the most represented college football program in this year's Super Bowl. This marks the fourth straight year a former Eagle has played in the Super Bowl. Familiar names such as Mathias Kiwanuka, B.J. Raji, and the inspirational Mark Herzlich have found themselves on the biggest sporting stage in America only a brief time after they had taken the Alumni Stadium field as members of the Eagles.

For some, this impressive showcasing of player development is merely a tease, drawing up a longing for the past days of success, days that were merely a few years ago but now feel long gone. Fans remember fondly the seasons Matty Ice was under center, competing for ACC titles. They hold on dearly to the proud reputation of "O-line U" that BC had earned for its consistent production of quality NFL offensive linemen. They yearn for the days of stingy defenses that lifted BC Football to earn 12-straight bowl game berths.

Following a 2011 campaign that can be described as disappointing at best, pitiful at worst, the Eagles have left little confidence in their fans that their run of success on the professional level will avoid the same letdown that the current squad has endured. This has been reflected in fan attendance, particularly that of students, at football games. As the season wore on, fewer and fewer folks were showing up to the home games at Alumni and understandably so, as students felt the time and energy commitments were not worth watching the team lose on a weekly basis.

A similar lack of enthusiasm has carried over to basketball games, leaving hockey the only major sport immune to falling student attendance. While it is easy for Superfans to lose interest as these teams struggle to pick up wins, we as sports fans must understand and appreciate the privilege we have to witness some phenomenal athletes compete both for and against our teams. Though both the basketball and football programs are going through some rough patches, we as fans have still been able to see some great college players come through.

Though one would be hard pressed to name a former Eagle that has become a star in the NBA, as part of the ACC, BC plays host to perennially great teams each year, giving fans the opportunity to watch guys like Harrison Barnes of North Carolina and Austin Rivers of Duke, both sure-fire lottery picks who will be superstars on the next level.

With Syracuse and Pitt set to join the ACC in the coming years, fans are guaranteed even more access to strong programs with exciting players. This also brings about the greater possibility of witnessing an upset at Conte Forum and getting to experience the exhilaration of rushing the court, arguably the greatest moment a college sports fan can experience.

While the football team may have frustrated fans in the fall, there was a silver lining among the proverbial dark clouds of an eight-loss season: Luke Kuechly. This past season was the last chance Superfans had to see Kuechly flying across the Alumni field, racking up tackles and making plays. The past two impressive years have earned him national attention, as he was a unanimous choice All-American and was named the winner of the Butkus Award, given to the nation's top linebacker.

Although BC has produced many quality football players over the years, it is rare for an Eagle to gain national notoriety. Kuechly joins legends such as Herzlich, Matt Ryan, and Doug Flutie in becoming a household name nationally. Entering the NFL draft in April, Kuechly is a projected first round pick, and will likely become a difference maker right away on the next level. In the next few years, do not be surprised if he, like many of the athletes that have played here, will be representing BC as a world champion.