Crossing the bright blue John T. Alsop Memorial Bridge into downtown Jacksonville, Fla. Boston College head coach Jeff Jagodzinski and his team were greeted by a gigantic "Go Jags!" sign adorning one of the city's harborside skyscrapers. Signs at Jacksonville Municipal Stadium, the site of tomorrow's ACC championship game, advertise the "Jagarita" for the low price of $7.
Those signs may be references more to the city's NFL Jaguars than to the coach from up North affectionately known as "Coach Jags," but you wouldn't know it based on the reception and attention he has received in Jacksonville.
"I just want to say congratulations, Coach," ABC's Bob Griese told Jagodzinski after listing off the first-year coach's inheritance of a 10-2 team with 17 returning seniors, "for not screwing this up."
Jagodzinski certainly hasn't screwed up with his 10-2 Eagles ranked No. 12 in the nation, and the success he and his star quarterback, Matt Ryan, have had this season have the duo sitting squarely in the Florida spotlight as the Eagles prepare to do battle with Virginia Tech for the second time this season.
Jagodzinski's first year at the helm has been one worthy of attention. The first-year coach led BC to its first 10-win regular season since 1942, its first-ever conference championship game, and its first win over Miami since Gerard Phelan caught a certain pass in 1984. He was the first coach in ACC history to start his career 8-0, and he needs just one more win to have the most wins by a first-year ACC coach.
"I had the luxury of having a lot of returning starters and 17 seniors back," Jagodzinski said. "Our goal from the beginning was to win a championship, and we talked about it daily."
The program has certainly seen a change after 10 years under former coach Tom O'Brien, with Jagodzinski's jocular demeanor standing in stark contrast to O'Brien's stoicism. Jagodzinski has become nearly as famous for his flailing dance and failed chest bump as Ryan has become for his late-game heroics.
2008 Woodie Awards
