The historic series between the two Jesuit colleges dates back to 1896. Holy Cross and BC have met 83 teams entering Saturday’s contest, with the Eagles holding a 48-32-3 edge in the series.
Since the series’ inception, it has been a bitter rivalry between the two programs from the very beginning. The two teams dispute the winner of the inaugural matchup in 1896 — Holy Cross claims to have won, 6-4, while the Eagles claim to have won by a score of 8-6. With less than three minutes to play, a fight broke out on the field. Amid the fight, BC’s Hugh McGrath picked up the ball and crossed the Holy Cross goal line. The officials, however, did not allow the score, and the Eagles left the field in protest. The referee awarded a 6-4 win to Holy Cross, and the Crusaders left the field with an apparent victory. However, the referee decided to reverse his decision after a Boston College protest, and asked both teams to return to the field. Holy Cross refused and claimed a win, while the Eagles returned to field, scored without opposition, and claimed a win themselves.
That was just the start of what would go on to be the most anticipated matchup in New England football as the years went on. The programs have both enjoyed significant success — and traded stretches of dominance — but throughout it all, the mentality of a Crusader football player has stayed consistent.
“We’ve always been underdogs,” Cerretani said. “The kid that goes to Holy Cross and plays football there is a little bit different. I can’t describe it any better, but we're different guys.”
“We knew that they might have been better than us talent-wise,” Cerretani added about Boston College, “but it was always about our heart. It was always about our passion.”
After the back-to-back wins, Holy Cross fell by just three points in 1979 (“every now and then I still think about that one,” Verrette said) before the Eagles put together their winning stretch against the Crusaders. And though the matchups have become less frequent now that Boston College competes at the FBS level, while Holy Cross competes at the FCS level, that rivalry still is at the heart of all who support the Crusaders. The historic mantra — “BEAT BC” — is ingrained in the vocabulary of the Crusader faithful. This week, “BEAT BC” signs decorate College vans and windows across campus.
“I always say I co-captained the last two teams to beat BC,” Cerretani said, “but I don't want to say that anymore. I can’t wait for that day.”
Cerretani, Verrette and George have kept close tabs on the Crusaders’ current run of success, which features four consecutive Patriot League titles, a top-five national ranking in FCS, playoff victories in back-to-back seasons and wins over their last two FBS opponents.
“It’s been special for everyone that's connected to Holy Cross and Holy Cross football,” Verrette said.
“It's great to see everybody want to wear purple and be a Crusader,” George said.
As Holy Cross prepares to face the Eagles on Saturday, a number of Crusader greats will be in attendance among a sea of purple at Alumni Stadium — eager for a shot to witness potential history.
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world,” Verrette said.
