THE GREATEST EAGLE FOOTBALL TEAM

September 25, 1940 ... The undergrads of the Eagle football team will be in class today as the upperclassmen will embark on a long train trek down to New Orleans for the purpose of playing Tulane on Saturday. Yesterday the squad went through two workouts before the travel squad was named.  The official party will have three full squads of players and coaches plus members of the press.

September 27, 1940 ... "Welcome Boston College" banners adorned many unexpected places in New Orleans when the team arrived.  Nearly 200 alumni have been here since Wednesday and many were gathered at the terminal when the train rolled in.  In the lobby of the hotel, choruses of "For Boston" were rendered and the clear voice of Mayor Tobin could be heard in the chorus.

The Eagles smother Tulane,
as O'Rourke blinds the greenies

September 28, 1940 ... In a demonical display of fierce tackling, hard charging and fancy football, the Eagles outplayed and outsmarted the shocked Tulane football squad at the New Orleans Sugar Bowl Stadium.  It is easy enough to pour words of praise on Charlie O'Rourke who passed, punted and ran beautifully, but Mickey Connolly dazzled the crowd with his coolness under fire.  Dowdy Kissell, starting his first game at fullback, scored the first and fourth touchdowns.  Frank Maznicki accounted for the second one and Mike Holovak was credited with the third.  Tulane's running game was hounded and made miserable by boys named Yauckoes, Kerr and Manzo, and they were haunted and hounded by a player named Goodreault. The Eagles, by winning this game 27-7, handed Tulane it's worst defeat since 1933.  It took nine minutes to score the first touchdown, less than 12 minutes to score the second and at halftime they were out front and going away by three.  It took Tulane 559 minutes and 55 seconds to score at all.

The second time the Eagles ad the ball, they roared 41 yards in four plays and sent you Dowdy Kissell over his right side for a score.  The touchdown was set up by Charlie O'Rourke who towered a 70 yard punt that drove Tulane back to their 3-yard line. Tulane went three and out and B.C. had the ball back on Tulane's 41.  Maznicki went over the right for six yards, Kissell up the middle for three, Joe Zabilski then lateraled back to O'Rourke who heaved a pass to his left finding Al Lukachik who was well behind his defender, Bob Glass.  Glass finally caught up to him and hauled him down at the 3-yd line.  Kissell bulled in in for the TD.

On the next Tulane possession, Gene Goodreault separated the ball from the Tulane running back and recovered the fumbled ball.  Four yard by O'Rourke and 23 yards by Maznicki set up the next touchdown.  O'Rourke pitched to Kissell who tossed it back to O'Rourke.  He faked a throw to his left and the hit Maznicki, standing all alone in the end zone.

In the second period, the Eagles brought in their second team.  They scored halfway through the period on a fiery 60-yard, six play march.  A 15 yard penalty put the Eagle reserves on the B.C. 40-yd line.  On the next play Mickey Connolly hot Hank Woronicz on a 50 yard pass that the left end snagged out of the thin air from two Dixie defensive backs.  That put the ball on Tulane's 26-yd line.  Teddy Williams took around the left end and behind some great blocks made it to the 11-yd line.  Three plays later Mike Holovak pushed the ball over from the one yard line, to give the Eagles a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Tulane managed some rugged ground gains by their running back Bobby Glass at the start of the second half, but Maznicki put and end to it by dumping him for a seven yard loss and a forced punt.  The snap from center sailed over the punter's head and Gene Goodreault raced him toward the goal line where it was downed at the 3-yard line for the Eagles.  From there Butch Kissell ran it twice into the line and on the second try punched it over for the Eagles last score.

In the final period Tulane averted the shutout.  Playing their third stringers at the end of the game, the moved the ball down to the one yard line with time running out.  On the last play of the game their reserve quarterback Ely ran it in.  With the convincing win the Eagles must now be considered one of the top teams in the country.