By Woodrow Carroll
With Northern Illinois University ticketed to join the Mountain West Conference next season, the Huskies will kick off its final run as a member of the MAC (Mid-American Conference) Saturday, Aug. 30 at 2:30 p.m. when they play host to Holy Cross.
The Holy Cross Crusaders call Worcester, Massachusetts (40 miles west of Boston) home and are a FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) school, meaning that Northern Illinois should be favored. FBS schools are the ‘big name’ schools such as Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Holy Cross plays its home games at Fitton Field (23,500 capacity). A rarity in college football today, Fitton Field has a real grass field. Kentucky bluegrass to be exact!
Bill Osmanski, a running back who helped the Chicago Bears dominate the NFL in the early 1940s, was a Holy Cross star in the pre-World War II years, and is among the school’s famous football alumni.
One thing Northern Illinois and Holy Cross have in common is an appearance in the Orange Bowl.
Holy Cross took on Miami (Florida) in the 1946 Orange Bowl. The Crusaders lost 13-6 when a late interception was returned for a touchdown by Miami just when the two teams looked to be headed for a 6-6 tie.
The NIU Huskies faced Florida State in the 2013 Orange Bowl and were downed, 31-10, by the Seminoles.
Holy Cross football is often associated with the stunning upset of No. 1 ranked Boston College in 1942. And, what the upset brought about.
Holy Cross and Boston College squared off in the final regular-season game of the 1942 campaign for both teams. Played at Fenway Park, home of baseball’s Boston Red Sox, the crowd of 41,300 expected an easy victory for Boston College which had moved into the No. 1 ranking in the AP poll. Fans of both teams were in for a surprise.
It was a bit of a mild surprise when Holy Cross scored to take a 7-0 lead early on. Not to worry, however, as the Eagles bounced back with a quick score of their own. A missed extra point did leave the Eagles down 7-6. Still, everyone knew Boston College was not done scoring. A correct assessment. But, not in the way most Boston College backers ever imagined.
Holy Cross never let up against Boston College and soon the score was 55-6 in favor of Holy Cross. Boston College scored late to make the final score 55-12.
Can good come out of disaster? Maybe!
A number of Boston College fans had scheduled a party at the Cocoanut Grove, a popular Boston nightclub, following the game. For many BC backers, the loss was so painful that the gathering at the Cocoanut Grove (the correct spelling of the building, but is often called Coconut Grove) was out of the question. For them, it was a blessing in disguise.
World War II was raging at the time and a nightclub such as the Cocoanut Grove afforded respite for many. A place for many a Bostonian to getaway to and have a good time.
A terrible fire broke out in the Cocoanut Grove that evening. A total of 492 lives were lost in the conflagration. And, for those who intended to celebrate a Boston College victory and passed on making the gathering, the fates were on their side.
The loss to Holy Cross knocked the Boston Eagles from the No.1 spot in the polls. Boston College did go to the Orange Bowl! And, in that Orange Bowl, BC struggles continued when the team lost to Alabama, 37-21. Thus, the team that had given up only 20 points in its first eight games and topped the polls, found itself conceding 92 points in back-to-back games to close out the regular season.
As for Holy Cross. the big win over Boston College allowed the Crusaders to close out with a 5-4-1 final record. But, no bowl game was there.