LYNN — You could say Boston College has been the talk of college football as of late. The Eagles stand at 3-1, were ranked in the AP’s Top 25 just two weeks ago, and defeated Michigan State in a thriller on Saturday.
Through all of the changes, however, some things don’t.
Inside Alumni Stadium in Chestnut Hill is a plaque commemorating the career highlights of Lynn’s Tony Thurman, who captured first-team All-American honors 40 years ago as a defensive back. To this day, the Lynn Classical graduate (1980) is Lynn’s only consensus All-American.
“Wow,” said Thurman, who still lives in Lynn. “It was exciting, for sure. I don’t think we really thought about the impact we had in the community and the city. That’s because, years later, you hear so many people talk about what they were doing at that time and how they enjoyed watching the BC team and going to games. I don’t think we realized the impact we were having.”
And what an impact it was. The 1984 Eagles (10-2) defeated No. 9 Alabama and finished No. 5 in the final AP poll.
For a career, Thurman broke records that still stand today: single-season interceptions (12 in 1984), career interceptions (25), and interceptions in one game (three against Holy Cross in 1982 and Alabama in 1984).
Yes, the Alabama game. Thurman intercepted the Crimson Tide three times – the third being a diving grab in the end zone to seal a 38-31 win. It was the last time BC beat an SEC team on the road.
“I think it was just a good gameplan,” said Thurman, whose Classical team defeated Scituate in the 1979 Super Bowl. “The coaches put us in a pretty good position. It was being in the right place at the right time and being decisive in my decisions to go after the ball.”
When asked which of the 1984 games were his favorite, Thurman said, “They were all pretty good.
“But the Alabama game, that one stands out. It was a nationally-televised game,” he said. “Being in Miami for the Hail Mary (Doug Flutie to Gerard Phelan), that might be at the top of the list as well.”
As for which opponent was toughest, Thurman didn’t land on Alabama.
“No. I actually think it was Miami because they just had so much talent on both sides of the ball,” he said. “They had a running game, passing game, and Bernie Kosar, who was – without a doubt – the best quarterback I had gone up against.”
Boston College hosts Western Kentucky at noon on Saturday. A convincing win could catapult the Eagles back into the top 25.
“I watch from a distance. You know, when I first got out of BC, I went to a lot of games. But after a while, life gets in the way, having to raise a kid and what not,” said Thurman, whose daughter, Ava, graduated from Classical in 2023 and currently suits up for Suffolk’s women’s basketball team. “I’m excited for the program and I’m excited for the coaching staff. Through the first few games, speaking personally, they just look different. They belong out there and they’re competing.”
Competing with the best – just like 40 years ago. Thurman admitted it’s “usually the old-timers” who talk about 1984.
“The younger kids, they don’t really know about it, but there are still quite a few people, around my age, who talk about it or bring it up,” he said. “I guess, at the time, you don’t realize that a program that wasn’t too successful and became successful – people enjoy that. They enjoyed that ride.”
Thurman played in three bowl games (Tangerine Bowl of 1982, Liberty Bowl of 1983, 1985 Cotton Bowl champions). He was inducted into the Boston College Varsity Club Athletic Hall-of-Fame in 1992.
“I think you definitely have to be fearless and dust yourself off because you’re going to get beat,” Thurman said about being an effective defensive back. “You can’t let that keep you down. You can’t let that make you a passive person in fear. I think the best defensive backs, they get back up.”
