Images courtesy of Gavel Media
In an interview, Bridge shared his
story of being a SuperFan and his reaction to the fifteen year tradition:
How did you get students excited about going to sporting events and wearing the gold SuperFan shirt? The Virginia Tech game was vital. Being on national TV provided the perfect atmosphere for the SuperFan shirt to become popular among the BC students. We made our idea known and people followed our message. BC students love this school, and the SuperFan shirt became a way to express that. It was the people around us – Jerry York, the students, the BC Bookstore– that made this become a vital part of the BC experience. What is the most memorable BC sporting event that you attended? The most memorable football game I attended was a home football game, my senior year (1998 season), against Notre Dame. Boston College had the ball on the 2 yard line with 1 minute left in the game. If they scored a touchdown, they
would win. It was first and goal for BC, however Notre Dame stopped them on four straight plays. It was a heartbreaking loss, one that really stung because it was against Notre Dame. I will never forget the agony of losing that game. It was certainly memorable, but not in a good way. How do you think more student excitement can be generated in nonrevenue and typically poorlyattended sports? I remember going to the UConn vs. Boston College women’s basketball game [in] 1998. It was unbelievably fun; I had a great time. This experience made me realize that other sporting events can [be] just as fun as the big football or hockey games. Obviously they won’t be as well-attended, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go. If you could put one saying on the back of the SuperFan shirt what would it be? Well, for the first shirt that we made, it said, “Whatever it Takes.” This was a nice description of what we were trying to accomplish. We wanted the culture
at BC sporting events to change and do “whatever it takes” to make that happen. I love [the] tradition of having [a] quote on the back of the shirt, and I think it needs to be personal to each class. It should be original; every class should come up with their own saying. “Whatever it takes” was personal to me, and made wearing my SuperFan shirt more meaningful. The incoming class should have a saying just as close to their hearts as mine was. Do you think the SuperFan concept should be spread to fans who are not current students, such as alumni and young kids dreaming to go to BC? In my opinion, it shouldn’t be spread to non-BC students. The SuperFan shirt is a something that is earned by going to Boston College, a source of pride for all the hard work that it took to end up on the Heights. It is a rite of passage and doesn’t need to be exclusive. I realize that they sell SuperFan shirts at the BC Bookstore, but I think it is best to keep it just to the student body.
SPORTS
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