Why is there no Boston College Mens Varsity lacrosse?

[Jlax92]

I apologize if this has been posted somewhere else, feel free to move it, but why do they have a powerhouse womens team and no mens varsity team ? The acc clearly needs another team and BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive. The answer can’t just be Title Nine, that doesn’t answer anything. I bet there are people on this forum who have good insight.

[InsiderRoll]

I apologize if this has been posted somewhere else, feel free to move it, but why do they have a powerhouse womens team and no mens varsity team ? The acc clearly needs another team and BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive. The answer can’t just be Title Nine, that doesn’t answer anything. I bet there are people on this forum who have good insight.

Well I know they have hire a new athletic director this summer. So that could have an impact on whether or not they would look to add any sports in the near future.

[HGK]

Title 9 is a factor clearly. But after BU went D1 I really thought they’d find a way to bring the program back. Makes so much sense on many fronts. Head scratcher.

[10stone5]

Boston ———>
Stonehill is going DI,
not sure they have even a Men’s club team though.

[Farfromgeneva]

Boston ———>
Stonehill is going DI,
not sure they have even a Men’s club team though.

Hobart has had a couple of Stonehill football transfers over the years who couldn’t crack the travel team. Different sport but if that’s their effort in athletics it’s not going to matter if they sponsor D1 lacrosse.

Bigger picture do folks think in the demographic environment where there’s declining college age enrollment nationally, and especially in the NE, combined with NIL, that these institutions are really looking to broaden their athletic offerings absent an existential need to do so? Unfortunately I think the growth in D1 lacrosse, if there’s going to be any, is going to follow the concept of “adverse selection” where you’re getting schools that are more focused on keeping their doors open than truly broadening the student experience.

[10stone5]

Boston ———>
Stonehill is going DI,
not sure they have even a Men’s club team though.

Wrongo - Stonehill is DII Club in men’s lacrosse.

[Gorilla Fan]

Gene Defillipo who was the long time AD at BC (and a notorious lax opponent) used to use the excuse that BC was the only ACC member (at the time) that had men's and women's hockey, so adding men's lacrosse was an impossibility:

https://bceagles.com/news/2006/6/5/Live ... _DeFilippo

I agree though, with the recent success of the Women's program, a newish AD in place, and BU with a strong ramp-up to making the NCAA's, it would make sense for a revisit.

[FannOLax]

I apologize if this has been posted somewhere else, feel free to move it, but why do they have a powerhouse womens team and no mens varsity team ?

This question could be asked about Stanford, Northwestern, James Madison, UConn, Florida, USC, Arizona State... the list is even longer for women's non-powerhouse at schools without men's lacrosse. Having women's lacrosse is not a reason why schools will add men's lacrosse.

[xxxxxxx]

85 football scholarships

[Farfromgeneva]

I apologize if this has been posted somewhere else, feel free to move it, but why do they have a powerhouse womens team and no mens varsity team ?

This question could be asked about Stanford, Northwestern, James Madison, UConn, Florida, USC, Arizona State... the list is even longer for women's non-powerhouse at schools without men's lacrosse. Having women's lacrosse is not a reason why schools will add men's lacrosse.

Right it’s actually the opposite because adding both sides is the cleanest, easiest story to tell a BOT and donors.

[ICGrad]

BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive.

What is that other thing?

[10stone5]

BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive.

What is that other thing?

Doug Flutie and his drop kick.

[Mid-Lax]

Title 9 was the root cause, but, other Heights politics were at play. Frankly, they would have done better to cancel the basketball program and kept men's lacrosse.

[JustOneTime]

Virginia Tech would be a better ACC option. They have a strong club program and could transition well with the 12 scholarship additions. Much like Utah has done.

[Can Opener]

Gene Defillipo who was the long time AD at BC (and a notorious lax opponent) used to use the excuse that BC was the only ACC member (at the time) that had men's and women's hockey, so adding men's lacrosse was an impossibility:

https://bceagles.com/news/2006/6/5/Live ... _DeFilippo

I agree though, with the recent success of the Women's program, a newish AD in place, and BU with a strong ramp-up to making the NCAA's, it would make sense for a revisit.

My understanding from someone close to the process is that DeFilippo told a group of highly motivated lacrosse alums that if they could raise $15M, then BC would reinstate men's lacrosse. When the group succeeded in their fundraising and went back to DeFilippo with the good news, he moved the goal posts and said it actually had to be $25M. Understandably, the group lost motivation at that point.

Duke, Carolina and Virginia should be the biggest proponents of adding BC. They would get:
* An AQ which could prevent another NCAA snub year
* An easy W for a few years
* Access and exposure to the New England market which has made remarkable progress over the past 10 years and is a "hot bed lite," if not a full hot bed.
* Potentially divert talent and attention away from Syracuse for recruiting north of NYC and parochial school talent away from ND. All those kids at Chaminade and St. Anthony's whose names start with an O or end in an I may choose Boston over South Bend.

[BigFoot41]

Gene Defillipo who was the long time AD at BC (and a notorious lax opponent) used to use the excuse that BC was the only ACC member (at the time) that had men's and women's hockey, so adding men's lacrosse was an impossibility:

https://bceagles.com/news/2006/6/5/Live ... _DeFilippo

I agree though, with the recent success of the Women's program, a newish AD in place, and BU with a strong ramp-up to making the NCAA's, it would make sense for a revisit.

While I realize that article is old and that AD is no longer there. I chuckled a little bit reading his response to the baseball investment. BC baseball hasn’t had a winning record in the ACC since 2012. They’ve also only had 5 .500/winning seasons since this article came out in 2006.

Just my take, but I think a MLAX program could do a little better than that.

[Jlax92]

BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive.

What is that other thing?

Doug Flutie and his drop kick.

[/quote

Yes the Flutie drop kick is exactly what I was thinking

[wgdsr]

BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive.

What is that other thing?

Doug Flutie and his drop kick.

Yes the Flutie drop kick is exactly what I was thinking

ok. he has to answer at this point.

[FannOLax]

I apologize if this has been posted somewhere else, feel free to move it, but why do they have a powerhouse womens team and no mens varsity team ?

This question could be asked about Stanford, Northwestern, James Madison, UConn, Florida, USC, Arizona State... the list is even longer for women's non-powerhouse at schools without men's lacrosse. Having women's lacrosse is not a reason why schools will add men's lacrosse.

Right it’s actually the opposite because adding both sides is the cleanest, easiest story to tell a BOT and donors.

Right, makes sense for Title IX. So Wake Forest and/or North Carolina State of the ACC could add both men' and women's. NC State once had men's lax and dropped it. I've mentioned Wake Forest before as a school that seems like it has a good private-school profile for lax.

There was the recent April Fool's news about Salisbury going D1 and joining the ACC. RIT might be a better candidate, as it is D1 in ice hockey. Both of these schools might look at Hobart going from perennial national champion to current D1 mid-tier status and think twice about switching divisions... and in any case, both are probably quite happy where they are.

Any chance of luring Army and/or Navy into the ACC, at least for lacrosse? Since the Terps decamped to the Big 10, the ACC could sure use a Maryland institution.

[Farfromgeneva]

BC has the pedigree, money and that other thing to get good players and be competitive.

What is that other thing?

Doug Flutie and his drop kick.

Yes the Flutie drop kick is exactly what I was thinking

ok. he has to answer at this point.

Maybe it’s just my degeneracy but I thought that other thing was catholic school girls.